diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c86184f..fea026d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ Makefile.in
 /GRTAGS
 /GSYMS
 /GTAGS
+/INSTALL
+/ChangeLog
 /src/matrix-version.h
 /src/matrix-enumtypes.[ch]
 /src/matrix-marshalers.[ch]
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 5bed2f1..991a947 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -4,3 +4,56 @@ SUBDIRS = src
 if ENABLE_GTK_DOC
 SUBDIRS += docs/reference/matrix-glib
 endif
+
+matrixglibdocdir = ${prefix}/doc/matrix-glib
+matrixglibdoc_DATA = \
+	README \
+	COPYING \
+	AUTHORS \
+	ChangeLog \
+	INSTALL \
+	NEWS
+
+# with make dist
+
+EXTRA_DIST = $(matrixglibdoc_DATA) \
+	autogen.sh \
+	config.rpath
+
+MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = \
+	$(srcdir)/aclocal.m4 \
+	$(srcdir)/compile \
+	$(srcdir)/config.guess \
+	$(srcdir)/config.h.in \
+	$(srcdir)/config.rpath \
+	$(srcdir)/config.sub \
+	$(srcdir)/depcomp \
+	$(srcdir)/install-sh \
+	$(srcdir)/ltmain.sh \
+	$(srcdir)/missing \
+	$(srcdir)/mkinstalldirs \
+	$(srcdir)/ChangeLog \
+	`find "$(srcdir)" -type f -name Makefile.in -print` \
+	$(NULL)
+
+DISTCLEANFILES = \
+	ChangeLog
+
+# Automatically generate ChangeLog from git
+
+ChangeLog:
+	@echo Creating $@
+	@touch ChangeLog
+	@if test -d "$(srcdir)/.git"; then \
+	  (GIT_DIR=$(top_srcdir)/.git ./missing --run git log --stat) | fmt > $@.tmp \
+	  && mv -f $@.tmp $@ \
+	  || ($(RM) $@.tmp; \
+	      echo Failed to generate ChangeLog, your ChangeLog may be outdated >&2; \
+	      (test -f $@ || echo git-log is required to generate this file >> $@)); \
+	else \
+	  test -f $@ || \
+	  (echo A git checkout and git-log is required to generate ChangeLog >&2 && \
+	  echo A git checkout and git-log is required to generate this file >> $@); \
+	fi
+
+.PHONY: ChangeLog