--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -195,11 +195,8 @@
   [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_STATS], [1], [Define to 1 if stats is not disabled])])
 AC_MSG_RESULT($disable_stats)
 
-# Untar the yaml-0.1.4 in contrib/ before config.status is rerun
-AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS_PRE([tar xvfz contrib/yaml-0.1.4.tar.gz -C contrib])
-
-# Call yaml-0.1.4 ./configure recursively
-AC_CONFIG_SUBDIRS([contrib/yaml-0.1.4])
+# Use systems libyaml.
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([YAML], [yaml-0.1 >= 0.1])
 
 # Define Makefiles
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
 
-SUBDIRS = contrib src
+SUBDIRS = src
 
 dist_man_MANS = man/nutcracker.8
 
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 AM_CPPFLAGS += -I $(top_srcdir)/src/hashkit
 AM_CPPFLAGS += -I $(top_srcdir)/src/proto
 AM_CPPFLAGS += -I $(top_srcdir)/src/event
-AM_CPPFLAGS += -I $(top_srcdir)/contrib/yaml-0.1.4/include
 
 AM_CFLAGS =
 AM_CFLAGS += -Wall -Wshadow
@@ -17,9 +16,10 @@
 AM_CFLAGS += -Wno-unused-parameter -Wno-unused-value
 AM_CFLAGS += -Wconversion -Wsign-compare
 AM_CFLAGS += -Wstrict-prototypes -Wmissing-prototypes -Wredundant-decls -Wmissing-declarations
+AM_CFLAGS += $(YAML_CFLAGS)
 
 AM_LDFLAGS =
-AM_LDFLAGS += -lm -lpthread -rdynamic
+AM_LDFLAGS += -lm -lpthread -rdynamic $(YAML_LIBS)
 if OS_SOLARIS
 AM_LDFLAGS += -lnsl -lsocket
 endif
@@ -52,4 +52,3 @@
 nutcracker_LDADD = $(top_builddir)/src/hashkit/libhashkit.a
 nutcracker_LDADD += $(top_builddir)/src/proto/libproto.a
 nutcracker_LDADD += $(top_builddir)/src/event/libevent.a
-nutcracker_LDADD += $(top_builddir)/contrib/yaml-0.1.4/src/.libs/libyaml.a