diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4b504008e28cd..b21ad4482d58a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -21,8 +21,16 @@ if test -d ".git" ; then
 fi
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([RPM_RELEASE='$RPM_RELEASE'])
 
-AC_CHECK_PROGS(SPHINX_BUILD, sphinx-1.0-build sphinx-build, no)
-AM_CONDITIONAL(HAS_SPHINX_BUILD, test x"$SPHINX_BUILD" != "xno")
+AC_ARG_WITH([man-pages],
+    [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-man-pages], [build man pages])],
+    [],
+    [with_man_pages=check])
+AS_IF([test "x$with_man_pages" != "xno"],
+  [AC_CHECK_PROGS(SPHINX_BUILD, sphinx-1.0-build sphinx-build)
+   AS_IF([test -z "$SPHINX_BUILD" && \
+          test "x$with_man_pages" = "xyes"],
+     [AC_MSG_ERROR([sphinx-build not found (python-sphinx)])])])
+AM_CONDITIONAL(WITH_MAN_PAGES, test -n "$SPHINX_BUILD")
 
 AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 
diff --git a/doc/.gitignore b/doc/.gitignore
index 0c7c74746ae94..aca7518a3ee0a 100644
--- a/doc/.gitignore
+++ b/doc/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 /overview.png
 /object_store.png
+/Makefile
diff --git a/man/Makefile.am b/man/Makefile.am
index 2298866efe6be..7d1159edff0c3 100644
--- a/man/Makefile.am
+++ b/man/Makefile.am
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ EXTRA_DIST = conf.py
 
 dist_man_MANS = 
 
-if HAS_SPHINX_BUILD
+if WITH_MAN_PAGES
 if ENABLE_CLIENT
 include Makefile-client.am
 endif