diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 909fe76bfad..ff0ecbabc8e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ src/*.egg-info/
 /src/bin/sage-src-env-config
 
 # Virtual environments
+/venv
 src/.env
 src/.venv
 src/env/
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9bda38a4064..a5c504bb6cb 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ distclean: build-clean
 	@echo "Deleting all remaining output from build system ..."
 	rm -rf local
 	rm -f src/bin/sage-env-config
+	rm -f prefix venv
 
 # Delete all auto-generated files which are distributed as part of the
 # source tarball
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6395cb4b80a..4ed5f19d4fd 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ SAGE_SRC="$SAGE_ROOT/src"
 SAGE_SPKG_INST="$SAGE_LOCAL/var/lib/sage/installed"
 
 AC_ARG_WITH([sage-venv],
-            [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-sage-venv={auto,yes,no,SAGE_VENV}],
+            [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-sage-venv={auto (default),yes,no,SAGE_VENV}],
                             [put Python packages into an installation hierarchy separate from prefix])],
             [SAGE_VENV="$withval"],
             [SAGE_VENV="auto"])
@@ -521,6 +521,7 @@ AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS(links, [
     SYMLINK="${ac_top_build_prefix}prefix"
     AS_IF([test -L "$SYMLINK" -o ! -e "$SYMLINK"], [
         AC_MSG_NOTICE([creating convenience symlink $SYMLINK -> $SAGE_LOCAL])
+        rm -f "$SYMLINK"
         ln -sf "$SAGE_LOCAL" "$SYMLINK"
     ], [
         AC_MSG_NOTICE([cannot create convenience symlink $SYMLINK -> $SAGE_LOCAL because the file exists and is not a symlink; this is harmless])
@@ -528,6 +529,7 @@ AC_CONFIG_COMMANDS(links, [
     SYMLINK="${ac_top_build_prefix}venv"
     AS_IF([test -L "$SYMLINK" -o ! -e "$SYMLINK"], [
         AC_MSG_NOTICE([creating convenience symlink $SYMLINK -> $SAGE_VENV])
+        rm -f "$SYMLINK"
         ln -sf "$SAGE_VENV" "$SYMLINK"
     ], [
         AC_MSG_NOTICE([cannot create convenience symlink $SYMLINK -> $SAGE_VENV because the file exists and is not a symlink; this is harmless])