diff --git a/include/villas/utils.h b/include/villas/utils.h
index 942087fbb..ba10966c8 100644
--- a/include/villas/utils.h
+++ b/include/villas/utils.h
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@
 
 #pragma once
 
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <sched.h>
@@ -281,7 +285,6 @@ pid_t spawn(const char *name, char *const argv[]);
 /** Determines the string length as printed on the screen (ignores escable sequences). */
 size_t strlenp(const char *str);
 
-
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
-#endif
\ No newline at end of file
+#endif