diff --git a/configure b/configure
index fcec657de7a..787fcf89100 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -6848,6 +6848,16 @@ case ,${enable_languages}, in
     ;;
 esac
 
+# If gcc/ is not in the source tree then we'll not be building a
+# target compiler, assume in that case we don't want to build any
+# target libraries or tools.
+#
+# This was added primarily for the benefit for binutils-gdb who reuse
+# this configure script, but don't always have target tools available.
+if test ! -d ${srcdir}/gcc; then
+   skipdirs="${skipdirs} ${target_configdirs}"
+fi
+
 # Remove the entries in $skipdirs and $noconfigdirs from $configdirs,
 # $build_configdirs and $target_configdirs.
 # If we have the source for $noconfigdirs entries, add them to $notsupp.
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 1b1aa80f7c7..2b10e9a1b02 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2233,6 +2233,16 @@ case ,${enable_languages}, in
     ;;
 esac
 
+# If gcc/ is not in the source tree then we'll not be building a
+# target compiler, assume in that case we don't want to build any
+# target libraries or tools.
+#
+# This was added primarily for the benefit for binutils-gdb who reuse
+# this configure script, but don't always have target tools available.
+if test ! -d ${srcdir}/gcc; then
+   skipdirs="${skipdirs} ${target_configdirs}"
+fi
+
 # Remove the entries in $skipdirs and $noconfigdirs from $configdirs,
 # $build_configdirs and $target_configdirs.
 # If we have the source for $noconfigdirs entries, add them to $notsupp.