diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index 97b7c05f..a0eabf83 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -11,16 +11,16 @@ BUILDDIR=build
 
 command -v meson 2> /dev/null
 if [ $? != 0 ]; then
-    echo "*** No meson found, please install it ***"
+    echo "*** 'meson' not found, please install it ***"
     exit 1
 fi
 
 # we could remove build/ but let's avoid rm -rf risks...
 if test -d ${BUILDDIR}; then
-    meson --reconfigure ${BUILDDIR} $@
+    meson setup --reconfigure ${BUILDDIR} $@ || exit 1
 else
-    meson ${BUILDDIR} $@
+    meson setup ${BUILDDIR} $@ || exit 1
 fi
 
-echo "*** Now run 'ninja -C ${BUILDDIR}' to build mu"
-echo "*** Or check the Makefile for some useful targets"
+echo "*** Now run either 'ninja -C ${BUILDDIR}' or 'make' to build mu"
+echo "*** Check the Makefile for other useful targets"
diff --git a/build-aux/date.py b/build-aux/date.py
index 7cb0c067..d93b13d0 100755
--- a/build-aux/date.py
+++ b/build-aux/date.py
@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
-#!/bin/env python
-#The MacOS 'date' is not quite up to GNU standards
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+"""
+Script to get date strings, since the MacOS 'date' is not quite up to GNU
+standards
+
+E.g..
+  date.py 2023-10-14 "The year-month is %y %m"
+"""
+
 import sys
 from datetime import datetime
+
 date=datetime.strptime(sys.argv[1],'%Y-%m-%d')
 print(date.strftime(sys.argv[2]))
-#
-#  ./date.py 2023-10-14 "The year-month is %y %m"
-#
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index ef0e3891..f5e9ccb8 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ build_aux = join_paths(meson.current_source_dir(), 'build-aux')
 ################################################################################
 # derived date values (based on 'mu-date'); used in docs
 # we can't use the 'date' because MacOS 'date' is incompatible with GNU's.
-pdate=join_paths(build_aux, 'date.py')
+pdate=find_program(join_paths(build_aux, 'date.py'))
 env = environment()
 env.set('LANG', 'C')
 mu_day_month_year = run_command(pdate, mu_date, '%d %B %Y',