diff --git a/config/Tools.mk.in b/config/Tools.mk.in
index 189fda1596..2c219f5477 100644
--- a/config/Tools.mk.in
+++ b/config/Tools.mk.in
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ CONFIG_QEMU_TRAD    := @qemu_traditional@
 CONFIG_QEMU_XEN     := @qemu_xen@
 CONFIG_QEMUU_EXTRA_ARGS:= @EXTRA_QEMUU_CONFIGURE_ARGS@
 CONFIG_LIBNL        := @libnl@
+CONFIG_GOLANG_TOOLS := @golang_tools@
 
 CONFIG_SYSTEMD      := @systemd@
 SYSTEMD_CFLAGS      := @SYSTEMD_CFLAGS@
diff --git a/m4/golang.m4 b/m4/golang.m4
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0b4bd54ce0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/m4/golang.m4
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+AC_DEFUN([AC_PROG_GO], [
+    dnl Check for the go compiler
+    AC_CHECK_TOOL([GO],[go],[no])
+])
diff --git a/tools/Makefile b/tools/Makefile
index c10946e3b1..81be8db757 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile
+++ b/tools/Makefile
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ endif
 
 SUBDIRS-y += xenpmd
 SUBDIRS-y += libxl
-SUBDIRS-$(CONFIG_GOLANG) += golang
+SUBDIRS-$(CONFIG_GOLANG_TOOLS) += golang
 SUBDIRS-y += xl
 SUBDIRS-y += helpers
 SUBDIRS-$(CONFIG_X86) += xenpaging
diff --git a/tools/Rules.mk b/tools/Rules.mk
index 9bac15c8d1..5b8cf748ad 100644
--- a/tools/Rules.mk
+++ b/tools/Rules.mk
@@ -35,8 +35,6 @@ XENSTORE_XENSTORED ?= y
 debug ?= y
 debug_symbols ?= $(debug)
 
-# Set CONFIG_GOLANG=y in .config (or in make) to build golang
-CONFIG_GOLANG ?= n
 XEN_GOPATH        = $(XEN_ROOT)/tools/golang
 XEN_GOCODE_URL    = golang.xenproject.org
 
diff --git a/tools/configure b/tools/configure
index 4fa5f7b937..a4199573fd 100755
--- a/tools/configure
+++ b/tools/configure
@@ -664,6 +664,7 @@ pyconfig
 PYTHONPATH
 CHECKPOLICY
 XENSTORED
+GO
 OCAMLFIND
 OCAMLBUILD
 OCAMLDOC
@@ -705,6 +706,7 @@ LD86
 AS86
 qemu_traditional
 LINUX_BACKEND_MODULES
+golang_tools
 seabios
 ovmf
 xsmpolicy
@@ -807,6 +809,7 @@ enable_ocamltools
 enable_xsmpolicy
 enable_ovmf
 enable_seabios
+enable_golang_tools
 with_linux_backend_modules
 enable_qemu_traditional
 enable_rombios
@@ -1493,6 +1496,7 @@ Optional Features:
   --disable-xsmpolicy     Disable XSM policy compilation (default is ENABLED)
   --enable-ovmf           Enable OVMF (default is DISABLED)
   --disable-seabios       Disable SeaBIOS (default is ENABLED)
+  --disable-golang_tools  Disable Go tools (default is ENABLED)
   --enable-qemu-traditional
                           Enable qemu traditional device model, (DEFAULT is on
                           for Linux or NetBSD x86, otherwise off)
@@ -3870,6 +3874,8 @@ esac
 
 
 
+
+
 
 
 
@@ -4200,6 +4206,29 @@ seabios=$ax_cv_seabios
 
 
 
+# Check whether --enable-golang_tools was given.
+if test "${enable_golang_tools+set}" = set; then :
+  enableval=$enable_golang_tools;
+fi
+
+
+if test "x$enable_golang_tools" = "xno"; then :
+
+    ax_cv_golang_tools="n"
+
+elif test "x$enable_golang_tools" = "xyes"; then :
+
+    ax_cv_golang_tools="y"
+
+elif test -z $ax_cv_golang_tools; then :
+
+    ax_cv_golang_tools="y"
+
+fi
+golang_tools=$ax_cv_golang_tools
+
+
+
 
