diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json
index c5ec1a4af9..00fad8f81a 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json
@@ -236840,7 +236840,7 @@
                         "construct": false,
                         "construct-only": false,
                         "controllable": false,
-                        "default": "@0@/fist.xml",
+                        "default": "/usr/share/opencv4/haarcascades//fist.xml",
                         "mutable": "null",
                         "readable": true,
                         "type": "gchararray",
@@ -236852,7 +236852,7 @@
                         "construct": false,
                         "construct-only": false,
                         "controllable": false,
-                        "default": "@0@/palm.xml",
+                        "default": "/usr/share/opencv4/haarcascades//palm.xml",
                         "mutable": "null",
                         "readable": true,
                         "type": "gchararray",
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.cpp b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.cpp
index 373c92e4b4..9a5f4e820e 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.cpp
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/ext/opencv/gsthanddetect.cpp
@@ -70,6 +70,9 @@ GST_DEBUG_CATEGORY_STATIC (gst_handdetect_debug);
 #endif
 
 /* define HAAR files */
+#define GST_HAAR_CASCADES_DIR OPENCV_PREFIX G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S "share" \
+    G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S OPENCV_PATH_NAME G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S "haarcascades" \
+    G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S
 #define HAAR_FILE_FIST GST_HAAR_CASCADES_DIR G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S "fist.xml"
 #define HAAR_FILE_PALM GST_HAAR_CASCADES_DIR G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S "palm.xml"
 
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/gst-libs/gst/opencv/meson.build b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/gst-libs/gst/opencv/meson.build
index 3e5750bec2..adb0559c83 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/gst-libs/gst/opencv/meson.build
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-bad/gst-libs/gst/opencv/meson.build
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ libopencv_headers = [
 ]
 
 
-gstopencv_cargs = ['-DGST_HAAR_CASCADES_DIR="@0@"']
+gstopencv_cargs = []
 opencv_dep = dependency('opencv', version : ['>= 3.0.0', '< 3.5.0'], required : false)
 if not opencv_dep.found()
   opencv_dep = dependency('opencv', version : ['>= 4.0.0'], required : opencv_opt)