diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e0dc5246..a75ffd5b 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -401,6 +401,17 @@ AC_ARG_WITH([flint],
 AS_IF([test "x$with_flint" != xno],
 	[flag=:
 	AS_IF([$flag], [AC_CHECK_HEADER([flint/flint.h], [], [flag=false])])
+	AS_IF([$flag],
+		[AC_MSG_CHECKING([for a suitable FLINT version])
+		AC_PREPROC_IFELSE([AC_LANG_SOURCE([[#include <flint/flint.h>
+#if __FLINT_RELEASE < 30200
+#error "FLINT version must be >= 3.2.0: https://github.com/form-dev/form/issues/679"
+#endif]])],
+			[AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])],
+			[AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+			AC_MSG_NOTICE([FLINT version 3.2.0 or higher is required])
+			flag=false]
+		)])
 	AS_IF([$flag],
 		[# Check how to link against the math library.
 		AC_SEARCH_LIBS([pow], [m])
diff --git a/sources/declare.h b/sources/declare.h
index 85e186f3..c3251054 100644
--- a/sources/declare.h
+++ b/sources/declare.h
@@ -1625,7 +1625,7 @@ extern WORD* flint_mul(PHEAD WORD *, WORD *);
 extern WORD* flint_ratfun_add(PHEAD WORD *, WORD *);
 extern int   flint_ratfun_normalize(PHEAD WORD *);
 extern WORD* flint_rem(PHEAD WORD *, WORD *, const WORD);
-extern void  flint_startup_init(void);
+extern void  flint_check_version(void);
 #endif
 
 extern void optimize_print_code (int);
diff --git a/sources/flintinterface.cc b/sources/flintinterface.cc
index ea9a168f..0c4fa78c 100644
--- a/sources/flintinterface.cc
+++ b/sources/flintinterface.cc
@@ -1720,36 +1720,6 @@ void flint::ratfun_read_poly(const WORD *a, fmpz_poly_t num, fmpz_poly_t den) {
 }
 /*
 	#] flint::ratfun_read_poly :
-
-	#[ flint::startup_init :
-*/
-// The purpose of this function is it work around threading issues in flint, reported in
-// https://github.com/flintlib/flint/issues/1652 and fixed in
-// https://github.com/flintlib/flint/pull/1658 . This implies versions prior to 3.1.0,
-// but at least 3.0.0 (when gr was introduced).
-void flint::startup_init(void) {
-
-#if __FLINT_RELEASE >= 30000
-	// Here we initialize some gr contexts so that their method tables are populated. Crashes have
-	// otherwise been observed due to these two contexts in particular.
-	fmpz_t dummy_fmpz;
-	fmpz_init(dummy_fmpz);
-	fmpz_set_si(dummy_fmpz, 19);
-
-	gr_ctx_t dummy_gr_ctx_fmpz_mod;
-	gr_ctx_init_fmpz_mod(dummy_gr_ctx_fmpz_mod, dummy_fmpz);
-	gr_ctx_clear(dummy_gr_ctx_fmpz_mod);
-
-	gr_ctx_t dummy_gr_ctx_nmod;
-	gr_ctx_init_nmod(dummy_gr_ctx_nmod, 19);
-	gr_ctx_clear(dummy_gr_ctx_nmod);
-
-	fmpz_clear(dummy_fmpz);
-#endif
-}
-/*
-	#] flint::startup_init :
-
 	#[ flint::to_argument_mpoly :
 */
 // Convert a fmpz_mpoly_t to a FORM argument (or 0-terminated list of terms: with_arghead==false).
diff --git a/sources/flintinterface.h b/sources/flintinterface.h
index 0d10e0b8..203c15dd 100644
--- a/sources/flintinterface.h
+++ b/sources/flintinterface.h
@@ -141,8 +141,6 @@ namespace flint {
 		fmpz_mpoly_ctx_t);
 	void ratfun_read_poly(const WORD *, fmpz_poly_t, fmpz_poly_t);
 
-	void startup_init(void);
-
 	uint64_t to_argument_mpoly(PHEAD WORD *, const bool, const bool, const bool, const uint64_t,
 		const fmpz_mpoly_t, const var_map_t &, const fmpz_mpoly_ctx_t);
 	uint64_t to_argument_mpoly(PHEAD WORD *, const bool, const bool, const bool, const uint64_t,
diff --git a/sources/flintwrap.cc b/sources/flintwrap.cc
index 35ba30a1..7a9b34a8 100644
--- a/sources/flintwrap.cc
+++ b/sources/flintwrap.cc
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #include "form3.h"
 }
 
+#include <sstream>
 #include "flintinterface.h"
 
 
@@ -282,11 +283,38 @@ WORD* flint_rem(PHEAD WORD *a, WORD *b, const WORD must_fit_term) {
 }
 /*
 	#] flint_rem :
-	#[ flint_startup_init :
+	#[ flint_check_version :
 */
-void flint_startup_init(void) {
-	flint::startup_init();
+
+/**
+ * Checks the FLINT library version at runtime.
+ *
+ * This function should be called at startup.
+ * The program will terminate if a known buggy version of FLINT is detected.
+ */
+void flint_check_version(void) {
+	bool ok = true;
+	std::stringstream ss(flint_version);
+	int major, minor, patch;
+	char dot1, dot2;
+	if ( ss >> major >> dot1 >> minor >> dot2 >> patch ) {
+		if ( dot1 != '.' || dot2 != '.' || major < 0 || minor < 0 || patch < 0 ) {
+			ok = false;
+		}
+		else if ( major * 10000 + minor * 100 + patch < 30200 ) {
+			// flint < 3.2.0: https://github.com/form-dev/form/issues/679
+			ok = false;
+		}
+	}
+	else {
+		ok = false;
+	}
+	if ( !ok ) {
+		MesPrint("Bad FLINT version detected at runtime: %s",flint_version);
+		Terminate(-2);
+	}
 }
+
 /*
-	#] flint_startup_init :
+	#] flint_check_version :
 */
diff --git a/sources/setfile.c b/sources/setfile.c
index de2bea8e..6f75b3df 100644
--- a/sources/setfile.c
+++ b/sources/setfile.c
@@ -776,18 +776,6 @@ int AllocSetups(void)
 		AM.TempDir = strDup1((UBYTE *)(sp->value),"tempdir");
 	}
 */
-
-/*
-	As part of the setup, we possibly need to work around a flint multi-threading
-	bug which was fixed in version 3.1.0. This function should be called by the
-	master only, before the worker threads start processing terms.
-*/
-#ifdef WITHFLINT
-#if __FLINT_RELEASE < 30100
-	flint_startup_init();
-#endif
-#endif
-
 	return(error);
 }
 
diff --git a/sources/startup.c b/sources/startup.c
index 788e9c63..d6cdb62d 100644
--- a/sources/startup.c
+++ b/sources/startup.c
@@ -1739,6 +1739,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	Globalize(1);
 #ifdef WITH_ALARM
 	if ( AM.TimeLimit > 0 ) alarm(AM.TimeLimit);
+#endif
+#ifdef WITHFLINT
+	flint_check_version();
 #endif
 	TimeCPU(0);
 	TimeChildren(0);