diff --git a/sysutils/watchman/Makefile b/sysutils/watchman/Makefile
index aa8ddf4ac238..44f6b7d421bc 100644
--- a/sysutils/watchman/Makefile
+++ b/sysutils/watchman/Makefile
@@ -1,51 +1,53 @@
 PORTNAME=	watchman
 PORTVERSION=	4.5.0 # frozen at 4.5.0: the current version 2020.08.10.00 is broken because F_GETPATH isn't currently available on FreeBSD
 PORTEPOCH=	1
 DISTVERSIONPREFIX=	v
 CATEGORIES=	sysutils
 
 MAINTAINER=	yuri@FreeBSD.org
 COMMENT=	File alteration monitoring service
 WWW=		https://facebook.github.io/watchman/
 
 LICENSE=	APACHE20
 
 BROKEN_mips=		fails to build: watchman.h:169: undefined reference to '__sync_add_and_fetch_8'
 BROKEN_mips64=		fails to build: watchman.h:169: undefined reference to '__sync_add_and_fetch_8'
 
+BUILD_DEPENDS=	${LOCALBASE}/include/sys/inotify.h:devel/libinotify
+
 USE_GITHUB=	yes
 GH_ACCOUNT=	facebook
 
 USES=		autoreconf gmake pkgconfig
 GNU_CONFIGURE=	yes
 CONFIGURE_ENV=	ac_cv_prog_HAVE_ARC=false ac_cv_header_sys_inotify_h=no
 CONFIGURE_ARGS=	--without-python --without-ruby # in separate ports
 TEST_TARGET=	check
 
 PLIST_FILES=	bin/${PORTNAME} \
 		"@dir(,,2777) /var/run/${PORTNAME}"
 PORTDOCS=	README.markdown
 
 OPTIONS_DEFINE=	BACKTRACE PCRE DOCS
 OPTIONS_DEFAULT=BACKTRACE PCRE
 
 BACKTRACE_DESC=		Stack backtrace support via (lib)execinfo
 BACKTRACE_LIBS=		-lexecinfo
 
 PCRE_LIB_DEPENDS=	libpcre.so:devel/pcre
 PCRE_CONFIGURE_WITH=	pcre
 
 CPPFLAGS+=	-Wno-error
 
 PORTSCOUT=	ignore:1 # newer versions (YYYY.MM.DD.dd) use F_GETPATH that isn't currently available on FreeBSD
 
 post-patch:
 # https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Directory-Variables.html
 	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e 's,xprefix/var,localstatedir,' \
 		-e '\,/etc, { s//$$sysconfdir/; /=/s/^/eval /; }' \
 		${WRKSRC}/configure.ac
 	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e '/^docdir = /d' \
 		-e '/not-empty/d; /chmod g+s/d;' \
 		${WRKSRC}/Makefile.am
 
 .include <bsd.port.mk>
diff --git a/sysutils/watchman/files/patch-watcher_inotify.c b/sysutils/watchman/files/patch-watcher_inotify.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..335276f46c4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sysutils/watchman/files/patch-watcher_inotify.c
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+--- watcher/inotify.c.orig	2025-08-23 19:27:40 UTC
++++ watcher/inotify.c
+@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
+ #ifndef IN_EXCL_UNLINK
+ /* defined in <linux/inotify.h> but we can't include that without
+  * breaking userspace */
++#include <sys/inotify.h> // from the libinotify package
+ # define WATCHMAN_IN_EXCL_UNLINK 0x04000000
+ #else
+ # define WATCHMAN_IN_EXCL_UNLINK IN_EXCL_UNLINK