diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ec196f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+[submodule "common"]
+	path = common
+	url = https://git-wip-us.apache.org/repos/asf/ant-antlibs-common.git
diff --git a/common b/common
new file mode 160000
index 0000000..51f7f81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 51f7f81979e31e6ca6d7711c16508a229e940e09
diff --git a/prepare.xml b/prepare.xml
index 8d4d0cf..8499ea6 100644
--- a/prepare.xml
+++ b/prepare.xml
@@ -21,46 +21,18 @@ under the License.
 <!--
 Interim build-snippet.
 
-The AntLibs depend on the common build infrastructure supplied by the 
-antlibs-common project. In subversion these are included via svn:external
-directive. After migration to git there is need to have successor to that
-directive. Until we have that, we could do a 'manual' git-clone.
-
 The original of this snippet is maintained in the antlib-common project. 
 -->
 <project default="bootstrap" xmlns:unless="ant:unless" xmlns:if="ant:if">
 
-  <!-- AntLib-common Git-URL, so we could 'svn:external' that manually. -->
-  <property name="antlib.common.git" value="https://git-wip-us.apache.org/repos/asf/ant-antlibs-common.git"/>
-  <!-- Git executable -->
-  <property name="git" value="git"/>
-  
   <!-- Which released version of AntUnit to use, where to download, where to store. -->
   <property name="antunit.version" value="1.3"/>
   <property name="antunit.url" value="http://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/ant/ant-antunit/${antunit.version}/ant-antunit-${antunit.version}.jar"/>
   <property name="antunit.file" value="ant-antunit.jar"/>
 
   <!-- Skip unnecessary tasks. -->
-  <available property="common.present"  file="common" type="dir"/>
   <available property="antunit.present" file="${antunit.file}"/>
 
-
-  <target name="clone-common" unless="common.present">
-    <echo message="cloning antlib-common"/>
-    <exec executable="${git}" taskname="git">
-      <arg value="clone"/>
-      <arg value="${antlib.common.git}"/>
-      <arg value="common"/>
-    </exec>
-  </target>
-
-  <target name="update-common" if="common.present">
-    <echo message="updating antlib-common"/>
-    <exec executable="${git}" dir="common" taskname="git">
-      <arg value="pull"/>
-    </exec>
-  </target>
-
   <target name="update-prepare-script">
     <echo>updating prepare.xml</echo>
     <copy file="common/prepare.xml" tofile="prepare.xml"/>
@@ -74,8 +46,8 @@ The original of this snippet is maintained in the antlib-common project.
   
   <!-- Use a 'bootstrap-phase' so changes of the preparation could be catched in the same CI-cycle. -->
   <target name="bootstrap" 
-          depends="clone-common,update-common,update-prepare-script"
-          description="Bootstraps the preparation script by cloning the antlib-common and updating this script from there."
+          depends="update-prepare-script"
+          description="Bootstraps the preparation script by updating this script from common."
   >
     <echo>Bootstrap done. Next step:</echo> 
     <echo>  ant -f prepare.xml prepare</echo>
@@ -90,4 +62,4 @@ The original of this snippet is maintained in the antlib-common project.
     <echo> ant -lib ${antunit.file} -lib build/lib test</echo>
   </target>
 
-</project>
\ No newline at end of file
+</project>