diff --git a/build-fail-blacklist b/build-fail-blacklist
index b943bbeea2caf..e62591cbce7ba 100644
--- a/build-fail-blacklist
+++ b/build-fail-blacklist
@@ -408,9 +408,6 @@ recipes/rdkit/2016.03.3
 # broken pipe
 recipes/antarna
 
-#gff.h missing
-recipes/gffcompare
-
 # perl errors
 recipes/snvphyl-tools
 
@@ -709,7 +706,6 @@ recipes/edlib
 recipes/esimsa
 recipes/fastuniq
 recipes/fgap
-recipes/gclib
 recipes/funcannot
 recipes/genepender
 recipes/genometester4
diff --git a/recipes/gclib/Makefile.osx.patch b/recipes/gclib/Makefile.osx.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 3aa6e8c61e165..0000000000000
--- a/recipes/gclib/Makefile.osx.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
-index 43a9c91..9a7beca 100644
---- a/Makefile
-+++ b/Makefile
-@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ else
-   endif
- endif
- 
-+CFLAGS += -fPIC
-+
- %.o : %.cpp
- 	${CC} ${CFLAGS} -c $< -o $@
- 
-@@ -73,14 +75,17 @@ endif
- LINKER  := g++
- LIBS := 
- OBJS := GBase.o GStr.o GArgs.o
-+GCLIBS := GFastaIndex.o GFaSeqGet.o gff.o gdna.o codons.o GBase.o GStr.o GArgs.o
- 
- .PHONY : all
--all:    gtest threads
-+all:    gtest threads gffcomparelibs
- 
- version: ; @echo "GCC Version is: "$(GCC_MAJOR)":"$(GCC_MINOR)":"$(GCC_SUB)
- 	@echo "> GCC Opt. string is: "$(GCC45OPTS)
- debug:  gtest threads
- nodebug:  gtest threads
-+gffcomparelibs: ${GCLIBS}
-+	${LINKER} ${LDFLAGS} $(GCC45OPTS) $(GCC45OPTMAIN) -dynamiclib ${GCLIBS} -o libgffc.dylib
- gtest.o : GBase.h GArgs.h GVec.hh GList.hh GBitVec.h
- GArgs.o : GArgs.h
- gtest: $(OBJS) gtest.o
diff --git a/recipes/gclib/Makefile.patch b/recipes/gclib/Makefile.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index cd325fb59856e..0000000000000
--- a/recipes/gclib/Makefile.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
-index 43a9c91..d937ddd 100644
---- a/Makefile
-+++ b/Makefile
-@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ else
-   endif
- endif
-
-+CFLAGS += -fPIC
-+
- %.o : %.cpp
- 	${CC} ${CFLAGS} -c $< -o $@
-
-@@ -73,14 +75,17 @@ endif
- LINKER  := g++
- LIBS :=
- OBJS := GBase.o GStr.o GArgs.o
-+GCLIBS := GFastaIndex.o GFaSeqGet.o gff.o gdna.o codons.o GBase.o GStr.o GArgs.o
-
- .PHONY : all
--all:    gtest threads
-+all:    gtest threads gffcomparelibs
-
- version: ; @echo "GCC Version is: "$(GCC_MAJOR)":"$(GCC_MINOR)":"$(GCC_SUB)
- 	@echo "> GCC Opt. string is: "$(GCC45OPTS)
- debug:  gtest threads
- nodebug:  gtest threads
-+gffcomparelibs: ${GCLIBS}
-+	${LINKER} ${LDFLAGS} $(GCC45OPTS) $(GCC45OPTMAIN) -shared -o libgffc.so ${GCLIBS}
- gtest.o : GBase.h GArgs.h GVec.hh GList.hh GBitVec.h
- GArgs.o : GArgs.h
- gtest: $(OBJS) gtest.o
diff --git a/recipes/gclib/build.sh b/recipes/gclib/build.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index eb5661dd52ce6..0000000000000
--- a/recipes/gclib/build.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-mkdir -p $PREFIX/lib $PREFIX/bin $PREFIX/include
-make
-install *.o $PREFIX/lib/
-if [ -f libgffc.so ] ; then
-    install *.so $PREFIX/lib/
-fi
-if [ -f libgffc.dylib ] ; then
-    install *.dylib $PREFIX/lib/
-fi
-install *.h $PREFIX/include/
-install *.hh $PREFIX/include/
-install gtest $PREFIX/bin/
-install threads $PREFIX/bin/
diff --git a/recipes/gclib/meta.yaml b/recipes/gclib/meta.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 32aea3ecc272e..0000000000000
--- a/recipes/gclib/meta.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-package:
-  name: gclib
-  version: "0.0.1"
-
-build:
-  number: 5
-  skip: False
-
-source:
-  url: https://github.com/gpertea/gclib/archive/907a9d6484b92ea0c357baf2da5d85bc6e6b82b1.tar.gz
-  md5: 13891db103fab3457beb621ab43f8843
-  patches:
-    - Makefile.patch # [not osx]
-    - Makefile.osx.patch # [osx]
-
-requirements:
-  build:
-    - {{ compiler('cxx') }}
-  run:
-
-test:
-  commands:
-    - gtest
-    - test -f ${PREFIX}/lib/libgffc.so # [linux]
-    - test -f ${PREFIX}/lib/libgffc.dylib # [osx]
-
-about:
-  home: "https://github.com/gpertea/gclib"
-  license: 'Artistic License 2.0'
-  summary: 'Genomic C libraries by Geo Pertea'
diff --git a/recipes/gffcompare/build.sh b/recipes/gffcompare/build.sh
index a1e86ac40afbf..f862ec0101a5a 100644
--- a/recipes/gffcompare/build.sh
+++ b/recipes/gffcompare/build.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,22 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-mkdir -p $PREFIX/bin
-make
-install gffcompare $PREFIX/bin/
+# install gffcompare using the prep script of the 
+# distribution. note that this works for linux and mac
+# since the prep_mac script just uses different names
+# for the directories (all the magic happens in the 
+# Makefile)
+cd gffcompare
+./prep_linux.sh
 
