diff --git a/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml b/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml
index 22ae446..bd2201c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/github-actions.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,10 @@ jobs:
         run: sudo apt-get install -qq
           gcc
           gcc-arm-linux-gnueabi libc-dev-armel-cross
-          git meson device-tree-compiler qemu-user
+          git device-tree-compiler qemu-user
+          python3-pip
+      - name: Install current meson
+        run: pip3 install --user meson~=0.63
       - uses: actions/checkout@v2
       - name: arm32
         # meson compile requires 0.54, but Ubuntu 20.04 ships 0.53, so run ninja directly
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 4cea029..c3ab16e 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ project('culvert', 'c',
 		'b_lto=true',
 		'b_ndebug=true',
 		],
-	meson_version: '>=0.53.0',
+	meson_version: '>=0.63.0',
 	version: 'v0.4.0')
 
 add_global_link_arguments('-z', 'noexecstack', language: 'c')
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index 2e83b35..959bd8d 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 fs = import('fs')
 
+if get_option('prefer_static')
+	add_project_link_arguments('-static', language: 'c')
+endif
+
 incdirs = [ '.' ]
 
 src = files(