diff --git a/src/libcamera/include/utils.h b/src/libcamera/include/utils.h
index bc96e79..cfa620f 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/include/utils.h
+++ b/src/libcamera/include/utils.h
@@ -143,9 +143,7 @@ private:
 
 details::StringSplitter split(const std::string &str, const std::string &delim);
 
-bool isLibcameraInstalled();
-
-std::string libcameraPath();
+std::string libcameraBuildPath();
 
 } /* namespace utils */
 
diff --git a/src/libcamera/ipa_manager.cpp b/src/libcamera/ipa_manager.cpp
index 0bd280c..bcaae35 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/ipa_manager.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/ipa_manager.cpp
@@ -119,8 +119,9 @@ IPAManager::IPAManager()
 	 * path for the IPA from that point. We need to recurse one level of
 	 * sub-directories to match the build tree.
 	 */
-	if (!utils::isLibcameraInstalled()) {
-		std::string ipaBuildPath = utils::dirname(utils::libcameraPath()) + "/../ipa";
+	std::string root = utils::libcameraBuildPath();
+	if (!root.empty()) {
+		std::string ipaBuildPath = root + "src/ipa";
 		constexpr int maxDepth = 1;
 
 		LOG(IPAManager, Info)
diff --git a/src/libcamera/ipa_proxy.cpp b/src/libcamera/ipa_proxy.cpp
index 2f866cc..5fd88a4 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/ipa_proxy.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/ipa_proxy.cpp
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@ std::string IPAProxy::resolvePath(const std::string &file) const
 	 * This requires identifying the path of the libcamera.so, and
 	 * referencing a relative path for the proxy workers from that point.
 	 */
-	if (!utils::isLibcameraInstalled()) {
-		std::string ipaProxyDir = utils::dirname(utils::libcameraPath())
-					  + "/proxy/worker";
+	std::string root = utils::libcameraBuildPath();
+	if (!root.empty()) {
+		std::string ipaProxyDir = root + "src/libcamera/proxy/worker";
 
 		LOG(IPAProxy, Info)
 			<< "libcamera is not installed. Loading proxy workers from'"
diff --git a/src/libcamera/utils.cpp b/src/libcamera/utils.cpp
index 7e118fa..58ee7cc 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/utils.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/utils.cpp
@@ -340,23 +340,33 @@ bool isLibcameraInstalled()
 }
 
 /**
- * \brief Identify the libcamera.so path
+ * \brief Retrieve the path to the build directory
  *
- * This function locates the running libcamera.so and returns its full path,
- * including the file name.
+ * During development, it is useful to run libcamera binaries directly from the
+ * build directory without installing them. This function helps components that
+ * need to locate resources, such as IPA modules or IPA proxy workers, by
+ * providing them with the path to the root of the build directory. Callers can
+ * then use it to complement or override searches in system-wide directories.
  *
- * \return A string stating the path
+ * If libcamera has been installed, the build directory path is not available
+ * and this function returns an empty string.
+ *
+ * \return The path to the build directory if running from a build, or an empty
+ * string otherwise
  */
-std::string libcameraPath()
+std::string libcameraBuildPath()
 {
+	if (isLibcameraInstalled())
+		return std::string();
+
 	Dl_info info;
 
 	/* Look up our own symbol. */
-	int ret = dladdr(reinterpret_cast<void *>(libcameraPath), &info);
+	int ret = dladdr(reinterpret_cast<void *>(libcameraBuildPath), &info);
 	if (ret == 0)
-		return nullptr;
+		return std::string();
 
-	return info.dli_fname;
+	return dirname(info.dli_fname) + "/../../";
 }
 
 } /* namespace utils */