diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 6d0d3911..4514336a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_AWE_NAME}
     ${AWESOME_REQUIRED_LDFLAGS}
     ${AWESOME_OPTIONAL_LDFLAGS})
 
+# check for lgi and the needed gobject introspection files
+add_custom_target(lgi-check ALL
+    COMMAND ${SOURCE_DIR}/build-utils/lgi-check.sh)
+
 # atoms
 file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${BUILD_DIR}/common)
 add_custom_command(
diff --git a/build-utils/lgi-check.sh b/build-utils/lgi-check.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..340eea92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-utils/lgi-check.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+die()
+{
+	exec >&2
+	echo
+	echo
+	echo "       WARNING"
+	echo "       ======="
+	echo
+	echo " The lgi check failed."
+	echo " The Lua GObject introspection package is just a runtime dependency, so it is not"
+	echo " necessary for building awesome. However, awesome needs it to run."
+	echo " Add AWESOME_IGNORE_LGI=1 to your environment to continue."
+	echo
+	echo
+	if [ "x$AWESOME_IGNORE_LGI" = "x1" ]
+	then
+		exit 0
+	fi
+	exit 1
+}
+
+# Check if we have lgi
+lua -e 'require("lgi")' || die
+
+# Check the version number
+lua -e 'if tonumber(string.match(require("lgi.version"), "(%d%.%d)")) <= 0.5 then error("lgi too old, need at least version 0.6.1") end' || die
+
+# Check for the needed gi files
+lua -e 'l = require("lgi") assert(l.cairo, l.Pango, l.PangoCairo)' || die