diff --git a/Configuration.props b/Configuration.props
index 36fce7812..4ba4b8b61 100644
--- a/Configuration.props
+++ b/Configuration.props
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@
       Condition="Exists('$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)bin\Build$(Configuration)\MonoInfo.props')"
   />
   <PropertyGroup>
+    <CecilSourceDirectory   Condition=" '$(CecilSourceDirectory)' == '' ">$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)external\cecil</CecilSourceDirectory>
     <UtilityOutputFullPath  Condition=" '$(UtilityOutputFullPath)' == '' ">$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)bin\$(Configuration)\</UtilityOutputFullPath>
   </PropertyGroup>
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <CecilFullPath>$([System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath ('$(CecilSourceDirectory)'))</CecilFullPath>
+  </PropertyGroup>
 </Project>
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 90b08617c..605375459 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -70,6 +70,8 @@ it within other project files.
 
 Overridable MSBuild properties include:
 
+* `$(CecilSourceDirectory)`: Directory for the `cecil` sources.
+    Defaults to `external/cecil`.
 * `$(JdkJvmPath)`: Full path name to the JVM native library to link
     [`java-interop`](src/java-interop) against. By default this is
     probed for from numerious locations within
diff --git a/src/Xamarin.Android.Cecil/Xamarin.Android.Cecil.targets b/src/Xamarin.Android.Cecil/Xamarin.Android.Cecil.targets
index 91ef9bd8d..7d4fca333 100644
--- a/src/Xamarin.Android.Cecil/Xamarin.Android.Cecil.targets
+++ b/src/Xamarin.Android.Cecil/Xamarin.Android.Cecil.targets
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
   <PropertyGroup>
-    <CecilDirectory>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)\..\..\external\cecil</CecilDirectory>
     <CecilPreparedFlag>prepared.flag</CecilPreparedFlag>
     <OutputPath Condition=" '$(OutputPath)' == '' ">..\..\bin\$(Configuration)</OutputPath>
     <CecilOutputPath>$([System.IO.Path]::Combine ($(MSBuildThisFileDirectory), $(OutputPath)))</CecilOutputPath>
@@ -9,9 +8,9 @@
     <CecilAssemblies>$(OutputPath)\Xamarin.Android.Cecil.dll;$(OutputPath)\Xamarin.Android.Cecil.Mdb.dll</CecilAssemblies>
   </PropertyGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
-    <_CecilProject  Include="$(CecilDirectory)\Mono.Cecil.csproj" />
-    <_CecilProject  Include="$(CecilDirectory)\symbols\mdb\Mono.Cecil.Mdb.csproj" />
-    <_CecilSource   Include="$(CecilDirectory)\**\*.cs" />
+    <_CecilProject  Include="$(CecilFullPath)\Mono.Cecil.csproj" />
+    <_CecilProject  Include="$(CecilFullPath)\symbols\mdb\Mono.Cecil.Mdb.csproj" />
+    <_CecilSource   Include="$(CecilFullPath)\**\*.cs" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <Target Name="BuildCecil"
       Inputs="@(_CecilSource)"