diff --git a/ecryptfs-usrmerge.diff b/ecryptfs-usrmerge.diff
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2736235
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ecryptfs-usrmerge.diff
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+Index: ecryptfs-utils-111/configure.ac
+===================================================================
+--- ecryptfs-utils-111.orig/configure.ac
++++ ecryptfs-utils-111/configure.ac
+@@ -358,11 +358,17 @@ if test "${enable_gui}" = "yes"; then
+ fi
+ 
+ pkgconfigdir="\$(libdir)/pkgconfig"
+-if test "${prefix}" = "/usr"; then
+-	rootsbindir="/sbin"
+-else
+-	rootsbindir="\$(sbindir)"
++# check for rootsbindir environment var
++if test -z $rootsbindir; then
++	if test "${prefix}" = "/usr"; then
++		rootsbindir="/sbin"
++	else
++		rootsbindir="\$(sbindir)"
++	fi
++	export rootsbindir
+ fi
++AC_ARG_VAR(rootsbindir, [Location of /sbin @<:@default=/sbin@:>@])
++
+ 
+ GETTEXT_PACKAGE=ecryptfs-utils
+ AC_SUBST(GETTEXT_PACKAGE)
diff --git a/ecryptfs-utils.changes b/ecryptfs-utils.changes
index 2d5a3ff..882d530 100644
--- a/ecryptfs-utils.changes
+++ b/ecryptfs-utils.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Tue Nov 17 16:13:17 UTC 2020 - Ludwig Nussel <lnussel@suse.de>
+
+- prepare usrmerge (boo#1029961)
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tue Aug 18 15:21:46 UTC 2020 - Dominique Leuenberger <dimstar@opensuse.org>
 
diff --git a/ecryptfs-utils.spec b/ecryptfs-utils.spec
index 63f185f..2c74d1a 100644
--- a/ecryptfs-utils.spec
+++ b/ecryptfs-utils.spec
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@
 #
 
 
+%if !0%{?usrmerged}
+%define sbindir /sbin
+%else
+%define sbindir %{_sbindir}
+%endif
+
 %define lname   libecryptfs1
 Name:           ecryptfs-utils
 Version:        111
@@ -32,6 +38,7 @@ Patch0:         ecryptfs-setup-swap-SuSE.patch
 # PATCH-FIX-OPENSUSE build with -fpie/-pie
 Patch1:         ecryptfs-utils-src-utils-Makefile.patch
 Patch2:         ecryptfs-utils-openssl11.patch
+Patch3:         ecryptfs-usrmerge.diff
 BuildRequires:  autoconf
 BuildRequires:  automake
 BuildRequires:  fdupes
@@ -78,11 +85,13 @@ A stacked cryptographic filesystem for Linux.
 %patch0 -p1
 %patch1 -p1
 %patch2 -p0
+%patch3 -p1
 
 %build
 export RPM_OPT_FLAGS="%{optflags} -fno-strict-aliasing"
 autoreconf -fiv
 %configure \
+	rootsbindir=%{sbindir} \
 	--docdir=%{_defaultdocdir}/%{name} \
 	--disable-static \
 	--disable-pywrap \
@@ -118,10 +127,10 @@ mkdir -p %{buildroot}%{_prefix}/lib/modules-load.d/
 echo -e "# ecryptfs module is needed before ecryptfs mount, so mount helper can \n# check for file name encryption support\necryptfs" >%{buildroot}%{_prefix}/lib/modules-load.d/ecryptfs.conf
 
 %verifyscript
-%verify_permissions -e /sbin/mount.ecryptfs_private
+%verify_permissions -e %{sbindir}/mount.ecryptfs_private
 
 %post
-%set_permissions /sbin/mount.ecryptfs_private
+%set_permissions %{sbindir}/mount.ecryptfs_private
 %{_sbindir}/pam-config -a --ecryptfs
 %desktop_database_post
 
@@ -140,10 +149,10 @@ fi
 %doc COPYING NEWS README THANKS doc/ecryptfs-faq.html
 %{_docdir}/%{name}
 %{_bindir}/*
-/sbin/mount.ecryptfs
-/sbin/umount.ecryptfs
-/sbin/umount.ecryptfs_private
-%verify(not mode) /sbin/mount.ecryptfs_private
+%{sbindir}/mount.ecryptfs
+%{sbindir}/umount.ecryptfs
+%{sbindir}/umount.ecryptfs_private
+%verify(not mode) %{sbindir}/mount.ecryptfs_private
 %{_mandir}/man1/*ecryptfs*
 %{_mandir}/man7/ecryptfs*
 %{_mandir}/man8/*ecryptfs*