diff --git a/README b/README
index 2cad44d5b246e4028b49eaf7eb56ff8569b4105f..cb088167419dc4af3d3d66c621c79e0d3c32126b 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -2563,6 +2563,11 @@ The following definitions that deal with the placement and management
 of environment data (variable area); in general, we support the
 following configurations:
 
+- CONFIG_BUILD_ENVCRC:
+
+	Builds up envcrc with the target environment so that external utils
+	may easily extract it and embed it in final U-Boot images.
+
 - CONFIG_ENV_IS_IN_FLASH:
 
 	Define this if the environment is in flash memory.
diff --git a/common/env_embedded.c b/common/env_embedded.c
index ae6cac4390d8ad60f3551b0a5173d67fce14c5e4..e438575d448ba26bdf966a73690edce7025cc4be 100644
--- a/common/env_embedded.c
+++ b/common/env_embedded.c
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
  * Generate embedded environment table
  * inside U-Boot image, if needed.
  */
-#if defined(ENV_IS_EMBEDDED)
+#if defined(ENV_IS_EMBEDDED) || defined(CONFIG_BUILD_ENVCRC)
 /*
  * Only put the environment in it's own section when we are building
  * U-Boot proper.  The host based program "tools/envcrc" does not need
diff --git a/include/common.h b/include/common.h
index 2c779ed83d1ac53f42603bfd6304d2a22d57ce79..3113580bf88e0d26ec334dfd839600305ee21004 100644
--- a/include/common.h
+++ b/include/common.h
@@ -761,4 +761,9 @@ int cpu_release(int nr, int argc, char * const argv[]);
 #define ALIGN(x,a)		__ALIGN_MASK((x),(typeof(x))(a)-1)
 #define __ALIGN_MASK(x,mask)	(((x)+(mask))&~(mask))
 
+/* Pull in stuff for the build system */
+#ifdef DO_DEPS_ONLY
+# include <environment.h>
+#endif
+
 #endif	/* __COMMON_H_ */
diff --git a/tools/envcrc.c b/tools/envcrc.c
index c8c50d71962456e21724f68c733e2e863ff41fb9..feebbabea0be822abe514340404a1fca9da9d468 100644
--- a/tools/envcrc.c
+++ b/tools/envcrc.c
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@
 # endif
 #endif	/* CONFIG_ENV_IS_IN_FLASH */
 
+#if defined(ENV_IS_EMBEDDED) && !defined(CONFIG_BUILD_ENVCRC)
+# define CONFIG_BUILD_ENVCRC 1
+#endif
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_SYS_REDUNDAND_ENVIRONMENT
 # define ENV_HEADER_SIZE	(sizeof(uint32_t) + 1)
 #else
@@ -71,14 +75,14 @@
 
 extern uint32_t crc32 (uint32_t, const unsigned char *, unsigned int);
 
-#ifdef	ENV_IS_EMBEDDED
+#ifdef CONFIG_BUILD_ENVCRC
 extern unsigned int env_size;
 extern unsigned char environment;
-#endif	/* ENV_IS_EMBEDDED */
+#endif	/* CONFIG_BUILD_ENVCRC */
 
 int main (int argc, char **argv)
 {
-#ifdef	ENV_IS_EMBEDDED
+#ifdef CONFIG_BUILD_ENVCRC
 	unsigned char pad = 0x00;
 	uint32_t crc;
 	unsigned char *envptr = &environment,