diff --git a/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/defs.h b/include/osmocom/mgcp_client/defs.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edf27d1
--- /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 6adaf4b..46ec210 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_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);