 # Check whether --with-linux-backend-modules was given.
 if test "${with_linux_backend_modules+set}" = set; then :
@@ -6694,6 +6723,115 @@ fi
 
 fi
 
+if test "x$golang_tools" = "xy"; then :
+
+
+        if test -n "$ac_tool_prefix"; then
+  # Extract the first word of "${ac_tool_prefix}go", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy ${ac_tool_prefix}go; ac_word=$2
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
+if ${ac_cv_prog_GO+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+  if test -n "$GO"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_GO="$GO" # Let the user override the test.
+else
+as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
+    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
+    ac_cv_prog_GO="${ac_tool_prefix}go"
+    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+  done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+fi
+fi
+GO=$ac_cv_prog_GO
+if test -n "$GO"; then
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $GO" >&5
+$as_echo "$GO" >&6; }
+else
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+$as_echo "no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+
+fi
+if test -z "$ac_cv_prog_GO"; then
+  ac_ct_GO=$GO
+  # Extract the first word of "go", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy go; ac_word=$2
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
+if ${ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_GO+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+  if test -n "$ac_ct_GO"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_GO="$ac_ct_GO" # Let the user override the test.
+else
+as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
+    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
+    ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_GO="go"
+    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+  done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+fi
+fi
+ac_ct_GO=$ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_GO
+if test -n "$ac_ct_GO"; then
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ac_ct_GO" >&5
+$as_echo "$ac_ct_GO" >&6; }
+else
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+$as_echo "no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+  if test "x$ac_ct_GO" = x; then
+    GO="no"
+  else
+    case $cross_compiling:$ac_tool_warned in
+yes:)
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: WARNING: using cross tools not prefixed with host triplet" >&5
+$as_echo "$as_me: WARNING: using cross tools not prefixed with host triplet" >&2;}
+ac_tool_warned=yes ;;
+esac
+    GO=$ac_ct_GO
+  fi
+else
+  GO="$ac_cv_prog_GO"
+fi
+
+
+    if test "x$GO" = "xno"; then :
+
+        if test "x$enable_golang_tools" =  "xyes"; then :
+
+            as_fn_error $? "Go tools enabled, but missing go compiler" "$LINENO" 5
+
+fi
+        golang_tools="n"
+
+fi
+
+fi
+
 
 
 
diff --git a/tools/configure.ac b/tools/configure.ac
index ea0272766f..69e0894638 100644
--- a/tools/configure.ac
+++ b/tools/configure.ac
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ m4_include([../m4/fetcher.m4])
 m4_include([../m4/ax_compare_version.m4])
 m4_include([../m4/paths.m4])
 m4_include([../m4/systemd.m4])
+m4_include([../m4/golang.m4])
 
 AX_XEN_EXPAND_CONFIG()
 
@@ -84,6 +85,7 @@ AX_ARG_DEFAULT_ENABLE([ocamltools], [Disable Ocaml tools])
 AX_ARG_DEFAULT_ENABLE([xsmpolicy], [Disable XSM policy compilation])
 AX_ARG_DEFAULT_DISABLE([ovmf], [Enable OVMF])
 AX_ARG_DEFAULT_ENABLE([seabios], [Disable SeaBIOS])
+AX_ARG_DEFAULT_ENABLE([golang_tools], [Disable Go tools])
 
 AC_ARG_WITH([linux-backend-modules],
     AS_HELP_STRING([--with-linux-backend-modules="mod1 mod2"],
@@ -320,6 +322,16 @@ AS_IF([test "x$ocamltools" = "xy"], [
     ])
 ])
 
+AS_IF([test "x$golang_tools" = "xy"], [
+    AC_PROG_GO
+    AS_IF([test "x$GO" = "xno"], [
+        AS_IF([test "x$enable_golang_tools" =  "xyes"], [
+            AC_MSG_ERROR([Go tools enabled, but missing go compiler])
+        ])
+        golang_tools="n"
+    ])
+])
+
 m4_include([../m4/xenstored.m4])
 AX_XENSTORE_OPTIONS
 AX_XENSTORE_SET
