diff --git a/TODO-RELEASE b/TODO-RELEASE
index c5a3b36a5..69b38a99c 100644
--- a/TODO-RELEASE
+++ b/TODO-RELEASE
@@ -24,3 +24,5 @@
 # If any interfaces have been removed or changed since the last public release, a=0.
 #
 #library		what		description / commit summary line
+libosmo-mgcp-client     NEW API         mgcp_client_conf_alloc()
+libosmo-mgcp-client     DEPRECATED      mgcp_client_conf_init()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index db8c4e6b1..8aa9c4e6d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -52,7 +52,8 @@ PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBOSMONETIF, libosmo-netif >= 1.3.0)
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBOSMOABIS, libosmoabis >= 1.4.0)
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBOSMOTRAU, libosmotrau >= 1.4.0)
 
-CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -pthread"
+CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -DBUILDING_LIBOSMOMGCPCLIENT -pthread"
+CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS -DBUILDING_LIBOSMOMGCPCLIENT -pthread"
 LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS -pthread"
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(sanitize,
diff --git a/include/Makefile.am b/include/Makefile.am
index eb262a6df..0b66cb3b9 100644
--- a/include/Makefile.am
+++ b/include/Makefile.am
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ SUBDIRS = \
 	$(NULL)
 
 nobase_include_HEADERS = \
+	osmocom/mgcp_client/defs.h \
 	osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_client.h \
 	osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_client_endpoint_fsm.h \
 	osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_client_fsm.h \
diff --git a/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/defs.h b/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/defs.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..edf27d1e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/defs.h
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#include <osmocom/core/defs.h>
+
+#if BUILDING_LIBOSMOMGCPCLIENT
+# define OSMO_DEPRECATED_OUTSIDE_LIBOSMOMGCPCLIENT(text)
+#else
+# define OSMO_DEPRECATED_OUTSIDE_LIBOSMOMGCPCLIENT(text) OSMO_DEPRECATED(text)
+#endif
diff --git a/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_client.h b/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_client.h
index 6adaf4b8e..46ec21087 100644
--- a/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_client.h
+++ b/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_client.h
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
 
+#include <osmocom/mgcp_client/defs.h>
 #include <osmocom/mgcp_client/mgcp_common.h>
 
 /* See also: RFC 3435, chapter 3.5 Transmission over UDP */
@@ -133,7 +134,8 @@ struct mgcp_msg {
 	struct mgcp_codec_param param;
 };
 
-void mgcp_client_conf_init(struct mgcp_client_conf *conf);
+struct mgcp_client_conf *mgcp_client_conf_alloc(void *ctx);
+void mgcp_client_conf_init(struct mgcp_client_conf *conf) OSMO_DEPRECATED_OUTSIDE_LIBOSMOMGCPCLIENT("use mgcp_client_conf_alloc() (or even better, switch to the mgcp_client_pool API!)");
 void mgcp_client_vty_init(void *talloc_ctx, int node, struct mgcp_client_conf *conf);
 int mgcp_client_config_write(struct vty *vty, const char *indent);
 struct mgcp_client_conf *mgcp_client_conf_actual(struct mgcp_client *mgcp);
diff --git a/src/libosmo-mgcp-client/mgcp_client.c b/src/libosmo-mgcp-client/mgcp_client.c
index fc7d8e81e..f0f320ca0 100644
--- a/src/libosmo-mgcp-client/mgcp_client.c
+++ b/src/libosmo-mgcp-client/mgcp_client.c
@@ -194,9 +194,7 @@ enum mgcp_codecs map_pt_to_codec(struct ptmap *ptmap, unsigned int ptmap_len,
 	return pt;
 }
 
-/*! Initialize MGCP client configuration struct with default values.
- *  \param[out] conf Client configuration.*/
-void mgcp_client_conf_init(struct mgcp_client_conf *conf)
+static void _mgcp_client_conf_init(struct mgcp_client_conf *conf)
 {
 	/* NULL and -1 default to MGCP_CLIENT_*_DEFAULT values */
 	*conf = (struct mgcp_client_conf){
@@ -209,6 +207,29 @@ void mgcp_client_conf_init(struct mgcp_client_conf *conf)
 	INIT_LLIST_HEAD(&conf->reset_epnames);
 }
 
+/*! Allocate and initialize MGCP client configuration struct with default values.
+ *  \param[in] ctx talloc context to use as a parent during allocation.
+ *
+ * The returned struct can be freed using talloc_free().
+ */
+struct mgcp_client_conf *mgcp_client_conf_alloc(void *ctx)
+{
+	struct mgcp_client_conf *conf = talloc(ctx, struct mgcp_client_conf);
+	_mgcp_client_conf_init(conf);
+	return conf;
+}
+
+/*! Initialize MGCP client configuration struct with default values.
+ *  \param[out] conf Client configuration.
+ *
+ * This function is deprecated and should not be used, as it may break if size
+ * of struct mgcp_client_conf changes in the future!
+ */
+void mgcp_client_conf_init(struct mgcp_client_conf *conf)
+{
+	_mgcp_client_conf_init(conf);
+}
+
 static void mgcp_client_handle_response(struct mgcp_client *mgcp,
 					struct mgcp_response_pending *pending,
 					struct mgcp_response *response)
diff --git a/tests/mgcp_client/mgcp_client_test.c b/tests/mgcp_client/mgcp_client_test.c
index ef05adc73..37c5f6c81 100644
--- a/tests/mgcp_client/mgcp_client_test.c
+++ b/tests/mgcp_client/mgcp_client_test.c
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ static struct msgb *from_str(const char *str)
 	return msg;
 }
 
-static struct mgcp_client_conf conf;
+static struct mgcp_client_conf *conf;
 struct mgcp_client *mgcp = NULL;
 
 static int reply_to(mgcp_trans_id_t trans_id, int code, const char *comment,
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ void test_mgcp_msg(void)
 
 	if (mgcp)
 		talloc_free(mgcp);
-	mgcp = mgcp_client_init(ctx, &conf);
+	mgcp = mgcp_client_init(ctx, conf);
 
 	printf("\n");
 
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ void test_mgcp_client_cancel(void)
 
 	if (mgcp)
 		talloc_free(mgcp);
-	mgcp = mgcp_client_init(ctx, &conf);
+	mgcp = mgcp_client_init(ctx, conf);
 
 	msg = mgcp_msg_gen(mgcp, &mgcp_msg);
 	trans_id = mgcp_msg_trans_id(msg);
@@ -630,7 +630,7 @@ void test_mgcp_client_e1_epname(void)
 
 	if (mgcp)
 		talloc_free(mgcp);
-	mgcp = mgcp_client_init(ctx, &conf);
+	mgcp = mgcp_client_init(ctx, conf);
 
 	/* Valid endpoint names */
 	epname = (char *)mgcp_client_e1_epname(ctx, mgcp, 1, 15, 64, 0);
@@ -697,7 +697,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	log_set_category_filter(osmo_stderr_target, DLMGCP, 1, LOGL_DEBUG);
 
-	mgcp_client_conf_init(&conf);
+	conf = mgcp_client_conf_alloc(ctx);
 
 	test_mgcp_msg();
 	test_mgcp_client_cancel();