diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 5c42a24a6..7b91b71d9 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -74,7 +74,9 @@ script:
  - cabal build --ghc-options=$GHCOPTS  # this builds all libraries and executables (including tests/benchmarks)
  - cabal test
  - cabal check
- - ./dist/setup/setup sdist   # tests that a source-distribution can be generated
+# Test that a source-distribution can be generated
+# (with cabal >= 1.18 'cabal sdist' would work too):
+ - ./dist/setup/setup sdist
 
 # Check that the resulting source distribution can be built & installed.
 # If there are no other `.tar.gz` files in `dist`, this can be even simpler:
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3a52e3bd0..7c16418f8 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ dist: man/pandoc.1
 	cd pandoc-${version}
 	cabal configure ${CABALARGS} && cabal build && cabal test && cd .. && rm -rf "pandoc-${version}"
 
-.travis.yml: pandoc.cabal
+.travis.yml: pandoc.cabal make_travis_yml.hs
 	runghc make_travis_yml.hs $< > $@
 
 debpkg: man/pandoc.1
diff --git a/make_travis_yml.hs b/make_travis_yml.hs
index 82d328018..91916c499 100644
--- a/make_travis_yml.hs
+++ b/make_travis_yml.hs
@@ -165,7 +165,9 @@ genTravisFromCabalFile fn xpkgs = do
         , " - cabal build --ghc-options=$GHCOPTS  # this builds all libraries and executables (including tests/benchmarks)"
         , " - cabal test"
         , " - cabal check"
-        , " - ./dist/setup/setup sdist   # tests that a source-distribution can be generated"
+        , "# Test that a source-distribution can be generated"
+        , "# (with cabal >= 1.18 'cabal sdist' would work too):"
+        , " - ./dist/setup/setup sdist"
         , ""
         , "# Check that the resulting source distribution can be built & installed."
         , "# If there are no other `.tar.gz` files in `dist`, this can be even simpler:"