--- a/src/menuWidgets.js
+++ b/src/menuWidgets.js
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ 
 import Atk from 'gi://Atk';
 import Clutter from 'gi://Clutter';
 import Gio from 'gi://Gio';
 import GLib from 'gi://GLib';
-import GMenu from 'gi://GMenu';
+
+import GIRepository from 'gi://GIRepository';
+GIRepository.Repository.dup_default().prepend_search_path('@gmenu_path@');
+const {default: GMenu} = await import('gi://GMenu');
+
 import GObject from 'gi://GObject';
 import Graphene from 'gi://Graphene';
 import Pango from 'gi://Pango';
--- a/src/menulayouts/baseMenuLayout.js
+++ b/src/menulayouts/baseMenuLayout.js
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
 import Clutter from 'gi://Clutter';
 import Gio from 'gi://Gio';
 import GLib from 'gi://GLib';
-import GMenu from 'gi://GMenu';
+
+import GIRepository from 'gi://GIRepository';
+GIRepository.Repository.dup_default().prepend_search_path('@gmenu_path@');
+const {default: GMenu} = await import('gi://GMenu');
+
 import GObject from 'gi://GObject';
 import Shell from 'gi://Shell';
 import St from 'gi://St';