diff --git a/data/84-nm-drivers.rules b/data/84-nm-drivers.rules
index 148acade5c..6395fbfbe5 100644
--- a/data/84-nm-drivers.rules
+++ b/data/84-nm-drivers.rules
@@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ ACTION!="add|change|move", GOTO="nm_drivers_end"
 # Determine ID_NET_DRIVER if there's no ID_NET_DRIVER or DRIVERS (old udev?)
 ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}=="?*", GOTO="nm_drivers_end"
 DRIVERS=="?*", GOTO="nm_drivers_end"
-PROGRAM="/bin/sh -c '/usr/sbin/ethtool -i $$1 |/usr/bin/sed -n s/^driver:\ //p' -- $env{INTERFACE}", ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}="%c"
+PROGRAM="@runtimeShell@ -c '@ethtool@/bin/ethtool -i $$1 |@gnused@/bin/sed -n s/^driver:\ //p' -- $env{INTERFACE}", ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}="%c"
 
 LABEL="nm_drivers_end"
diff --git a/data/NetworkManager.service.in b/data/NetworkManager.service.in
index e23b3a5282..c7246a3b61 100644
--- a/data/NetworkManager.service.in
+++ b/data/NetworkManager.service.in
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Before=network.target @DISTRO_NETWORK_SERVICE@
 [Service]
 Type=dbus
 BusName=org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
-ExecReload=/usr/bin/busctl call org.freedesktop.NetworkManager /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager org.freedesktop.NetworkManager Reload u 0
+ExecReload=@systemd@/bin/busctl call org.freedesktop.NetworkManager /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager org.freedesktop.NetworkManager Reload u 0
 #ExecReload=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID
 ExecStart=@sbindir@/NetworkManager --no-daemon
 Restart=on-failure
diff --git a/src/core/devices/nm-device.c b/src/core/devices/nm-device.c
index 3565c04d59..52c58fec24 100644
--- a/src/core/devices/nm-device.c
+++ b/src/core/devices/nm-device.c
@@ -14005,14 +14005,14 @@ nm_device_start_ip_check(NMDevice *self)
             gw = nm_l3_config_data_get_best_default_route(l3cd, AF_INET);
             if (gw) {
                 nm_inet4_ntop(NMP_OBJECT_CAST_IP4_ROUTE(gw)->gateway, buf);
-                ping_binary = nm_utils_find_helper("ping", "/usr/bin/ping", NULL);
+                ping_binary = "@iputils@/bin/ping";
                 log_domain  = LOGD_IP4;
             }
         } else if (priv->ip_data_6.state == NM_DEVICE_IP_STATE_READY) {
             gw = nm_l3_config_data_get_best_default_route(l3cd, AF_INET6);
             if (gw) {
                 nm_inet6_ntop(&NMP_OBJECT_CAST_IP6_ROUTE(gw)->gateway, buf);
-                ping_binary = nm_utils_find_helper("ping6", "/usr/bin/ping6", NULL);
+                ping_binary = "@iputils@/bin/ping";
                 log_domain  = LOGD_IP6;
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/libnm-client-impl/meson.build b/src/libnm-client-impl/meson.build
index 143126c51a..a7143443ec 100644
--- a/src/libnm-client-impl/meson.build
+++ b/src/libnm-client-impl/meson.build
@@ -172,7 +172,6 @@ if enable_introspection
       input: libnm_core_settings_sources,
       output: 'nm-propery-infos-' + info + '.xml',
       command: [
-        python.path(),
         join_paths(meson.source_root(), 'tools', 'generate-docs-nm-property-infos.py'),
         info,
         '@OUTPUT@',
@@ -229,7 +228,6 @@ if enable_introspection
       'env',
       'GI_TYPELIB_PATH=' + gi_typelib_path,
       'LD_LIBRARY_PATH=' + ld_library_path,
-      python.path(),
       join_paths(meson.source_root(), 'tools', 'generate-docs-nm-settings-docs-gir.py'),
       '--lib-path', meson.current_build_dir(),
       '--gir', '@INPUT@',
diff --git a/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform-utils.c b/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform-utils.c
index bebc53a851..93710455d5 100644
--- a/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform-utils.c
+++ b/src/libnm-platform/nm-platform-utils.c
@@ -2209,7 +2209,7 @@ nmp_utils_modprobe(GError **error, gboolean suppress_error_logging, const char *
 
     /* construct the argument list */
     argv = g_ptr_array_sized_new(4);
-    g_ptr_array_add(argv, "/sbin/modprobe");
+    g_ptr_array_add(argv, "@kmod@/bin/modprobe");
     g_ptr_array_add(argv, "--use-blacklist");
     g_ptr_array_add(argv, (char *) arg1);
 
diff --git a/src/libnmc-base/nm-vpn-helpers.c b/src/libnmc-base/nm-vpn-helpers.c
index 476fbe518e..2641dbf637 100644
--- a/src/libnmc-base/nm-vpn-helpers.c
+++ b/src/libnmc-base/nm-vpn-helpers.c
@@ -198,25 +198,8 @@ nm_vpn_openconnect_authenticate_helper(const char *host,
     gs_free const char **output_v = NULL;
     const char *const   *iter;
     const char          *path;
-    const char *const    DEFAULT_PATHS[] = {
-        "/sbin/",
-        "/usr/sbin/",
-        "/usr/local/sbin/",
-        "/bin/",
-        "/usr/bin/",
-        "/usr/local/bin/",
-        NULL,
-    };
 
-    path = nm_utils_file_search_in_paths("openconnect",
-                                         "/usr/sbin/openconnect",
-                                         DEFAULT_PATHS,
-                                         G_FILE_TEST_IS_EXECUTABLE,
-                                         NULL,
-                                         NULL,
-                                         error);
-    if (!path)
-        return FALSE;
+    path = "@openconnect@/bin/openconnect";
 
     if (!g_spawn_sync(NULL,
                       (char **) NM_MAKE_STRV(path, "--authenticate", host),
diff --git a/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build b/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build
index cf8a21fc80..61b992a50e 100644
--- a/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build
+++ b/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ if enable_docs
     input: [nm_settings_docs_xml_gir, nm_property_infos_xml['nmcli']],
     output: 'settings-docs-input.xml',
     command: [
-      python.path(),
       join_paths(meson.source_root(), 'tools', 'generate-docs-nm-settings-docs-merge.py'),
       '@OUTPUT@',
       nm_property_infos_xml['nmcli'],
diff --git a/src/tests/client/meson.build b/src/tests/client/meson.build
index 6dc0f2a2c8..0a32977a59 100644
--- a/src/tests/client/meson.build
+++ b/src/tests/client/meson.build
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ test(
   args: [
     build_root,
     source_root,
-    python.path(),
     '--',
   ],
   env: [