diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index e56db17f9..17bb6dd71 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ script:
   # # TODO(autotools-removal): autoconf build has to keep working until i3 4.19
   # is released, so we keep building it in travis.
   - docker run -v $PWD:/usr/src/i3/ -w /usr/src/i3 -e CC ${BASENAME} /bin/sh -c 'autoreconf -fi && mkdir -p build && cd build && (../configure || (cat config.log; false)) && make -j CFLAGS="-Wformat -Wformat-security -Wextra -Wno-unused-parameter -Wstrict-prototypes -Wmissing-prototypes -Werror -fno-common"'
-  - docker run -v $PWD:/usr/src/i3/ -w /usr/src/i3 -e CC ${BASENAME} /bin/sh -c 'rm -rf build; mkdir -p build && cd build && CFLAGS="-Wformat -Wformat-security -Wextra -Wno-unused-parameter -Wstrict-prototypes -Wmissing-prototypes -Werror -fno-common" meson .. -Ddocs=true -Dmans=true -Db_sanitize=address && ninja -v'
+  - docker run -v $PWD:/usr/src/i3/ -w /usr/src/i3 -e CC ${BASENAME} /bin/sh -c 'rm -rf build; mkdir -p build && cd build && CFLAGS="-Wformat -Wformat-security -Wextra -Wno-unused-parameter -Wstrict-prototypes -Wmissing-prototypes -Werror -fno-common" meson .. -Ddocs=true -Dmans=true -Db_sanitize=address && ninja -v && mkdir ../distbuild && cd ../distbuild && meson .. -Ddocs=true -Dmans=true && ninja -v dist'
   - docker run -v $PWD:/usr/src/i3/ -w /usr/src/i3 ${BASENAME} ./travis/check-spelling.pl
   - docker run -v $PWD:/usr/src/i3/ -w /usr/src/i3 -e CC ${BASENAME} ./travis/run-tests.sh
   - ./travis/skip-pkg.sh || docker run -v $PWD:/usr/src/i3/ -w /usr/src/i3 ${BASENAME} ./travis/debian-build.sh deb/debian-amd64/DIST
diff --git a/debian/i3-wm.docs b/debian/i3-wm.docs
deleted file mode 100644
index 437175b31..000000000
--- a/debian/i3-wm.docs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-docs/debugging.html
-docs/hacking-howto.html
-docs/i3bar-protocol.html
-docs/userguide.html
-docs/bigpicture.png
-docs/single_terminal.png
-docs/snapping.png
-docs/two_columns.png
-docs/two_terminals.png
-docs/modes.png
-docs/ipc.html
-docs/multi-monitor.html
-docs/wsbar.html
-docs/wsbar.png
-docs/keyboard-layer1.png
-docs/keyboard-layer2.png
-docs/testsuite.html
-docs/i3-sync-working.png
-docs/i3-sync.png
-docs/tree-layout1.png
-docs/tree-layout2.png
-docs/tree-shot1.png
-docs/tree-shot2.png
-docs/tree-shot3.png
-docs/tree-shot4.png
-docs/refcard.html
-docs/refcard_style.css
-docs/logo-30.png
-docs/lib-i3test.html
-docs/lib-i3test-test.html
-docs/layout-saving.html
-docs/layout-saving-1.png
diff --git a/debian/i3-wm.manpages b/debian/i3-wm.manpages
deleted file mode 100644
index 1953b6a85..000000000
--- a/debian/i3-wm.manpages
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-man/i3.1
-man/i3-msg.1
-man/i3-input.1
-man/i3-nagbar.1
-man/i3-config-wizard.1
-man/i3-dump-log.1
-man/i3-migrate-config-to-v4.1
-man/i3-sensible-pager.1
-man/i3-sensible-editor.1
-man/i3-sensible-terminal.1
-man/i3-dmenu-desktop.1
-man/i3-save-tree.1
-man/i3bar.1
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index 6b342141c..28436d292 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -13,13 +13,18 @@ override_dh_strip:
 override_dh_auto_test:
 	# TODO: enable tests
 
+# TODO(autotools-removal): remove this override:
+override_dh_autoreconf:
+	# Not needed with meson, but not a no-op either until we get rid of the
+	# autotools files.
+
 override_dh_auto_configure:
-	# The default is /usr/share/doc/i3
-	dh_auto_configure -- --docdir=/usr/share/doc/i3-wm
+	# Set -Ddocdir; the default is /usr/share/doc/i3
+	dh_auto_configure -- -Ddocdir=/usr/share/doc/i3-wm
 
 override_dh_builddeb:
 	# bintray does not support xz currently.
 	dh_builddeb -- -Zgzip
 
 %:
-	dh $@ --buildsystem=meson+ninja
+	dh $@ --buildsystem=meson
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 0a94ac05e..3f7592c39 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ config_h = declare_dependency(
 # docs generation
 ################################################################################
 
