diff --git a/.github/workflows/analysis.yaml b/.github/workflows/analysis.yaml
index 71a444b..70718dd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/analysis.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/analysis.yaml
@@ -68,15 +68,13 @@ jobs:
         run: ln -s meson.options meson_options.txt
       - name: meson setup
         run: meson setup -Dpdf-doc=false build
-      - name: meson compile
-        run: meson compile -C build/
       - name: cppcheck
         run: |
-          cppcheck --project=build/compile_commands.json -DAF_UNIX=1 --enable=warning,style,unusedFunction --xml 2>cppcheck.xml
+          ninja -C build/ cppcheck-xml
       - uses: airtower-luna/convert-to-sarif@v1.0.3
         with:
           tool: 'CppCheck'
-          input_file: 'cppcheck.xml'
+          input_file: 'build/cppcheck.xml'
           sarif_file: 'cppcheck.sarif'
       - name: define CONTAINER_WORKSPACE
         run: |
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 2a735b4..34cf2b4 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -45,3 +45,12 @@ subdir('include')
 subdir('src')
 subdir('doc')
 subdir('test')
+
+run_target(
+  'cppcheck',
+  command: ['support/cppcheck-wrapper.sh'])
+
+run_target(
+  'cppcheck-xml',
+  command: ['support/cppcheck-wrapper.sh', '--xml',
+	    '--output-file=' + join_paths(meson.build_root(), 'cppcheck.xml')])
diff --git a/support/cppcheck-wrapper.sh b/support/cppcheck-wrapper.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b56396d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/support/cppcheck-wrapper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# run cppcheck using the project config created by Meson, write output
+# to build dir
+CPPCHECK_DIR="${MESON_BUILD_ROOT}/cppcheck"
+mkdir -p "${CPPCHECK_DIR}"
+cppcheck --project="${MESON_BUILD_ROOT}/compile_commands.json" \
+	--cppcheck-build-dir="${CPPCHECK_DIR}" \
+	-DAF_UNIX=1 \
+	--enable=warning,style \
+	--check-level=exhaustive \
+	"$@"