diff --git a/LOG b/LOG
index b0623bb23e..3fe7ea217c 100644
--- a/LOG
+++ b/LOG
@@ -962,3 +962,6 @@
     csug/foreign.stex, examples/socket.ss
 - add an option --disable-x11
     c/version.h, configure
+- allow s_ee_get_clipboard to use the pastebuffer on macOS even when X11 is not
+  available.
+    expeditor.c
diff --git a/c/expeditor.c b/c/expeditor.c
index 84c38971ca..78f6be3bfb 100644
--- a/c/expeditor.c
+++ b/c/expeditor.c
@@ -888,8 +888,10 @@ static void s_ee_line_feed(void) {
 #include <X11/Xlib.h>
 #include <X11/Xatom.h>
 #include <sys/select.h>
+#endif /* LIBX11 */
 
 static ptr s_ee_get_clipboard(void) {
+#ifdef LIBX11
   static enum {UNINITIALIZED, INITIALIZED, FAILED} status = UNINITIALIZED;
   static int (*pXConvertSelection)(Display *, Atom, Atom, Atom, Window, Time);
   static int (*pXPending)(Display *display);
@@ -899,9 +901,11 @@ static ptr s_ee_get_clipboard(void) {
 
   static Display *D;
   static Window R, W;
+#endif /* LIBX11 */
 
   ptr p = S_G.null_string;
 
+#ifdef LIBX11
   if (status == UNINITIALIZED) {
     char *display_name;
     void *handle;
@@ -986,6 +990,7 @@ static ptr s_ee_get_clipboard(void) {
       }
     }
   }
+#endif /* LIBX11 */
 
 #ifdef MACOSX
 #define PBPASTEBUFSIZE 1024
@@ -1013,11 +1018,6 @@ static ptr s_ee_get_clipboard(void) {
 
   return p;
 }
-#else /* LIBX11 */
-static ptr s_ee_get_clipboard(void) {
-  return S_G.null_string;
-}
-#endif
 
 static void s_ee_write_char(wchar_t wch) {
   locale_t old; char buf[MB_LEN_MAX]; size_t n;