+docdir = get_option('docdir')
+if docdir == ''
+  docdir = join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'doc', 'i3')
+endif
+
 if get_option('docs')
   asciidoc = find_program('asciidoc')
   doc_toc_inputs = [
@@ -96,7 +101,7 @@ if get_option('docs')
         '@INPUT@',
       ],
       install: true,
-      install_dir: join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'doc', 'i3'),
+      install_dir: docdir,
     )
   endforeach
 
@@ -115,11 +120,54 @@ if get_option('docs')
         '@INPUT@',
       ],
       install: true,
-      install_dir: join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'doc', 'i3'),
+      install_dir: docdir,
     )
   endforeach
+
+else
+  install_data(
+    [
+      'docs/hacking-howto.html',
+      'docs/userguide.html',
+      'docs/ipc.html',
+      'docs/multi-monitor.html',
+      'docs/wsbar.html',
+      'docs/testsuite.html',
+      'docs/i3bar-protocol.html',
+      'docs/layout-saving.html',
+      'docs/debugging.html',
+    ],
+    install_dir: docdir,
+  )
 endif
 
+install_data(
+  [
+    'docs/bigpicture.png',
+    'docs/single_terminal.png',
+    'docs/snapping.png',
+    'docs/two_columns.png',
+    'docs/two_terminals.png',
+    'docs/modes.png',
+    'docs/wsbar.png',
+    'docs/keyboard-layer1.png',
+    'docs/keyboard-layer2.png',
+    'docs/i3-sync-working.png',
+    'docs/i3-sync.png',
+    'docs/tree-layout1.png',
+    'docs/tree-layout2.png',
+    'docs/tree-shot1.png',
+    'docs/tree-shot2.png',
+    'docs/tree-shot3.png',
+    'docs/tree-shot4.png',
+    'docs/refcard.html',
+    'docs/refcard_style.css',
+    'docs/logo-30.png',
+    'docs/layout-saving-1.png',
+  ],
+  install_dir: docdir,
+)
+
 if meson.version().version_compare('>=0.53')
   summary('build docs (-Ddocs)', get_option('docs'))
 endif
@@ -128,6 +176,8 @@ endif
 # manpages
 ################################################################################
 
+man1 = join_paths(get_option('mandir'), 'man1')
+
 if get_option('mans')
   asciidoc = find_program('asciidoc')
   asciidoc_cdata = configuration_data()
@@ -186,7 +236,7 @@ if get_option('mans')
       # https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/4981#issuecomment-467084867
       # https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/1550#issuecomment-370164307
       install: true,
-      install_dir: join_paths(get_option('mandir'), 'man1'),
+      install_dir: man1,
     )
   endforeach
 
@@ -209,9 +259,29 @@ if get_option('mans')
       # https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/4981#issuecomment-467084867
       # https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/1550#issuecomment-370164307
       install: true,
-      install_dir: join_paths(get_option('mandir'), 'man1'),
+      install_dir: man1,
     )
   endforeach
+
+else
+  install_data(
+    [
+      'man/i3.1',
+      'man/i3bar.1',
+      'man/i3-msg.1',
+      'man/i3-input.1',
+      'man/i3-nagbar.1',
+      'man/i3-config-wizard.1',
+      'man/i3-migrate-config-to-v4.1',
+      'man/i3-sensible-editor.1',
+      'man/i3-sensible-pager.1',
+      'man/i3-sensible-terminal.1',
+      'man/i3-dump-log.1',
+      'man/i3-dmenu-desktop.1',
+      'man/i3-save-tree.1',
+    ],
+    install_dir: man1,
+  )
 endif
 
 if meson.version().version_compare('>=0.53')
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 482e1c2c8..0c4d4cfb1 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -5,3 +5,6 @@ option('docs', type: 'boolean', value: false,
 
 option('mans', type: 'boolean', value: false,
        description: 'Build manpages from source (release tarballs contain a generated copy)')
+
+option('docdir', type: 'string', value: '',
+       description: 'documentation directory (default: $datadir/docs/i3)')
diff --git a/travis/debian-build.sh b/travis/debian-build.sh
index 9ce5a5aff..1c34f46a7 100755
--- a/travis/debian-build.sh
+++ b/travis/debian-build.sh
@@ -5,14 +5,10 @@ set -x
 
 DEST=$1
 
-mkdir -p build
 cd build
-../configure
-make echo-version > ../I3_VERSION
-make dist-bzip2
 # unpack dist tarball
 mkdir -p "${DEST}"
-tar xf *.tar.bz2 -C "${DEST}" --strip-components=1
+tar xf meson-dist/*.tar.xz -C "${DEST}" --strip-components=1
 cp -r ../debian "${DEST}"
 sed -i '/^\s*libxcb-xrm-dev/d' deb/ubuntu-*/DIST/debian/control || true
 cd "${DEST}"