diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index c78ad001..6b38cba2 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -231,11 +231,12 @@ endif
 SUFFIXES += .1.txt .1.xml
 SUFFIXES += .5.txt .5.xml
 if HAVE_ASCIIDOC
+if HAVE_PYTHON
 optsdocgen.txt:
-	$(top_srcdir)/build-utils/extractoptsdoc.py \
+	$(PYTHON) $(top_srcdir)/build-utils/extractoptsdoc.py \
 	    $(top_srcdir)/common/configopts.c > optsdocgen.txt
 uicbdocgen.txt:
-	$(top_srcdir)/build-utils/extractuicbdoc.py \
+	$(PYTHON) $(top_srcdir)/build-utils/extractuicbdoc.py \
 	    $(top_srcdir)/*.c > uicbdocgen.txt
 .1.txt.1.xml:
 	$(ASCIIDOC) -d manpage -b docbook -o $@ $<
@@ -243,6 +244,7 @@ awesomerc.5.xml: optsdocgen.txt uicbdocgen.txt
 .5.txt.5.xml:
 	$(ASCIIDOC) -d manpage -b docbook -o $@ $<
 endif
+endif
 
 
 # Check that package version matches git version before creating dist tarballs
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 0a45e850..2eb99f64 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -44,14 +44,17 @@ AC_ARG_VAR([DOXYGEN], [doxygen source documentation system])
 
 test "x$ASCIIDOC" = "x"  && AC_PATH_PROG([ASCIIDOC], [asciidoc], [:])
 test "x$XMLTO"    = "x"  && AC_PATH_PROG([XMLTO], [xmlto], [:])
+test "x$DOXYGEN"  = "x"  && AC_PATH_PROG([PYTHON], [python], [:])
 test "x$DOXYGEN"  = "x"  && AC_PATH_PROG([DOXYGEN], [doxygen], [:])
 
 test "x$ASCIIDOC" = "x:" && AC_MSG_WARN([awesome man page generation requires asciidoc])
 test "x$XMLTO"    = "x:" && AC_MSG_WARN([awesome man page generation requires xmlto])
+test "x$PYTHON"   = "x:" && AC_MSG_WARN([awesome man page generation requires python])
 test "x$DOXYGEN"  = "x:" && AC_MSG_WARN([awesome developer doc generation requires doxygen])
 
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_ASCIIDOC], [test "x$ASCIIDOC" != "x:"])
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_XMLTO],    [test "x$XMLTO"    != "x:"])
+AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_PYTHON],   [test "x$PYTHON"   != "x:"])
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_DOXYGEN],  [test "x$DOXYGEN"  != "x:"])
 
 xmlto_man_works=no