diff --git a/aclocal.m4 b/aclocal.m4
index 5e22482cd5..16ebb8647f 100644
--- a/aclocal.m4
+++ b/aclocal.m4
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 dnl aclocal.m4
 m4_include([config/ac_func_accept_argtypes.m4])
-m4_include([config/ax_prog_perl_modules.m4])
 m4_include([config/ax_pthread.m4])
 m4_include([config/c-compiler.m4])
 m4_include([config/c-library.m4])
diff --git a/config/ax_prog_perl_modules.m4 b/config/ax_prog_perl_modules.m4
deleted file mode 100644
index 70b3230ebd..0000000000
--- a/config/ax_prog_perl_modules.m4
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,77 +0,0 @@
-# ===========================================================================
-#   https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf-archive/ax_prog_perl_modules.html
-# ===========================================================================
-#
-# SYNOPSIS
-#
-#   AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES([MODULES], [ACTION-IF-TRUE], [ACTION-IF-FALSE])
-#
-# DESCRIPTION
-#
-#   Checks to see if the given perl modules are available. If true the shell
-#   commands in ACTION-IF-TRUE are executed. If not the shell commands in
-#   ACTION-IF-FALSE are run. Note if $PERL is not set (for example by
-#   calling AC_CHECK_PROG, or AC_PATH_PROG), AC_CHECK_PROG(PERL, perl, perl)
-#   will be run.
-#
-#   MODULES is a space separated list of module names. To check for a
-#   minimum version of a module, append the version number to the module
-#   name, separated by an equals sign.
-#
-#   Example:
-#
-#     AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES( Text::Wrap Net::LDAP=1.0.3, ,
-#                           AC_MSG_WARN(Need some Perl modules)
-#
-# LICENSE
-#
-#   Copyright (c) 2009 Dean Povey <povey@wedgetail.com>
-#
-#   Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are
-#   permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright notice
-#   and this notice are preserved. This file is offered as-is, without any
-#   warranty.
-
-#serial 8
-
-AU_ALIAS([AC_PROG_PERL_MODULES], [AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES])
-AC_DEFUN([AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES],[dnl
-
-m4_define([ax_perl_modules])
-m4_foreach([ax_perl_module], m4_split(m4_normalize([$1])),
-	  [
-	   m4_append([ax_perl_modules],
-		     [']m4_bpatsubst(ax_perl_module,=,[ ])[' ])
-          ])
-
-# Make sure we have perl
-if test -z "$PERL"; then
-AC_CHECK_PROG(PERL,perl,perl)
-fi
-
-if test "x$PERL" != x; then
-  ax_perl_modules_failed=0
-  for ax_perl_module in ax_perl_modules; do
-    AC_MSG_CHECKING(for perl module $ax_perl_module)
-
-    # Would be nice to log result here, but can't rely on autoconf internals
-    $PERL -e "use $ax_perl_module; exit" > /dev/null 2>&1
-    if test $? -ne 0; then
-      AC_MSG_RESULT(no);
-      ax_perl_modules_failed=1
-   else
-      AC_MSG_RESULT(ok);
-    fi
-  done
-
-  # Run optional shell commands
-  if test "$ax_perl_modules_failed" = 0; then
-    :
-    $2
-  else
-    :
-    $3
-  fi
-else
-  AC_MSG_WARN(could not find perl)
-fi])dnl
diff --git a/config/check_modules.pl b/config/check_modules.pl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3f300e8ae9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/check_modules.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#
+# Verify that required Perl modules are available,
+# in at least the required minimum versions.
+# (The required minimum versions are all quite ancient now,
+# but specify them anyway for documentation's sake.)
+#
+use IPC::Run 0.79;
+
+# Test::More and Time::HiRes are supposed to be part of core Perl,
+# but some distros omit them in a minimal installation.
+use Test::More 0.87;
+use Time::HiRes 1.52;
+
+# While here, we might as well report exactly what versions we found.
+diag("IPC::Run::VERSION: $IPC::Run::VERSION");
+diag("Test::More::VERSION: $Test::More::VERSION");
+diag("Time::HiRes::VERSION: $Time::HiRes::VERSION");
+
+ok(1);
+done_testing();
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 21b0e06d56..0cadf7aebb 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -19259,96 +19259,7 @@ fi
 # Check for test tools
 #
 if test "$enable_tap_tests" = yes; then
-  # Check for necessary modules, unless user has specified the "prove" to use;
-  # in that case it's her responsibility to have a working configuration.
-  # (prove might be part of a different Perl installation than perl, eg on
-  # MSys, so the result of AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES could be irrelevant anyway.)
-  if test -z "$PROVE"; then
-    # Test::More and Time::HiRes are supposed to be part of core Perl,
-    # but some distros omit them in a minimal installation.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-# Make sure we have perl
-if test -z "$PERL"; then
-# Extract the first word of "perl", so it can be a program name with args.
