diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index ebcf9dc8..9ca414a3 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -103,14 +103,12 @@ add_library(
 
 # Causes the visibility macros to use dllexport rather than dllimport,
 # which is appropriate when building the dll but not consuming it.
-target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} 
-  PRIVATE 
-    RCUTILS_BUILDING_DLL
-  PUBLIC 
-    $<$<BOOL:${RCUTILS_NO_THREAD_SUPPORT}>:RCUTILS_NO_THREAD_SUPPORT>
-    $<$<BOOL:${RCUTILS_NO_FILESYSTEM}>:RCUTILS_NO_FILESYSTEM>
-    $<$<BOOL:${RCUTILS_AVOID_DYNAMIC_ALLOCATION}>:RCUTILS_AVOID_DYNAMIC_ALLOCATION>
-  )
+target_compile_definitions(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE "RCUTILS_BUILDING_DLL")
+
+configure_file(
+    "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/rcutils/configuration_flags.h.in"
+    "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/include/rcutils/configuration_flags.h"
+)
 
 # Needed if pthread is used for thread local storage.
 if(IOS AND IOS_SDK_VERSION LESS 10.0)
diff --git a/include/rcutils/configuration_flags.h.in b/include/rcutils/configuration_flags.h.in
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..346c6a33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/rcutils/configuration_flags.h.in
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+
+#ifndef RCUTILS__CONFIGURATION_FLAGS_H_
+#define RCUTILS__CONFIGURATION_FLAGS_H_
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C"
+{
+#endif
+
+#cmakedefine RCUTILS_NO_FILESYSTEM
+#cmakedefine RCUTILS_AVOID_DYNAMIC_ALLOCATION
+#cmakedefine RCUTILS_NO_THREAD_SUPPORT
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif  // RCUTILS__CONFIGURATION_FLAGS_H_
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/include/rcutils/error_handling.h b/include/rcutils/error_handling.h
index 36376e97..71b21086 100644
--- a/include/rcutils/error_handling.h
+++ b/include/rcutils/error_handling.h
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ extern "C"
 #include "rcutils/snprintf.h"
 #include "rcutils/types/rcutils_ret.h"
 #include "rcutils/visibility_control.h"
+#include "rcutils/configuration_flags.h"
 
 #if defined(__STDC_LIB_EXT1__) && !defined(RCUTILS_NO_FILESYSTEM)
 // Limit the buffer size in the `fwrite` call to give an upper bound to buffer overrun in the case
diff --git a/include/rcutils/macros.h b/include/rcutils/macros.h
index 11981683..2661a315 100644
--- a/include/rcutils/macros.h
+++ b/include/rcutils/macros.h
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ extern "C"
 {
 #endif
 
+#include "rcutils/configuration_flags.h"
+
 #ifndef _WIN32
 #define RCUTILS_WARN_UNUSED __attribute__((warn_unused_result))
 #else
@@ -28,7 +30,7 @@ extern "C"
 
 // Note: this block was migrated from rmw/macros.h
 // This block either sets RCUTILS_THREAD_LOCAL or RCUTILS_THREAD_LOCAL_PTHREAD.
-#if RCUTILS_NO_THREAD_SUPPORT
+#if defined(RCUTILS_NO_THREAD_SUPPORT)
     #define RCUTILS_THREAD_LOCAL
 #elif defined _WIN32 || defined __CYGWIN__
 // Windows or Cygwin