diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index b370e0d..5032255 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -22,6 +22,24 @@ AC_PROG_RANLIB
 dnl checks for header files
 AC_HEADER_STDC
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(werror,
+	[AS_HELP_STRING(
+		[--enable-werror],
+		[Turn all compiler warnings into errors, with exceptions:
+		 a) deprecation (allow upstream to mark deprecation without breaking builds);
+		 b) "#warning" pragmas (allow to remind ourselves of errors without breaking builds)
+		]
+	)],
+	[werror=$enableval], [werror="no"])
+if test x"$werror" = x"yes"
+then
+	WERROR_FLAGS="-Werror"
+	WERROR_FLAGS+=" -Wno-error=deprecated -Wno-error=deprecated-declarations"
+	WERROR_FLAGS+=" -Wno-error=cpp" # "#warning"
+	CFLAGS="$CFLAGS $WERROR_FLAGS"
+	CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS $WERROR_FLAGS"
+fi
+
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([external_tests],
 		AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-external-tests],
 				[Include the VTY tests in make check [default=no]]),