diff --git a/profiles/osapi/modern.h b/profiles/osapi/modern.h
index c18facf..c3328af 100644
--- a/profiles/osapi/modern.h
+++ b/profiles/osapi/modern.h
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 #define HAVE_SYS_WAIT_H                 1
 
 /* libc and third-party headers */
-#define HAVE_CURSES_H                   1
 #define HAVE_DLFCN_H                    1
 #define HAVE_ERRNO_H                    1
 #define HAVE_FCNTL_H                    1
@@ -39,7 +38,6 @@
 #define HAVE_LANGINFO_H                 1
 #define HAVE_LIBINTL_H                  1
 #define HAVE_MEMORY_H                   1
-#define HAVE_NCURSES_H                  1
 #define HAVE_POLL_H                     1
 #define HAVE_PTHREAD_H                  1
 #define HAVE_PTY_H                      1
@@ -75,9 +73,6 @@
 #define HAVE_CONFSTR                    1
 #define HAVE_COPYSIGN                   1
 #define HAVE_CTERMID                    1
-#define HAVE_CURSES_IS_TERM_RESIZED     1
-#define HAVE_CURSES_RESIZETERM          1
-#define HAVE_CURSES_RESIZE_TERM         1
 #define HAVE_DECL_ISFINITE              1
 #define HAVE_DECL_ISINF                 1
 #define HAVE_DECL_ISNAN                 1
diff --git a/project/config/cfgdefs.sh b/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
index f184cb3..492dd3f 100644
--- a/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
+++ b/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
@@ -114,15 +114,56 @@ cfgdefs_perform_common_tests()
 		cfgtest_cflags_append '-DHAVE_GETRANDOM_SYSCALL'
 	fi
 
+	# ncurses
+	cfgtest_newline
+	cfgtest_comment 'ncurses/ncursesw'
+	mb_cfgtest_headers='ncurses.h'
+
+	if [ $mb_cfgtest_cfgtype = 'target' ]; then
+		mb_cfgtest_makevar='CFLAGS_NCURSES'
+	else
+		mb_cfgtest_makevar='NATIVE_CC_CFLAGS'
+	fi
+
+	cfgtest_unit_header_presence 'curses.h'
+	cfgtest_unit_header_presence 'ncurses.h'
+
+	cfgtest_unit_header_presence 'ncurses/panel.h'  && mb_panel_wrapper='yes'
+	cfgtest_unit_header_presence 'ncursesw/panel.h' && mb_panel_wrapper='yes'
+
+	if cfgtest_unit_interface_presence 'is_term_resized'; then
+		cfgtest_makevar_append '-DHAVE_CURSES_IS_TERM_RESIZED'
+	fi
+
+	if cfgtest_unit_interface_presence 'resizeterm'; then
+		cfgtest_makevar_append '-DHAVE_CURSES_RESIZETERM'
+	fi
+
+	if cfgtest_unit_interface_presence 'resize_term'; then
+		cfgtest_makevar_append '-DHAVE_CURSES_RESIZE_TERM'
+	fi
+
+	# ncursesw
+	if cfgtest_unit_interface_presence 'mvwget_wch'; then
+		cfgtest_makevar_append '-DHAVE_NCURSESW'
+	fi
+
 	# ncurses: python refers to members of typedef struct _win_st WINDOW
-	cfgtest_cflags_append '-DNCURSES_INTERNALS'
+	cfgtest_makevar_append '-DNCURSES_INTERNALS'
+
+	# <panel.h>
+	if [ -n "$mb_panel_wrapper" ]; then
+		cfgtest_makevar_append '-I$(PROJECT_DIR)/wrappers'
+		unset mb_panel_wrapper
+	fi
 
 	# ncurses libs (common part)
 	mb_ncurses_libs='-lpanelw -lncursesw'
 	mb_ncurses_tinfo='-ltinfo'
 
-	cfgtest_library_presence $mb_ncurses_tinfo \
-		&& mb_ncurses_libs="$mb_ncurses_libs $mb_ncurses_tinfo"
+	if cfgtest_library_presence $mb_ncurses_tinfo; then
+		mb_ncurses_libs="$mb_ncurses_libs $mb_ncurses_tinfo"
+	fi
 }
 
 
@@ -138,6 +179,14 @@ cfgdefs_perform_target_tests()
 	mb_cfgtest_makevar='LDFLAGS_NCURSES_LIBS'
 	cfgtest_makevar_append $mb_ncurses_libs
 
+	mb_cfgtest_makevar='LDFLAGS_NCURSES'
+	cfgtest_makevar_append \
+		'-Wl,--as-needed $(LDFLAGS_NCURSES_LIBS)' \
+		'-Wl,--no-as-needed'
+
+	mb_cfgtest_makevar='LDFLAGS_NCURSES_STATIC'
+	cfgtest_makevar_append '$(LDFLAGS_NCURSES)'
+
 	# ndbm
 	cfgtest_newline
 	cfgtest_comment 'ndbm'
diff --git a/project/depends.mk b/project/depends.mk
index b640a15..6f18d9d 100644
--- a/project/depends.mk
+++ b/project/depends.mk
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
 # shared extensions: dependency switches
-CFLAGS_NCURSES          += -I$(SYSROOT)/usr/local/include/ncurses -I$(SYSROOT)/usr/include/ncurses
-LDFLAGS_NCURSES         += -Wl,--as-needed $(LDFLAGS_NCURSES_LIBS) -Wl,--no-as-needed
-
 CFLAGS_SQLITE           += -I$(SYSROOT)/usr/local/include/sqlite3 -I$(SYSROOT)/usr/include/sqlite3
 CFLAGS_SQLITE           += -DMODULE_NAME=\"sqlite3\"
 CFLAGS_SQLITE           += -DSQLITE_OMIT_LOAD_EXTENSION
@@ -19,7 +16,6 @@ LDFLAGS_TCLTK           += $(LDFLAGS_TCLTK_LIBS)
 # static extensions: dependency switch
 LDFLAGS_PYEXT_STATIC    += -lssl -lcrypto -lgdbm -lreadline
 LDFLAGS_PYEXT_STATIC    += -lbz2 -lffi -lintl -llzma -lz
-LDFLAGS_NCURSES_STATIC  += $(LDFLAGS_NCURSES)
 LDFLAGS_SQLITE_STATIC   += $(LDFLAGS_SQLITE)
 LDFLAGS_EXPAT_STATIC    += $(LDFLAGS_EXPAT)
 LDFLAGS_DBM_STATIC      += $(LDFLAGS_DBM)
diff --git a/wrappers/panel.h b/wrappers/panel.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..307a4e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wrappers/panel.h
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#ifdef HAVE_NCURSESW_PANEL_H
+#include <ncursesw/panel.h>
+#else
+#ifdef HAVE_NCURSES_PANEL_H
+#include <ncurses/panel.h>
+#endif
+#endif