diff --git a/tools/xabuild/SymbolicLink.cs b/tools/xabuild/SymbolicLink.cs
index ed80fd1f8..c5b4d6b1e 100644
--- a/tools/xabuild/SymbolicLink.cs
+++ b/tools/xabuild/SymbolicLink.cs
@@ -16,15 +16,21 @@ namespace Xamarin.Android.Build
 					if (!CreateSymbolicLink (source, target, SymbolLinkFlag.Directory | SymbolLinkFlag.AllowUnprivilegedCreate) &&
 						!CreateSymbolicLink (source, target, SymbolLinkFlag.Directory)) {
 						var error = new Win32Exception ().Message;
-						Console.Error.WriteLine ($"Unable to create symbolic link from `{source}` to `{target}`: {error}");
-						return false;
+						var result = Directory.Exists (source);
+						if (!result)
+							Console.Error.WriteLine ($"Unable to create symbolic link from `{source}` to `{target}`: {error}");
+						return result;
 					}
 				} else {
 					try {
+						var sourceInfo = new UnixFileInfo (source);
 						var fileInfo = new UnixFileInfo (target);
 						fileInfo.CreateSymbolicLink (source);
-					} catch (Exception exc) {
-						Console.Error.WriteLine ($"Unable to create symbolic link from `{source}` to `{target}`: {exc.Message}");
+					} catch (UnixIOException exc) {
+						if (exc.ErrorCode == Mono.Unix.Native.Errno.EEXIST) {
+							return true;
+						}
+						Console.Error.WriteLine ($"Unable to create symbolic link from `{source}` to `{target}`: {exc}");
 						return false;
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/tools/xabuild/XABuildPaths.cs b/tools/xabuild/XABuildPaths.cs
index 98e06c49b..6949d13f4 100644
--- a/tools/xabuild/XABuildPaths.cs
+++ b/tools/xabuild/XABuildPaths.cs
@@ -114,10 +114,11 @@ namespace Xamarin.Android.Build
 				SearchPathsOS            = "windows";
 			} else {
 				string mono              = IsMacOS ? "/Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/Current/lib/mono" : "/usr/lib/mono";
+				string monoExternal      = IsMacOS ? "/Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/External/" : "/usr/lib/mono";
 				MSBuildPath              = Path.Combine (mono, "msbuild");
 				MSBuildBin               = Path.Combine (MSBuildPath, "15.0", "bin");
 				MSBuildConfig            = Path.Combine (MSBuildBin, "MSBuild.dll.config");
-				ProjectImportSearchPaths = new [] { MSBuildPath, Path.Combine (mono, "xbuild") };
+				ProjectImportSearchPaths = new [] { MSBuildPath, Path.Combine (mono, "xbuild"), Path.Combine (monoExternal, "xbuild") };
 				SystemProfiles           = Path.Combine (mono, "xbuild-frameworks");
 				XABuildConfig            = Path.Combine (XABuildDirectory, "MSBuild.dll.config");
 				SearchPathsOS            = IsMacOS ? "osx" : "unix";