diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9ae58b06ff..aec47d6078 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ class Configure
 
     # Library configuration
     @rb_readline = false
+    @vendor_zlib = true
 
     # Essential settings (modify these for creating releases)
     @libversion = "2.0"
@@ -314,6 +315,7 @@ class Configure
     feature "execinfo", default_on
     feature "C-readline", true
     feature "ruby-readline", false
+    feature "vendor-zlib", true
 
     o.doc "\n Help!"
 
@@ -852,6 +854,8 @@ int main() { return tgetnum(""); }
     if @features["ruby-readline"] or !@defines.include?("HAS_READLINE")
       @rb_readline = true
     end
+
+    @vendor_zlib = false unless @features["vendor-zlib"]
   end
 
   def process
@@ -963,6 +967,7 @@ module Rubinius
     :bsd            => #{@bsd},
     :linux          => #{@linux},
     :version_list   => #{@version_list.inspect},
+    :vendor_zlib    => #{@vendor_zlib},
   }
 end
       EOC
@@ -998,6 +1003,12 @@ end
 #define RBX_LLVM_API_VER  #{@llvm_api_version}
       EOC
 
+      if @vendor_zlib
+        f.puts %[#define RBX_ZLIB_PATH     "#{@lib_path}/zlib/"]
+      else
+        f.puts %[#define RBX_ZLIB_PATH     ""]
+      end
+
       @supported_versions.each do |ver|
         f.puts "#define RBX_DEFAULT_#{ver}    #{ver == @default_version}"
       end
@@ -1044,8 +1055,15 @@ end
 #define RBX_RELEASE_DATE  "#{@release_date}"
 #define RBX_SIZEOF_LONG   #{@sizeof_long}
 #define RBX_LLVM_API_VER  #{@llvm_api_version}
+
       EOC
 
+      if @vendor_zlib
+        f.puts %[#define RBX_ZLIB_PATH     "#{@lib_path}/zlib/"]
+      else
+        f.puts %[#define RBX_ZLIB_PATH     ""]
+      end
+
       if @little_endian
         f.puts "#define RBX_LITTLE_ENDIAN 1"
       end
diff --git a/lib/zlib.rb.ffi b/lib/zlib.rb.ffi
index d65ee7c296..254ed12f66 100644
--- a/lib/zlib.rb.ffi
+++ b/lib/zlib.rb.ffi
@@ -521,8 +521,9 @@ module Zlib
 
   extend FFI::Library
 
-  path = File.expand_path("../zlib", __FILE__)
-  ffi_lib ["#{path}/libz.so.1", "#{path}/libz.1.dylib", "#{path}/libz"]
+  ffi_lib %W[ #{Rubinius::ZLIB_PATH}libz.so.1
+              #{Rubinius::ZLIB_PATH}libz.1.dylib
+              #{Rubinius::ZLIB_PATH}libz ]
 
   # deflateInit2 is a macro pointing to deflateInit2_
   attach_function :deflateInit2_, [
diff --git a/rakelib/blueprint.rb b/rakelib/blueprint.rb
index 983af6e4bb..f1d00dd8b7 100644
--- a/rakelib/blueprint.rb
+++ b/rakelib/blueprint.rb
@@ -168,23 +168,25 @@
     end
   end
 
-  zlib = i.external_lib "vm/external_libs/zlib" do |l|
-    l.cflags = ["-Ivm/external_libs/zlib"]
-    l.objects = []
-    l.to_build do |x|
-      unless File.exists?("Makefile") and File.exists?("zconf.h")
-        x.command "sh -c ./configure"
-      end
+  if Rubinius::BUILD_CONFIG[:vendor_zlib]
+    zlib = i.external_lib "vm/external_libs/zlib" do |l|
+      l.cflags = ["-Ivm/external_libs/zlib"]
+      l.objects = []
+      l.to_build do |x|
+        unless File.exists?("Makefile") and File.exists?("zconf.h")
+          x.command "sh -c ./configure"
+        end
 
-      if Rubinius::BUILD_CONFIG[:windows]
-        x.command "make -f win32/Makefile.gcc"
-      else
-        x.command make
+        if Rubinius::BUILD_CONFIG[:windows]
+          x.command "make -f win32/Makefile.gcc"
+        else
+          x.command make
+        end
       end
     end
   end
 
-  gcc.add_library zlib
+  gcc.add_library zlib if Rubinius::BUILD_CONFIG[:vendor_zlib]
   gcc.add_library udis
   gcc.add_library ffi
   gcc.add_library gdtoa
@@ -208,7 +210,7 @@
     files << winp
   end
 
-  files << zlib
+  files << zlib if Rubinius::BUILD_CONFIG[:vendor_zlib]
   files << udis
   files << ffi
   files << gdtoa
diff --git a/rakelib/install.rake b/rakelib/install.rake
index d5f5e1fed1..d3eb277224 100644
--- a/rakelib/install.rake
+++ b/rakelib/install.rake
@@ -127,9 +127,11 @@ namespace :install do
         install_file name, /^lib/, BUILD_CONFIG[:lib_path]
       end
 
-      # Install the zlib library files
-      FileList["lib/zlib/*"].each do |name|
-        install_file name, /^lib/, BUILD_CONFIG[:lib_path]
+      if Rubinius::BUILD_CONFIG[:vendor_zlib]
+        # Install the zlib library files
+        FileList["lib/zlib/*"].each do |name|
+          install_file name, /^lib/, BUILD_CONFIG[:lib_path]
+        end
       end
 
       # Install the documentation site
diff --git a/rakelib/vm.rake b/rakelib/vm.rake
index d4dc981dde..4075fdd108 100644
--- a/rakelib/vm.rake
+++ b/rakelib/vm.rake
@@ -150,12 +150,16 @@ namespace :build do
 
   end
 
-  directory 'lib/zlib'
+  if Rubinius::BUILD_CONFIG[:vendor_zlib]
+    directory 'lib/zlib'
 
-  task :zlib => ['lib/zlib', VM_EXE] do
-    FileList["vm/external_libs/zlib/libz.*"].each do |lib|
-      cp lib, 'lib/zlib/'
+    task :zlib => ['lib/zlib', VM_EXE] do
+      FileList["vm/external_libs/zlib/libz.*"].each do |lib|
+        cp lib, 'lib/zlib/'
+      end
     end
+  else
+    task :zlib
   end
 end
 
@@ -311,7 +315,8 @@ namespace :vm do
       'vm/test/runner.o',
       VM_EXE,
       'vm/.deps',
-      'lib/zlib/*'
+      'lib/zlib/*',
+      'lib/zlib'
     ].exclude("vm/gen/config.h")
 
     files.each do |filename|
diff --git a/vm/ontology.cpp b/vm/ontology.cpp
index de9d9398a5..0cf9cf60fa 100644
--- a/vm/ontology.cpp
+++ b/vm/ontology.cpp
@@ -390,6 +390,7 @@ namespace rubinius {
     G(rubinius)->set_const(state, "GEMS_PATH", String::create(state, RBX_GEMS_PATH));
     G(rubinius)->set_const(state, "SITE_PATH", String::create(state, RBX_SITE_PATH));
     G(rubinius)->set_const(state, "VENDOR_PATH", String::create(state, RBX_VENDOR_PATH));
+    G(rubinius)->set_const(state, "ZLIB_PATH", String::create(state, RBX_ZLIB_PATH));
 
     G(rubinius)->set_const(state, "VERSION", String::create(state, RBX_VERSION));
     G(rubinius)->set_const(state, "LIB_VERSION", String::create(state, RBX_LIB_VERSION));