diff --git a/Config.in.legacy b/Config.in.legacy
index 09e12878da..ef81da3b13 100644
--- a/Config.in.legacy
+++ b/Config.in.legacy
@@ -119,6 +119,14 @@ config BR2_sh3eb
 	  Due to an inexistent user base and generally poor Linux
 	  support, the support for the SH3eb architecture was removed.
 
+config BR2_PACKAGE_AUTOCONF
+	bool "autoconf target package has been removed"
+	select BR2_LEGACY
+	help
+	  The 'autoconf' target package has been removed since it has been
+	  deprecated for more than four buildroot releases.
+	  Note: the host autoconf still exists.
+
 config BR2_PACKAGE_XSTROKE
 	bool "xstroke has been removed"
 	select BR2_LEGACY
diff --git a/package/Config.in b/package/Config.in
index 5c558d5713..d3896e4bdb 100644
--- a/package/Config.in
+++ b/package/Config.in
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@ source "package/whetstone/Config.in"
 endmenu
 
 menu "Development tools"
-source "package/autoconf/Config.in"
 source "package/automake/Config.in"
 source "package/binutils/Config.in"
 source "package/bison/Config.in"
diff --git a/package/autoconf/Config.in b/package/autoconf/Config.in
deleted file mode 100644
index 27f24e4b04..0000000000
--- a/package/autoconf/Config.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-config BR2_PACKAGE_AUTOCONF
-	bool "autoconf"
-	# We no longer support a toolchain on the target
-	depends on BR2_DEPRECATED_SINCE_2012_11
-	select BR2_PACKAGE_PERL
-	help
-	  Extensible program for developing configure scripts.  These
-	  scripts handle all the mundane system/feature detection.
-
-	  http://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/
diff --git a/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk b/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk
index e70aa391eb..027f7acbc3 100644
--- a/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk
+++ b/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk
@@ -11,17 +11,11 @@ AUTOCONF_SITE = $(BR2_GNU_MIRROR)/autoconf
 AUTOCONF_LICENSE = GPLv3+ with exceptions
 AUTOCONF_LICENSE_FILES = COPYINGv3 COPYING.EXCEPTION
 
-AUTOCONF_CONF_ENV = EMACS="no" ac_cv_path_M4=$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/m4 \
-		    ac_cv_prog_gnu_m4_gnu=no
-
-AUTOCONF_DEPENDENCIES = host-m4 perl
-
 HOST_AUTOCONF_CONF_ENV = EMACS="no" ac_cv_path_M4=$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/m4 \
 			ac_cv_prog_gnu_m4_gnu=no
 
 HOST_AUTOCONF_DEPENDENCIES = host-m4 host-libtool
 
-$(eval $(autotools-package))
 $(eval $(host-autotools-package))
 
 # variables used by other packages