diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index f21107e65..12caad495 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -12,13 +12,21 @@ PNGLIB_BASENAME= libpng@PNGLIB_MAJOR@@PNGLIB_MINOR@
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I scripts
 
 # test programs - run on make check, make distcheck
+if ENABLE_PNG_TESTS
 check_PROGRAMS= pngtest pngunknown pngstest pngvalid pngimage pngcp
 if HAVE_CLOCK_GETTIME
 check_PROGRAMS += timepng
 endif
+else
+check_PROGRAMS=
+endif
 
 # Utilities - installed
+if ENABLE_PNG_TOOLS
 bin_PROGRAMS= pngfix png-fix-itxt
+else
+bin_PROGRAMS=
+endif
 
 # This ensures that pnglibconf.h gets built at the start of 'make all' or
 # 'make check', but it does not add dependencies to the individual programs,
@@ -30,6 +38,7 @@ bin_PROGRAMS= pngfix png-fix-itxt
 # always wrong and always very confusing.
 BUILT_SOURCES = pnglibconf.h
 
+if ENABLE_PNG_TESTS
 pngtest_SOURCES = pngtest.c
 pngtest_LDADD = libpng@PNGLIB_MAJOR@@PNGLIB_MINOR@.la
 
@@ -48,16 +57,20 @@ pngimage_LDADD = libpng@PNGLIB_MAJOR@@PNGLIB_MINOR@.la
 timepng_SOURCES = contrib/libtests/timepng.c
 timepng_LDADD = libpng@PNGLIB_MAJOR@@PNGLIB_MINOR@.la
 
+pngcp_SOURCES = contrib/tools/pngcp.c
+pngcp_LDADD = libpng@PNGLIB_MAJOR@@PNGLIB_MINOR@.la
+endif
+
+if ENABLE_PNG_TOOLS
 pngfix_SOURCES = contrib/tools/pngfix.c
 pngfix_LDADD = libpng@PNGLIB_MAJOR@@PNGLIB_MINOR@.la
 
 png_fix_itxt_SOURCES = contrib/tools/png-fix-itxt.c
-
-pngcp_SOURCES = contrib/tools/pngcp.c
-pngcp_LDADD = libpng@PNGLIB_MAJOR@@PNGLIB_MINOR@.la
+endif
 
 # Generally these are single line shell scripts to run a test with a particular
 # set of parameters:
+if ENABLE_PNG_TESTS
 TESTS =\
    tests/pngtest-all\
    tests/pngvalid-gamma-16-to-8 tests/pngvalid-gamma-alpha-mode\
@@ -75,6 +88,7 @@ TESTS =\
    tests/pngunknown-discard tests/pngunknown-if-safe tests/pngunknown-sAPI\
    tests/pngunknown-sTER tests/pngunknown-save tests/pngunknown-vpAg\
    tests/pngimage-quick tests/pngimage-full
+endif
 
 # man pages
 dist_man_MANS= libpng.3 libpngpf.3 png.5
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6f7a6eca2..4d450e569 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -89,6 +89,22 @@ fi
 DFNCPP="$CPP"
 AC_SUBST(DFNCPP)
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([png-tests],
+   AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-png-tests],
+      [enable building of the test programs. This is done by default - use]
+      [--disable-png-tests to change this.]))
+
+AM_CONDITIONAL([ENABLE_PNG_TESTS],
+   [test "$enable_png_tests" != "no"])
+
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([png-tools],
+   AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-png-tools],
+      [enable building of the tool programs. This is done by default - use]
+      [--disable-png-tools to change this.]))
+
+AM_CONDITIONAL([ENABLE_PNG_TOOLS],
+   [test "$enable_png_tools" != "no"])
+
 # -Werror cannot be passed to GCC in CFLAGS because configure will fail
 # (it checks the compiler with a program that generates a warning).
 # Add the following option to deal with this: