diff --git a/tests/check/meson.build b/tests/check/meson.build
index 9abcd8fb5d..c2e61da00c 100644
--- a/tests/check/meson.build
+++ b/tests/check/meson.build
@@ -154,8 +154,8 @@ foreach t : base_tests
   if not skip_test
     exe = executable(test_name, fnames,
       include_directories : [configinc],
-      c_args : ['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H=1' ] + test_defines,
-      cpp_args : gst_plugins_bad_args,
+      c_args : gst_plugins_bad_args + test_defines,
+      cpp_args : gst_plugins_bad_args + test_defines,
       dependencies : [libm] + test_deps + extra_deps,
     )
 
diff --git a/tests/examples/ipcpipeline/ipcpipeline1.c b/tests/examples/ipcpipeline/ipcpipeline1.c
index df45c4a536..29ba112267 100644
--- a/tests/examples/ipcpipeline/ipcpipeline1.c
+++ b/tests/examples/ipcpipeline/ipcpipeline1.c
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@
  * running in a different process than videotestsrc.
  */
 
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#  include "config.h"
+#endif
+
 #define _GNU_SOURCE
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
diff --git a/tests/examples/mpegts/meson.build b/tests/examples/mpegts/meson.build
index d32aeff743..bfe2deb77c 100644
--- a/tests/examples/mpegts/meson.build
+++ b/tests/examples/mpegts/meson.build
@@ -6,6 +6,6 @@ foreach fname : ['ts-parser.c', 'ts-section-writer.c', 'ts-scte-writer.c']
     install: false,
     include_directories : [configinc],
     dependencies : [gstmpegts_dep],
-    c_args : ['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H=1', '-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API' ],
+    c_args : gst_plugins_bad_args + ['-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API'],
   )
 endforeach
diff --git a/tests/examples/opencv/meson.build b/tests/examples/opencv/meson.build
index e00227c8ed..889ea51a74 100644
--- a/tests/examples/opencv/meson.build
+++ b/tests/examples/opencv/meson.build
@@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ foreach example : examples
     src_file,
     include_directories: [configinc],
     dependencies: [glib_dep, gst_dep, gstbase_dep],
-    c_args: ['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H=1'],
+    c_args : gst_plugins_bad_args,
     install: false)
 endforeach
diff --git a/tests/examples/waylandsink/meson.build b/tests/examples/waylandsink/meson.build
index 5918063d49..f5a4e4f8d5 100644
--- a/tests/examples/waylandsink/meson.build
+++ b/tests/examples/waylandsink/meson.build
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ if use_wayland
       install: false,
       include_directories : [configinc],
       dependencies : [gtk_dep, gtk_wayland_dep, gst_dep, gstwayland_dep],
-      c_args : ['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H=1', '-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API=1'],
+      c_args : gst_plugins_bad_args + ['-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API'],
     )
   endif
   executable('wayland_threads',
@@ -17,6 +17,6 @@ if use_wayland
     install: false,
     include_directories : [configinc],
     dependencies : [gst_dep, gstwayland_dep, wl_client_dep],
-    c_args : ['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H=1', '-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API=1'],
+    c_args : gst_plugins_bad_args + ['-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API'],
   )
 endif
diff --git a/tests/examples/webrtc/meson.build b/tests/examples/webrtc/meson.build
index 3913a46748..3ed7e6e616 100644
--- a/tests/examples/webrtc/meson.build
+++ b/tests/examples/webrtc/meson.build
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ foreach example : examples
     install: false,
     include_directories : [configinc],
     dependencies : [glib_dep, gst_dep, gstwebrtc_dep],
-    c_args : ['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H=1', '-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API'],
+    c_args : gst_plugins_bad_args + ['-DGST_USE_UNSTABLE_API'],
   )
 endforeach