diff --git a/libpkgconf/dependency.c b/libpkgconf/dependency.c
index 3078102..1a4ec68 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/dependency.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/dependency.c
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ static inline pkgconf_dependency_t *
 pkgconf_dependency_addraw(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_list_t *list, const char *package, size_t package_sz, const char *version, size_t version_sz, pkgconf_pkg_comparator_t compare)
 {
 	pkgconf_dependency_t *dep;
-	char depbuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char depbuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 
 	dep = calloc(sizeof(pkgconf_dependency_t), 1);
 	dep->package = pkgconf_strndup(package, package_sz);
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ pkgconf_dependency_parse_str(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_list_t *dep
 {
 	parse_state_t state = OUTSIDE_MODULE;
 	pkgconf_pkg_comparator_t compare = PKGCONF_CMP_ANY;
-	char cmpname[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char cmpname[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 	char buf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
 	size_t package_sz = 0, version_sz = 0;
 	char *start = buf;
diff --git a/libpkgconf/fragment.c b/libpkgconf/fragment.c
index 4f5ed7f..7576db7 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/fragment.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/fragment.c
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ pkgconf_fragment_munge(const pkgconf_client_t *client, char *buf, size_t buflen,
 static inline char *
 pkgconf_fragment_copy_munged(const pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *source)
 {
-	char mungebuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char mungebuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 	pkgconf_fragment_munge(client, mungebuf, sizeof mungebuf, source, client->sysroot_dir);
 	return strdup(mungebuf);
 }
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ pkgconf_fragment_add(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_list_t *list, const
 	}
 	else
 	{
-		char mungebuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+		char mungebuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 
 		if (list->tail != NULL && list->tail->data != NULL)
 		{
diff --git a/libpkgconf/path.c b/libpkgconf/path.c
index b7214fc..2f4cfbb 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/path.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/path.c
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ void
 pkgconf_path_add(const char *text, pkgconf_list_t *dirlist, bool filter)
 {
 	pkgconf_path_t *node;
-	char path[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char path[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 
 	pkgconf_strlcpy(path, text, sizeof path);
 	pkgconf_path_relocate(path, sizeof path);
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ pkgconf_path_add(const char *text, pkgconf_list_t *dirlist, bool filter)
 			return;
 		if (S_ISLNK(st.st_mode))
 		{
-			char linkdest[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+			char linkdest[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 			ssize_t len;
 
 			memset(linkdest, '\0', sizeof linkdest);
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ bool
 pkgconf_path_match_list(const char *path, const pkgconf_list_t *dirlist)
 {
 	pkgconf_node_t *n = NULL;
-	char relocated[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char relocated[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 	const char *cpath = path;
 
 	pkgconf_strlcpy(relocated, path, sizeof relocated);
diff --git a/libpkgconf/pkg.c b/libpkgconf/pkg.c
index a35a756..ea970b8 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/pkg.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/pkg.c
@@ -35,8 +35,7 @@
 #	define strcasecmp _stricmp
 #endif
 
-#define PKG_CONFIG_EXT		".pc"
-#define PKG_CONFIG_PATH_SZ	(65535)
+#define PKG_CONFIG_EXT ".pc"
 
 static inline bool
 str_has_suffix(const char *str, const char *suffix)
@@ -287,8 +286,7 @@ pkgconf_pkg_new_from_file(pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *filename, FILE *
 {
 	pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg;
 	char readbuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
-	char pathbuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
-	char prefixbuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char pathbuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 	char *idptr;
 	size_t lineno = 0;
 
@@ -374,7 +372,7 @@ pkgconf_pkg_new_from_file(pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *filename, FILE *
 				pkgconf_tuple_add(client, &pkg->vars, key, value, true);
 			else
 			{
-				const char *relvalue = determine_prefix(pkg, prefixbuf, sizeof prefixbuf);
+				const char *relvalue = determine_prefix(pkg, pathbuf, sizeof pathbuf);
 				if (relvalue != NULL)
 				{
 					pkgconf_tuple_add(client, &pkg->vars, "orig_prefix", value, true);
@@ -509,8 +507,8 @@ pkgconf_pkg_try_specific_path(pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *path, const
 {
 	pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = NULL;
 	FILE *f;
-	char locbuf[PKG_CONFIG_PATH_SZ];
-	char uninst_locbuf[PKG_CONFIG_PATH_SZ];
+	char locbuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
+	char uninst_locbuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 
 	PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "trying path: %s for %s", path, name);
 
@@ -547,7 +545,7 @@ pkgconf_pkg_scan_dir(pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *path, void *data, pkg
 
 	for (dirent = readdir(dir); dirent != NULL; dirent = readdir(dir))
 	{
-		char filebuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+		char filebuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 		pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg;
 		FILE *f;
 
@@ -634,7 +632,7 @@ pkgconf_pkg_find_in_registry_key(pkgconf_client_t *client, HKEY hkey, const char
 	while (RegEnumValue(key, i++, buf, &bufsize, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL)
 			== ERROR_SUCCESS)
 	{
-		char pathbuf[PKG_CONFIG_PATH_SZ];
+		char pathbuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 		DWORD type;
 		DWORD pathbuflen = sizeof pathbuf;
 
@@ -669,7 +667,7 @@ pkgconf_pkg_find_in_registry_key(pkgconf_client_t *client, HKEY hkey, const char
 pkgconf_pkg_t *
 pkgconf_pkg_find(pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *name)
 {
-	char pathbuf[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char pathbuf[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 	pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg = NULL;
 	pkgconf_node_t *n;
 	FILE *f;
@@ -749,7 +747,7 @@ int
 pkgconf_compare_version(const char *a, const char *b)
 {
 	char oldch1, oldch2;
-	char buf1[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE], buf2[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+	char buf1[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE], buf2[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 	char *str1, *str2;
 	char *one, *two;
 	int ret;
diff --git a/libpkgconf/stdinc.h b/libpkgconf/stdinc.h
index d0a43ad..3b90853 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/stdinc.h
+++ b/libpkgconf/stdinc.h
@@ -49,11 +49,18 @@
 # else
 # include <dirent.h>
 # endif
+# define PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE (_MAX_PATH + 1024)
 #else
 # define PATH_DEV_NULL	"/dev/null"
 # define SIZE_FMT_SPECIFIER	"%zu"
 # include <dirent.h>
 # include <unistd.h>
+# include <limits.h>
+# ifdef PATH_MAX
+#  define PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE (PATH_MAX + 1024)
+# else
+#  define PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE (4096 + 1024)
+# endif
 #endif
 
 #endif
diff --git a/libpkgconf/tuple.c b/libpkgconf/tuple.c
index 0b22b9a..7fbc71b 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/tuple.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/tuple.c
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ pkgconf_tuple_parse(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_list_t *vars, const
 			*bptr++ = *ptr;
 		else if (*(ptr + 1) == '{')
 		{
-			char varname[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+			char varname[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 			char *vptr = varname;
 			const char *pptr;
 			char *kv, *parsekv;
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ pkgconf_tuple_parse(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_list_t *vars, const
 	    strlen(buf) > strlen(client->sysroot_dir) &&
 	    strstr(buf + strlen(client->sysroot_dir), client->sysroot_dir) != NULL)
 	{
-		char cleanpath[PKGCONF_BUFSIZE];
+		char cleanpath[PKGCONF_ITEM_SIZE];
 
 		pkgconf_strlcpy(cleanpath, buf + strlen(client->sysroot_dir), sizeof cleanpath);
 		pkgconf_path_relocate(cleanpath, sizeof cleanpath);