diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index d81c706e..e6b3badd 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -47,49 +47,84 @@ add_custom_target(
 
 #--- add all executables ------------------------------------------------------
 add_executable(any2many git-revision.h any2many.cpp)
-target_include_directories(any2many BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>)
+target_include_directories(any2many 
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+)
 target_link_libraries(any2many ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS})
 
 add_executable(dump_header git-revision.h dump_header.cpp)
-target_include_directories(dump_header BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>)
+target_include_directories(dump_header 
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/MusrRoot>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/TLemRunHeader>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/MuSR_software/Class_MuSR_PSI/>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/mud/src>
+)
 target_link_libraries(dump_header ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS})
 
 add_executable(msr2data git-revision.h msr2data.cpp)
-target_include_directories(msr2data BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>)
+target_include_directories(msr2data 
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+)
 target_link_libraries(msr2data ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS})
 
 add_executable(msr2msr msr2msr.cpp)
 target_link_libraries(msr2msr ${ROOT_LIBRARIES})
 
 add_executable(musrfit git-revision.h musrfit.cpp)
-target_include_directories(musrfit BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>)
+target_include_directories(musrfit 
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+)
 target_link_libraries(musrfit ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS})
 
 add_executable(musrFT git-revision.h musrFT.cpp)
-target_include_directories(musrFT BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>)
+target_include_directories(musrFT 
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+)
 target_link_libraries(musrFT  ${FFTW3_LIBRARY} ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS})
 
 add_executable(musrRootValidation git-revision.h musrRootValidation.cpp)
 target_include_directories(musrRootValidation 
-   BEFORE PRIVATE 
-     $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
-     $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${LIBXML2_INCLUDE_DIR}>
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${LIBXML2_INCLUDE_DIR}>
 )
 target_link_libraries(musrRootValidation ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS} ${LIBXML2_LIBRARIES})
 
 add_executable(musrt0 git-revision.h musrt0.cpp)
-target_include_directories(musrt0 BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>)
+target_include_directories(musrt0 
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+)
 target_link_libraries(musrt0 ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS})
 
 add_executable(musrview git-revision.h musrview.cpp)
-target_include_directories(musrview BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>)
+target_include_directories(musrview 
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+)
 target_link_libraries(musrview  ${FFTW3_LIBRARY} ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS})
 
 add_executable(write_musrRoot_runHeader git-revision.h write_musrRoot_runHeader.cpp)
 target_include_directories(write_musrRoot_runHeader 
-   BEFORE PRIVATE 
-     $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
-     $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${LIBXML2_INCLUDE_DIR}>
+  BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${LIBXML2_INCLUDE_DIR}>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/MusrRoot>
 )
 target_link_libraries(write_musrRoot_runHeader ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${MUSRFIT_LIBS} ${LIBXML2_LIBRARIES})
 
diff --git a/src/classes/CMakeLists.txt b/src/classes/CMakeLists.txt
index 66388f80..b55d28ec 100644
--- a/src/classes/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/classes/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 #--- generate necessary dictionaries ------------------------------------------
 set(MUSRFIT_INC ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/include)
+
 root_generate_dictionary(
   PFourierCanvasDict ${MUSRFIT_INC}/PFourierCanvas.h LINKDEF ${MUSRFIT_INC}/PFourierCanvasLinkDef.h
 )
@@ -61,11 +62,24 @@ add_library(PMusr SHARED
   PStartupHandlerDict.cxx
   PTheory.cpp
 )
+#--- make sure that the include directory is found ----------------------------
+target_include_directories(
+  PMusr BEFORE PRIVATE 
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${MUSRFIT_INC}>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/MusrRoot>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/TLemRunHeader>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/MuSR_software/Class_MuSR_PSI>
+    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/external/mud/src>
+)
 
 add_library(PUserFcnBase SHARED
   PUserFcnBase.cpp
   PUserFcnBaseDict.cxx
 )
+#--- make sure that the include directory is found ----------------------------
+target_include_directories(
+  PUserFcnBase BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${MUSRFIT_INC}>
+)
 
 #--- add library dependencies -------------------------------------------------
 set(DependOnLibs ${ROOT_LIBARIES})
diff --git a/src/external/MusrRoot/CMakeLists.txt b/src/external/MusrRoot/CMakeLists.txt
index 250786fe..5fc03006 100644
--- a/src/external/MusrRoot/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/external/MusrRoot/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ add_library(TMusrRunHeader SHARED
   TMusrRunHeader.cpp
   TMusrRunHeaderDict.cxx
 )
+#--- make sure that the include directory is found ----------------------------
+target_include_directories(
+  TMusrRunHeader BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}>
+)
 
 #--- add library dependencies -------------------------------------------------
 target_link_libraries(TMusrRunHeader ${ROOT_LIBRARIES})
diff --git a/src/external/TLemRunHeader/CMakeLists.txt b/src/external/TLemRunHeader/CMakeLists.txt
index afd47f93..1ecb1604 100644
--- a/src/external/TLemRunHeader/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/external/TLemRunHeader/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ add_library(TLemRunHeader SHARED
   TLemStats.cxx
   TLemStatsDict.cxx
 )
+#--- make sure that the include directory is found ----------------------------
+target_include_directories(
+  TLemRunHeader BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}>
+)
 
 #--- add library dependencies -------------------------------------------------
 target_link_libraries(TLemRunHeader ${ROOT_LIBRARIES})
diff --git a/src/external/nexus/CMakeLists.txt b/src/external/nexus/CMakeLists.txt
index bdb25cd9..69023fbd 100644
--- a/src/external/nexus/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/external/nexus/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ configure_file("PNeXus.pc.in" "PNeXus.pc" @ONLY)
 add_library(PNeXus SHARED
   PNeXus.cpp
 )
+#--- make sure that the include directory is found ----------------------------
+target_include_directories(
+  PNeXus BEFORE PRIVATE $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}>
+)
 
 #--- add library dependencies -------------------------------------------------
 target_link_libraries(PNeXus ${NEXUS_LIBRARY})