diff --git a/conf/templates/fallback b/conf/templates/fallback
index 3cd8086..e1e1f4f 100644
--- a/conf/templates/fallback
+++ b/conf/templates/fallback
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@
 ## bee cannot detect buildtypes specified in subdirectories.
 ## Sometimes packages "hide" the real sources in a subdirectory named
 ## 'src' or 'cmake' or ..
-## use 'add_sourcesubdir' to specify this directory if known.
+## use 'sourcesubdir_append' to specify this directory if known.
 
-# add_sourcesubdir src
+# sourcesubdir_append src
 
 @DEFAULT_PREFIX_VARS@
 @BEE_DEFINES@
diff --git a/src/beesh.sh.in b/src/beesh.sh.in
index 379012a..c484bad 100644
--- a/src/beesh.sh.in
+++ b/src/beesh.sh.in
@@ -181,9 +181,22 @@ function build_in_sourcedir() {
 }
 
 function add_sourcesubdir() {
+   print_warning "WARNING: add_sourcesubdir is deprecated in favor of sourcesubdir_append"
+   sourcesubdir_append "${@}"
+}
+
+function sourcesubdir_set() {
    BEE_SOURCESUBDIR="${1}"
 }
 
+function sourcesubdir_prepend() {
+   BEE_SOURCESUBDIR="${1}${BEE_SOURCESUBDIR:+/${BEE_SOURCESUBDIR}}"
+}
+
+function sourcesubdir_append() {
+   BEE_SOURCESUBDIR="${BEE_SOURCESUBDIR:+${BEE_SOURCESUBDIR}/}{$1}"
+}
+
 #### bee_init_builddir() ######################################################
 
 function bee_init_builddir() {