diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index ae8ee783eb8..dc3b07e4bbb 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1219,14 +1219,6 @@ if test "x$have_any_system" != "xno"; then
   AC_DEFINE(HAVE_SYSTEM, 1, Define to 1 if std::system or ::wsystem is available.)
 fi
 
-LEVELDB_CPPFLAGS=
-LIBLEVELDB=
-LIBMEMENV=
-AM_CONDITIONAL([EMBEDDED_LEVELDB],[true])
-AC_SUBST(LEVELDB_CPPFLAGS)
-AC_SUBST(LIBLEVELDB)
-AC_SUBST(LIBMEMENV)
-
 dnl SUPPRESSED_CPPFLAGS=SUPPRESS_WARNINGS([$SOME_CPPFLAGS])
 dnl Replace -I with -isystem in $SOME_CPPFLAGS to suppress warnings from
 dnl headers from its include directories and return the result.
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 68c81c1a128..e5cf8d9b745 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -841,11 +841,8 @@ nodist_libbitcoin_ipc_a_SOURCES = $(libbitcoin_ipc_mpgen_output)
 CLEANFILES += $(libbitcoin_ipc_mpgen_output)
 endif
 
-if EMBEDDED_LEVELDB
 include Makefile.crc32c.include
 include Makefile.leveldb.include
-endif
-
 include Makefile.test_util.include
 include Makefile.test_fuzz.include
 
diff --git a/src/Makefile.leveldb.include b/src/Makefile.leveldb.include
index ce1f93f11f3..3bec92482a2 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.leveldb.include
+++ b/src/Makefile.leveldb.include
@@ -8,9 +8,10 @@ LIBMEMENV_INT  = leveldb/libmemenv.a
 EXTRA_LIBRARIES += $(LIBLEVELDB_INT)
 EXTRA_LIBRARIES += $(LIBMEMENV_INT)
 
-LIBLEVELDB += $(LIBLEVELDB_INT) $(LIBCRC32C)
-LIBMEMENV += $(LIBMEMENV_INT)
+LIBLEVELDB = $(LIBLEVELDB_INT) $(LIBCRC32C)
+LIBMEMENV = $(LIBMEMENV_INT)
 
+LEVELDB_CPPFLAGS =
 LEVELDB_CPPFLAGS += -I$(srcdir)/leveldb/include
 LEVELDB_CPPFLAGS += -I$(srcdir)/leveldb/helpers/memenv