diff --git a/cffi-python38.patch b/cffi-python38.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fd4df59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cffi-python38.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+# HG changeset patch
+# User Armin Rigo <arigo@tunes.org>
+# Date 1552719624 -3600
+# Node ID 272b53198be984719f29748f998504d1e0634e21
+# Parent  ff25b4e68195de3034253a1b35e096f8b616aa73
+py3.8 fixes
+
+diff --git a/cffi/_embedding.h b/cffi/_embedding.h
+--- a/cffi/_embedding.h
++++ b/cffi/_embedding.h
+@@ -169,8 +169,10 @@
+     global_dict = PyDict_New();
+     if (global_dict == NULL)
+         goto error;
+-    if (PyDict_SetItemString(global_dict, "__builtins__",
+-                             PyThreadState_GET()->interp->builtins) < 0)
++    PyObject *builtins = PyEval_GetBuiltins();
++    if (builtins == NULL)
++        goto error;
++    if (PyDict_SetItemString(global_dict, "__builtins__", builtins) < 0)
+         goto error;
+     x = PyEval_EvalCode(
+ #if PY_MAJOR_VERSION < 3
+@@ -263,23 +265,33 @@
+        So we use a global variable as a simple spin lock.  This global
+        variable must be from 'libpythonX.Y.so', not from this
+        cffi-based extension module, because it must be shared from
+-       different cffi-based extension modules.  We choose
++       different cffi-based extension modules.
++
++       In Python < 3.8, we choose
+        _PyParser_TokenNames[0] as a completely arbitrary pointer value
+        that is never written to.  The default is to point to the
+        string "ENDMARKER".  We change it temporarily to point to the
+        next character in that string.  (Yes, I know it's REALLY
+        obscure.)
++
++       In Python >= 3.8, this string array is no longer writable, so
++       instead we pick PyCapsuleType.tp_version_tag.  We can't change
++       Python < 3.8 because someone might use a mixture of cffi
++       embedded modules, some of which were compiled before this file
++       changed.
+     */
+ 
+ #ifdef WITH_THREAD
++# if PY_VERSION_HEX < 0x03080000
+     char *volatile *lock = (char *volatile *)_PyParser_TokenNames;
+-    char *old_value;
++    char *old_value, *locked_value;
+ 
+     while (1) {    /* spin loop */
+         old_value = *lock;
++        locked_value = old_value + 1;
+         if (old_value[0] == 'E') {
+             assert(old_value[1] == 'N');
+-            if (cffi_compare_and_swap(lock, old_value, old_value + 1))
++            if (cffi_compare_and_swap(lock, old_value, locked_value))
+                 break;
+         }
+         else {
+@@ -290,6 +302,27 @@
+                this is only run at start-up anyway. */
+         }
+     }
++# else
++    int volatile *lock = (int volatile *)&PyCapsule_Type.tp_version_tag;
++    int old_value, locked_value;
++    assert(!(PyCapsule_Type.tp_flags & Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_VERSION_TAG));
++
++    while (1) {    /* spin loop */
++        old_value = *lock;
++        locked_value = -42;
++        if (old_value == 0) {
++            if (cffi_compare_and_swap(lock, old_value, locked_value))
++                break;
++        }
++        else {
++            assert(old_value == locked_value);
++            /* should ideally do a spin loop instruction here, but
++               hard to do it portably and doesn't really matter I
++               think: PyEval_InitThreads() should be very fast, and
++               this is only run at start-up anyway. */
++        }
++    }
++# endif
+ #endif
+ 
+     /* call Py_InitializeEx() */
+@@ -306,7 +339,7 @@
+ 
+ #ifdef WITH_THREAD
+     /* release the lock */
+-    while (!cffi_compare_and_swap(lock, old_value + 1, old_value))
++    while (!cffi_compare_and_swap(lock, locked_value, old_value))
+         ;
+ #endif
+ 
+diff --git a/testing/cffi0/test_verify.py b/testing/cffi0/test_verify.py
+--- a/testing/cffi0/test_verify.py
++++ b/testing/cffi0/test_verify.py
+@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@
+         extra_compile_args.append('-Qunused-arguments')
+     else:
+         # assume a standard gcc
+-        extra_compile_args = ['-Werror', '-Wall', '-Wextra', '-Wconversion']
++        extra_compile_args = ['-Werror', '-Wall', '-Wextra', '-Wconversion',
++                              '-Wno-unused-parameter']
+ 
+     class FFI(FFI):
+         def verify(self, *args, **kwds):
+diff --git a/testing/cffi1/test_verify1.py b/testing/cffi1/test_verify1.py
+--- a/testing/cffi1/test_verify1.py
++++ b/testing/cffi1/test_verify1.py
+@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
+         extra_compile_args.append('-Qunused-arguments')
+     else:
+         # assume a standard gcc
+-        extra_compile_args = ['-Werror', '-Wall', '-Wextra', '-Wconversion']
++        extra_compile_args = ['-Werror', '-Wall', '-Wextra', '-Wconversion',
++                              '-Wno-unused-parameter']
+ 
+ class FFI(FFI):
+     error = _cffi_backend.FFI.error
+diff --git a/testing/embedding/test_basic.py b/testing/embedding/test_basic.py
+--- a/testing/embedding/test_basic.py
++++ b/testing/embedding/test_basic.py
+@@ -172,7 +172,8 @@
+         result = popen.stdout.read()
+         err = popen.wait()
+         if err:
+-            raise OSError("%r failed with exit code %r" % (name, err))
++            raise OSError("%r failed with exit code %r" % (
++                os.path.join(path, executable_name), err))
+         return result
+ 
+ 
diff --git a/python-cffi.spec b/python-cffi.spec
index 6b94973..da8700e 100644
--- a/python-cffi.spec
+++ b/python-cffi.spec
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ License:        MIT
 URL:            https://cffi.readthedocs.org/
 Source0:        %{pypi_source cffi}
 
+# https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1693617
+Patch0:         cffi-python38.patch
+
 BuildRequires:  libffi-devel
 BuildRequires:  gcc
 
@@ -58,7 +61,7 @@ BuildArch:      noarch
 Documentation for CFFI, the Foreign Function Interface for Python.
 
 %prep
-%autosetup -n cffi-%{version}
+%autosetup -p1 -n cffi-%{version}
 
 %build
 %py2_build