diff --git a/package/powerpc-utils/Config.in b/package/powerpc-utils/Config.in
index eded41e7e5..8e02e76459 100644
--- a/package/powerpc-utils/Config.in
+++ b/package/powerpc-utils/Config.in
@@ -6,3 +6,25 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_POWERPC_UTILS
 	  System utilities for PowerPC machines.
 
 	  http://sourceforge.net/projects/powerpc-utils/
+
+if BR2_PACKAGE_POWERPC_UTILS
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_POWERPC_UTILS_RTAS
+	bool "RTAS support"
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_LIBRTAS
+	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_USES_GLIBC
+	default y
+	help
+	  Enable support for functions that require RTAS.
+
+	  This adds a dependency on librtas and provides the following
+	  additional features at the cost of increasing the installed
+	  package size from about 0.5MB to about 2MB:
+	  ppc64_cpu --run-mode, uesensor, set_poweron_time, drmgr,
+	  lsslot, activate_firmware, rtas_ibm_get_vpd, serv_config,
+	  rtas_event_decode, sys_ident.
+
+comment "RTAS support needs an (e)glibc toolchain"
+	depends on !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_USES_GLIBC
+
+endif
diff --git a/package/powerpc-utils/powerpc-utils.mk b/package/powerpc-utils/powerpc-utils.mk
index 3b30458d3b..ae4d6622ec 100644
--- a/package/powerpc-utils/powerpc-utils.mk
+++ b/package/powerpc-utils/powerpc-utils.mk
@@ -10,8 +10,14 @@ POWERPC_UTILS_DEPENDENCIES = zlib
 POWERPC_UTILS_LICENSE = Common Public License Version 1.0
 POWERPC_UTILS_LICENSE_FILES = COPYRIGHT
 
-POWERPC_UTILS_CONF_OPTS = --without-librtas
 POWERPC_UTILS_CONF_ENV = \
 	ax_cv_check_cflags___fstack_protector_all=$(if $(BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_SSP),yes,no)
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_POWERPC_UTILS_RTAS),y)
+POWERPC_UTILS_DEPENDENCIES += librtas
+POWERPC_UTILS_CONF_OPTS = --with-librtas
+else
+POWERPC_UTILS_CONF_OPTS = --without-librtas
+endif
+
 $(eval $(autotools-package))