diff --git a/package/Config.in b/package/Config.in
index 5c30d27b7a..d7e79f4795 100644
--- a/package/Config.in
+++ b/package/Config.in
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ menu "Compressors and decompressors"
 	source "package/bzip2/Config.in"
 	source "package/gzip/Config.in"
 	source "package/lrzip/Config.in"
-	source "package/lz4/Config.in"
 	source "package/lzip/Config.in"
 	source "package/lzop/Config.in"
 	source "package/p7zip/Config.in"
@@ -1296,6 +1295,7 @@ menu "Compression and decompression"
 	source "package/libmspack/Config.in"
 	source "package/libsquish/Config.in"
 	source "package/libzip/Config.in"
+	source "package/lz4/Config.in"
 	source "package/lzo/Config.in"
 	source "package/minizip/Config.in"
 	source "package/snappy/Config.in"
diff --git a/package/lz4/Config.in b/package/lz4/Config.in
index 9f12299ceb..dbe3f2e243 100644
--- a/package/lz4/Config.in
+++ b/package/lz4/Config.in
@@ -8,3 +8,13 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_LZ4
 	  speed limits on multi-core systems.
 
 	  http://www.lz4.org/
+
+if BR2_PACKAGE_LZ4
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_LZ4_PROGS
+	bool "install programs"
+	default y
+	help
+	  lz4, lz4c, unlz4 and lz4cat binaries
+
+endif
diff --git a/package/lz4/lz4.mk b/package/lz4/lz4.mk
index 1d32666ccc..1cdd39106c 100644
--- a/package/lz4/lz4.mk
+++ b/package/lz4/lz4.mk
@@ -32,21 +32,29 @@ define HOST_LZ4_INSTALL_CMDS
 		install -C $(@D)
 endef
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_LZ4_PROGS),y)
+LZ4_BUILD_TARGETS = lib lz4
+LZ4_INSTALL_OPTS = install -C $(@D)
+else
+LZ4_BUILD_TARGETS = lib
+LZ4_INSTALL_OPTS = install -C $(@D)/lib
+endif
+
 define LZ4_BUILD_CMDS
-	$(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(TARGET_CONFIGURE_OPTS) $(MAKE) $(LZ4_MAKE_OPTS) \
-		-C $(@D) lib
-	$(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(TARGET_CONFIGURE_OPTS) $(MAKE) $(LZ4_MAKE_OPTS) \
-		-C $(@D) lz4
+	$(foreach target,$(LZ4_BUILD_TARGETS),\
+		$(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(TARGET_CONFIGURE_OPTS) $(MAKE) $(LZ4_MAKE_OPTS) \
+			-C $(@D) $(target)
+	)
 endef
 
 define LZ4_INSTALL_STAGING_CMDS
 	$(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(TARGET_CONFIGURE_OPTS) $(MAKE) DESTDIR=$(STAGING_DIR) \
-		PREFIX=/usr $(LZ4_MAKE_OPTS) install -C $(@D)
+		PREFIX=/usr $(LZ4_MAKE_OPTS) $(LZ4_INSTALL_OPTS)
 endef
 
 define LZ4_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS
 	$(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(TARGET_CONFIGURE_OPTS) $(MAKE) DESTDIR=$(TARGET_DIR) \
-		PREFIX=/usr $(LZ4_MAKE_OPTS) install -C $(@D)
+		PREFIX=/usr $(LZ4_MAKE_OPTS) $(LZ4_INSTALL_OPTS)
 endef
 
 $(eval $(generic-package))