diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c8f3144..7d7db16 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ install-dirs:
 
 install-programs:
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) autodist $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/autodist
+	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) autodist-cleanold $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/autodist-cleanold
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) autodist-git $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/autodist-git
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) autodist-inspect $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/autodist-inspect
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) autodist-launcher $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/autodist-launcher
@@ -103,7 +104,6 @@ install-data:
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) etc/sysconfig/autoport $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/sysconfig/autoport
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) etc/cron.hourly/60-autodist-update $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/cron.hourly/
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) etc/cron.hourly/65-autoport $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/cron.hourly/
-	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) etc/cron.daily/40-autodist-cleanold $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/cron.daily/
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) etc/cron.daily/45-autodist-git-sync $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/cron.daily/
 	@$(INSTALL_SCRIPT) etc/logrotate.d/webbuild $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/logrotate.d/webbuild
 	@$(INSTALL_DATA) autospec-conf $(DESTDIR)$(pck_statedir)/.autospec
diff --git a/autodist b/autodist
index 1d0cff6..15adb7d 100755
--- a/autodist
+++ b/autodist
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #
 # Released under the terms of the GNU GPL release 3 license
 #
-VERSION=1.5.2
+VERSION=1.5.3
 me=(${0##*/} $VERSION "Tue Jan 26 2016")
 exec 3>`readlink /proc/self/fd/0`
 
diff --git a/etc/cron.daily/40-autodist-cleanold b/autodist-cleanold
similarity index 92%
rename from etc/cron.daily/40-autodist-cleanold
rename to autodist-cleanold
index 4738008..20e08ca 100755
--- a/etc/cron.daily/40-autodist-cleanold
+++ b/autodist-cleanold
@@ -2,13 +2,11 @@
 [ -e /etc/autodist/config ] && . /etc/autodist/config
 [ -e /etc/sysconfig/autoport ] && . /etc/sysconfig/autoport
 
-RPMS_CTIME_OLD="+3"
-BUILD_CTIME_OLD="+3"
-SOURCES_CTIME_OLD="+7"
-SOURCES_ARCHIVES_CTIME_OLD="+7"
-SOURCES_PATCH_CTIME_OLD="+365"
-SRPMS_CTIME_OLD="+3"
-TMP_CTIME_OLD="+2"
+[ "${RPMS_CTIME_OLD}" -a "${SRPMS_CTIME_OLD}" -a "${SOURCES_CTIME_OLD}" \
+  -a "${BUILD_CTIME_OLD}" -a "${TMP_CTIME_OLD}" ] || {
+   echo "autodist-cleanold: ERROR: *_CTIME_OLD variables need to be set in config; cleaning skipped."
+   exit 0
+}
 
 function clean() {
    dir=$1
diff --git a/autoport b/autoport
index 9f240a0..9acf055 100755
--- a/autoport
+++ b/autoport
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # autoport -- batch cross-build tool based on autodist
-# Copyright (C) 2011-2023 by Silvan Calarco <silvan.calarco@mambasoft.it>
+# Copyright (C) 2011-2024 by Silvan Calarco <silvan.calarco@mambasoft.it>
 #
 # Released under the terms of the GNU GPL release 3 license
 #
-VERSION=1.5.2
+VERSION=1.5.3
 
 BASE_REPOSITORY=base
 PORT_REPOSITORY=base
diff --git a/autoport-launcher b/autoport-launcher
index 1c62621..9e4503d 100755
--- a/autoport-launcher
+++ b/autoport-launcher
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 #
 # autoport launcher
-# (c) 2021 by Silvan Calarco <silvan.calarco@mambasoft.it>
+# (c) 2021-2024 by Silvan Calarco <silvan.calarco@mambasoft.it>
 #
 #. /etc/sysconfig/openmamba-central
 . /etc/sysconfig/autoport
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ i=$1
 
 [ "`uname -m`" = "x86_64" ] && HOST_IS_X86_64=1
 
+autodist-cleanold
+
 [ "${AUTOPORT_DISABLE[$i]}" -a "${AUTOPORT_DISABLE[$i]}" != "0" ] && exit 0
 
 PIDFILE=/run/autodist/autoport-launcher-${i}.pid
diff --git a/etc/autodist/config b/etc/autodist/config
index dd8e8f5..376eb71 100644
--- a/etc/autodist/config
+++ b/etc/autodist/config
@@ -26,6 +26,16 @@ AUTOPORT_IGNORE_LIST=""
 AUTODIST_REBUILDOLD_MAX=20
 AUTODIST_REBUILDOLD_FROMDATE=20090101
 #AUTODIST_GIT_SYNC=1
+
+# Variables used by autodist-cleanold
+RPMS_CTIME_OLD="+3"
+BUILD_CTIME_OLD="+3"
+SOURCES_CTIME_OLD="+7"
+SOURCES_ARCHIVES_CTIME_OLD="+7"
+SOURCES_PATCH_CTIME_OLD="+365"
+SRPMS_CTIME_OLD="+3"
+TMP_CTIME_OLD="+2"
+
 #
 # Set to disable autodist-repository and use local list
 #