diff --git a/make_gen b/make_gen
index d288016..f228506 100755
--- a/make_gen
+++ b/make_gen
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ MAINBIN = fit $(ADD_ALL)
 
 ALL = $(MAINBIN) $(LIBFIT) $(SUPBIN)
 
-default: fit libfit.a $(LIBFIT)
+default: fit libfit.a $(LIBFIT) $(RDLIBSO)
 
 all: $(ALL)
 
diff --git a/makefile_rhel7 b/makefile_rhel7
index 4c0a31f..9e094c5 100644
--- a/makefile_rhel7
+++ b/makefile_rhel7
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ C=$<
 # linker flags for readline library
 RDLIB=-L$(PWD) -lreadline
 
+RDLIBSO = libreadline.so
+
+$(RDLIBSO):	/usr/lib64/libreadline.so.6
+	ln -s /usr/lib64/libreadline.so.6 libreadline.so
+
 SINQ=/afs/psi.ch/project/sinq/$(linuxsys)
 SL=$(sinq)/sl6-64/lib/lib
 
diff --git a/makefile_rhel8 b/makefile_rhel8
index 8a054ff..e06ab04 100644
--- a/makefile_rhel8
+++ b/makefile_rhel8
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ C=$<
 # linker flags for readline library
 RDLIB=-L$(PWD) -lreadline
 
+RDLIBSO = libreadline.so
+
+$(RDLIBSO):	/usr/lib64/libreadline.so.7
+	ln -s /usr/lib64/libreadline.so.7 libreadline.so
+
 SINQ=/afs/psi.ch/project/sinq/$(linuxsys)
 SL=$(sinq)/sl6-64/lib/lib