+# in order to find the directory where the binaries 
+# are installed the version is extracted as in the 
+# prep script
+ver=$(fgrep '#define VERSION ' gffcompare.cpp)
+ver=${ver#*\"}
+ver=${ver%%\"*}
+cd gffcompare-"$ver"
+
+# copy binaries
+mkdir -p "$PREFIX"/bin/
+cp gffcompare "$PREFIX"/bin/
+cp trmap "$PREFIX"/bin/
diff --git a/recipes/gffcompare/meta.yaml b/recipes/gffcompare/meta.yaml
index 9b02c6e2265c1..29a741919bf1e 100644
--- a/recipes/gffcompare/meta.yaml
+++ b/recipes/gffcompare/meta.yaml
@@ -11,19 +11,16 @@ build:
   skip: False
 
 source:
-  url: https://github.com/gpertea/gffcompare/archive/v{{ version }}.tar.gz
-  sha256: {{ sha256hash }}
-  patches:
-    - Makefile.patch # [not osx]
-    - Makefile.osx.patch # [osx]
+  - url: https://github.com/gpertea/gffcompare/archive/v{{ version }}.tar.gz
+    sha256: {{ sha256hash }}
+    folder: gffcompare
+  - url: https://github.com/gpertea/gclib/archive/v0.10.3.tar.gz
+    sha256: f5f9d4764afe83d5b9cc851c4dab352906505be7a6c03958c2af51c554118c18
+    folder: gclib
 
 requirements:
   build:
-    - {{ compiler('c') }}
-  host:
-    - gclib
-  run:
-    - gclib
+    - {{ compiler('cxx') }}
 
 test:
   commands: