diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 5f30bd3854..607502c937 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ else
 endif
 conf.set10('HAVE_SPLIT_USR', split_usr)
 
+if get_option('split-bin') == 'auto'
+        split_bin = run_command('test', '-L', '/usr/sbin').returncode() != 0
+else
+        split_bin = get_option('split-bin') == 'true'
+endif
+
 rootprefixdir = get_option('rootprefix')
 # Unusual rootprefixdir values are used by some distros
 # (see https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/7461).
@@ -91,7 +97,7 @@ datadir = join_paths(prefixdir, get_option('datadir'))
 localstatedir = join_paths('/', get_option('localstatedir'))
 
 rootbindir = join_paths(rootprefixdir, 'bin')
-rootsbindir = join_paths(rootprefixdir, 'sbin')
+rootsbindir = join_paths(rootprefixdir, split_bin ? 'sbin' : 'bin')
 rootlibexecdir = join_paths(rootprefixdir, 'lib/systemd')
 
 rootlibdir = get_option('rootlibdir')
@@ -2743,6 +2749,7 @@ status = [
         '@0@ @1@'.format(meson.project_name(), meson.project_version()),
 
         'split /usr:                        @0@'.format(split_usr),
+        'split bin-sbin:                    @0@'.format(split_bin),
         'prefix directory:                  @0@'.format(prefixdir),
         'rootprefix directory:              @0@'.format(rootprefixdir),
         'sysconf directory:                 @0@'.format(sysconfdir),
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 4dbbb5190a..2d27981849 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 
 option('split-usr', type : 'combo', choices : ['auto', 'true', 'false'],
        description : '''/bin, /sbin aren't symlinks into /usr''')
+option('split-bin', type : 'combo', choices : ['auto', 'true', 'false'],
+       description : '''sbin is not a symlink to bin''')
 option('rootlibdir', type : 'string',
        description : '''[/usr]/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu or such''')
 option('rootprefix', type : 'string',