diff --git a/app-editors/zile/zile-2.3.24-r2.ebuild b/app-editors/zile/zile-2.3.24-r2.ebuild
index ff2a5d21a82e9..bc74d29787ac5 100644
--- a/app-editors/zile/zile-2.3.24-r2.ebuild
+++ b/app-editors/zile/zile-2.3.24-r2.ebuild
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 EAPI=6
 
+inherit toolchain-funcs
+
 DESCRIPTION="Zile is a small Emacs clone"
 HOMEPAGE="https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/"
 SRC_URI="mirror://gnu/zile/${P}.tar.gz"
@@ -14,6 +16,7 @@ IUSE="test valgrind"
 
 RDEPEND="sys-libs/ncurses:0="
 DEPEND="${RDEPEND}
+	virtual/pkgconfig
 	test? ( valgrind? ( dev-util/valgrind ) )"
 
 PATCHES=("${FILESDIR}"/${P}-{userhome,gets}.patch)
@@ -22,7 +25,8 @@ src_configure() {
 	# --without-emacs to suppress tests for GNU Emacs #630652
 	econf \
 		--without-emacs \
-		$(use test && use_with valgrind || echo "--without-valgrind")
+		$(use test && use_with valgrind || echo "--without-valgrind") \
+		CURSES_LIB="$("$(tc-getPKG_CONFIG)" --libs ncurses)"
 }
 
 src_install() {
diff --git a/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.13.ebuild b/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.13.ebuild
index d7578b2406fd1..d6136b4f5a1eb 100644
--- a/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.13.ebuild
+++ b/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.13.ebuild
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 EAPI=6
 
+inherit toolchain-funcs
+
 DESCRIPTION="Zile is a small Emacs clone"
 HOMEPAGE="https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/"
 SRC_URI="mirror://gnu/zile/${P}.tar.gz"
@@ -17,6 +19,7 @@ RDEPEND=">=dev-libs/boehm-gc-7.2:=
 	acl? ( virtual/acl )"
 
 DEPEND="${RDEPEND}
+	virtual/pkgconfig
 	test? ( dev-lang/perl )"
 
 QA_AM_MAINTAINER_MODE=".*help2man.*" #450278
@@ -26,7 +29,8 @@ src_configure() {
 	econf \
 		--docdir="${EPREFIX}"/usr/share/doc/${PF} \
 		--without-emacs \
-		$(use_enable acl)
+		$(use_enable acl) \
+		CURSES_LIB="$("$(tc-getPKG_CONFIG)" --libs ncurses)"
 }
 
 src_install() {
diff --git a/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.14.ebuild b/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.14.ebuild
index 3754cfad686a0..3438a470a0a9c 100644
--- a/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.14.ebuild
+++ b/app-editors/zile/zile-2.4.14.ebuild
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 EAPI=6
 
+inherit toolchain-funcs
+
 DESCRIPTION="Zile is a small Emacs clone"
 HOMEPAGE="https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/"
 SRC_URI="mirror://gnu/zile/${P}.tar.gz"
@@ -17,6 +19,7 @@ RDEPEND=">=dev-libs/boehm-gc-7.2:=
 	acl? ( virtual/acl )"
 
 DEPEND="${RDEPEND}
+	virtual/pkgconfig
 	test? ( dev-lang/perl )"
 
 QA_AM_MAINTAINER_MODE=".*help2man.*" #450278
@@ -27,7 +30,8 @@ src_configure() {
 		--docdir="${EPREFIX}"/usr/share/doc/${PF} \
 		--without-emacs \
 		--disable-valgrind-tests \
-		$(use_enable acl)
+		$(use_enable acl) \
+		CURSES_LIB="$("$(tc-getPKG_CONFIG)" --libs ncurses)"
 }
 
 src_install() {