meson/docs/markdown/snippets/cmake-prefix-path.md

CMake prefix path overrides

When using pkg-config as a dependency resolver we can pass -Dpkg_config_path=$somepath to extend or overwrite where pkg-config will search for dependencies. Now cmake can do the same, as long as the dependency uses a ${Name}Config.cmake file (not a Find{$Name}.cmake file), by passing -Dcmake_prefix_path=list,of,paths. It is important that point this at the prefix that the dependency is installed into, not the cmake path.

If you have installed something to /tmp/dep, which has a layout like:

/tmp/dep/lib/cmake
/tmp/dep/bin

then invoke meson as meson builddir/ -Dcmake_prefix_path=/tmp/dep