-set dummy perl; ac_word=$2
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_prog_PERL+:} false; then :
-  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
-else
-  if test -n "$PERL"; then
-  ac_cv_prog_PERL="$PERL" # Let the user override the test.
-else
-as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
-for as_dir in $PATH
-do
-  IFS=$as_save_IFS
-  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
-    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
-  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
-    ac_cv_prog_PERL="perl"
-    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
-    break 2
-  fi
-done
-  done
-IFS=$as_save_IFS
-
-fi
-fi
-PERL=$ac_cv_prog_PERL
-if test -n "$PERL"; then
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $PERL" >&5
-$as_echo "$PERL" >&6; }
-else
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
-$as_echo "no" >&6; }
-fi
-
-
-fi
-
-if test "x$PERL" != x; then
-  ax_perl_modules_failed=0
-  for ax_perl_module in 'IPC::Run' 'Test::More 0.87' 'Time::HiRes' ; do
-    { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for perl module $ax_perl_module" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for perl module $ax_perl_module... " >&6; }
-
-    # Would be nice to log result here, but can't rely on autoconf internals
-    $PERL -e "use $ax_perl_module; exit" > /dev/null 2>&1
-    if test $? -ne 0; then
-      { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
-$as_echo "no" >&6; };
-      ax_perl_modules_failed=1
-   else
-      { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: ok" >&5
-$as_echo "ok" >&6; };
-    fi
-  done
-
-  # Run optional shell commands
-  if test "$ax_perl_modules_failed" = 0; then
-    :
-
-  else
-    :
-    as_fn_error $? "Additional Perl modules are required to run TAP tests" "$LINENO" 5
-  fi
-else
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: WARNING: could not find perl" >&5
-$as_echo "$as_me: WARNING: could not find perl" >&2;}
-fi
-  fi
-  # Now make sure we know where prove is
+  # Make sure we know where prove is.
   if test -z "$PROVE"; then
   for ac_prog in prove
 do
@@ -19406,6 +19317,23 @@ fi
   if test -z "$PROVE"; then
     as_fn_error $? "prove not found" "$LINENO" 5
   fi
+  # Check for necessary Perl modules.  You might think we should use
+  # AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES here, but prove might be part of a different Perl
+  # installation than perl, eg on MSys, so we have to check using prove.
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for Perl modules required for TAP tests" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for Perl modules required for TAP tests... " >&6; }
+  modulestderr=`"$PROVE" "$srcdir/config/check_modules.pl" 2>&1 >/dev/null`
+  if test $? -eq 0; then
+    # log the module version details, but don't show them interactively
+    echo "$modulestderr" >&5
+    { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: yes" >&5
+$as_echo "yes" >&6; }
+  else
+    # on failure, though, show the results to the user
+    { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $modulestderr" >&5
+$as_echo "$modulestderr" >&6; }
+    as_fn_error $? "Additional Perl modules are required to run TAP tests" "$LINENO" 5
+  fi
 fi
 
 # Thread testing
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 850ec84c06..774e98c558 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -2371,21 +2371,25 @@ PGAC_PATH_PROGS(DBTOEPUB, dbtoepub)
 # Check for test tools
 #
 if test "$enable_tap_tests" = yes; then
-  # Check for necessary modules, unless user has specified the "prove" to use;
-  # in that case it's her responsibility to have a working configuration.
-  # (prove might be part of a different Perl installation than perl, eg on
-  # MSys, so the result of AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES could be irrelevant anyway.)
-  if test -z "$PROVE"; then
-    # Test::More and Time::HiRes are supposed to be part of core Perl,
-    # but some distros omit them in a minimal installation.
-    AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES([IPC::Run Test::More=0.87 Time::HiRes], ,
-      [AC_MSG_ERROR([Additional Perl modules are required to run TAP tests])])
-  fi
-  # Now make sure we know where prove is
+  # Make sure we know where prove is.
   PGAC_PATH_PROGS(PROVE, prove)
   if test -z "$PROVE"; then
     AC_MSG_ERROR([prove not found])
   fi
+  # Check for necessary Perl modules.  You might think we should use
+  # AX_PROG_PERL_MODULES here, but prove might be part of a different Perl
+  # installation than perl, eg on MSys, so we have to check using prove.
+  AC_MSG_CHECKING(for Perl modules required for TAP tests)
+  [modulestderr=`"$PROVE" "$srcdir/config/check_modules.pl" 2>&1 >/dev/null`]
+  if test $? -eq 0; then
+    # log the module version details, but don't show them interactively
+    echo "$modulestderr" >&AS_MESSAGE_LOG_FD
+    AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)
+  else
+    # on failure, though, show the results to the user
+    AC_MSG_RESULT([$modulestderr])
+    AC_MSG_ERROR([Additional Perl modules are required to run TAP tests])
+  fi
 fi
 
 # Thread testing