diff --git a/0001-make-test-that-the-config-variables-are-not-empty.patch b/0001-make-test-that-the-config-variables-are-not-empty.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a0c8cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/0001-make-test-that-the-config-variables-are-not-empty.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+From 590bbc4941716658901709a42658962d665b06ad Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: =?UTF-8?q?Zbigniew=20J=C4=99drzejewski-Szmek?= <zbyszek@in.waw.pl>
+Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2021 16:08:36 +0200
+Subject: [PATCH 1/2] make: test that the config variables are not empty
+
+If the user does something like "make SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR=", we
+would put things in /. I actually did something like this in an rpm build,
+where SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR is set using rpm macros, and not read
+from pkgconfig. We can easily catch this.
+---
+ Makefile | 4 ++++
+ 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+)
+
+diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
+index ebbd135878..a15b95f483 100644
+--- a/Makefile
++++ b/Makefile
+@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ program:
+ 	@$(CARGO) build --release $(CARGOFLAGS)
+ 
+ systemd-service:
++	@test -n "$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR)"
+ 	@sed -e 's,@SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR@,$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR),' \
+ 		< units/systemd-zram-setup@.service.in \
+ 		> units/systemd-zram-setup@.service
+@@ -36,6 +37,9 @@ clean:
+ 	@rm -f units/systemd-zram-setup@.service
+ 
+ install: build
++	@test -n "$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR)"
++	@test -n "$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_UNIT_DIR)"
++	@test -n "$(PREFIX)"
+ 	$(INSTALL) -Dpm755 target/release/zram-generator -t $(DESTDIR)$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR)/
+ 	$(INSTALL) -Dpm644 units/systemd-zram-setup@.service -t $(DESTDIR)$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_UNIT_DIR)/
+ 	$(INSTALL) -Dpm644 zram-generator.conf.example -t $(DESTDIR)$(PREFIX)/share/doc/zram-generator/
diff --git a/0002-make-print-executed-commands.patch b/0002-make-print-executed-commands.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b596390
--- /dev/null
+++ b/0002-make-print-executed-commands.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+From 5628c8f28940e30a40e4a5c006e738ad7b9991b6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: =?UTF-8?q?Zbigniew=20J=C4=99drzejewski-Szmek?= <zbyszek@in.waw.pl>
+Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2021 16:11:53 +0200
+Subject: [PATCH 2/2] make: print executed commands
+
+The initial version of the Makefile used @ everywhere, but this hides
+errors. If anything, the user should use "make --silent" if they want
+to hide the commands.
+---
+ Makefile | 12 ++++++------
+ 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
+index a15b95f483..0df1eaad64 100644
+--- a/Makefile
++++ b/Makefile
+@@ -18,23 +18,23 @@ export SYSTEMD_UTIL_DIR
+ build: program systemd-service man
+ 
+ program:
+-	@$(CARGO) build --release $(CARGOFLAGS)
++	$(CARGO) build --release $(CARGOFLAGS)
+ 
+ systemd-service:
+ 	@test -n "$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR)"
+-	@sed -e 's,@SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR@,$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR),' \
++	sed -e 's,@SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR@,$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR),' \
+ 		< units/systemd-zram-setup@.service.in \
+ 		> units/systemd-zram-setup@.service
+ 
+ man:
+-	@$(RONN) --organization="zram-generator developers" man/*.md
++	$(RONN) --organization="zram-generator developers" man/*.md
+ 
+ check: program
+-	@$(CARGO) test --release $(CARGOFLAGS)
++	$(CARGO) test --release $(CARGOFLAGS)
+ 
+ clean:
+-	@$(CARGO) clean
+-	@rm -f units/systemd-zram-setup@.service
++	$(CARGO) clean
++	rm -f units/systemd-zram-setup@.service
+ 
+ install: build
+ 	@test -n "$(SYSTEMD_SYSTEM_GENERATOR_DIR)"
diff --git a/rust-zram-generator.spec b/rust-zram-generator.spec
index bd6cd24..dbdc490 100644
--- a/rust-zram-generator.spec
+++ b/rust-zram-generator.spec
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ URL:            https://crates.io/crates/zram-generator
 Source:         %{crates_source}
 Source1:        zram-generator.conf
 
+Patch1:         0001-make-test-that-the-config-variables-are-not-empty.patch
+Patch2:         0002-make-print-executed-commands.patch
+
 ExclusiveArch:  %{rust_arches}
 %if %{__cargo_skip_build}
 BuildArch:      noarch