diff --git a/aclocal.m4 b/aclocal.m4
index ac84cdea7a64866c4470b98ba86ab79f40280e23..eece94adf612c265a9b3acdb6bd84a05bc27b1de 100644
--- a/aclocal.m4
+++ b/aclocal.m4
@@ -2208,17 +2208,24 @@ AC_DEFUN([BM_DEPEND],
 ])
 
 dnl
-dnl BM_DEPEND_CHECK(var, pkg, version)
+dnl BM_DEPEND_CHECK(var, pkg, version, name, helpstring)
 dnl
 AC_DEFUN([BM_DEPEND_CHECK],
 [
-  AC_MSG_CHECKING([for $2 >= $3])
-  if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-version=$3 $2 2> /dev/null; then
-    AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
-    BM_DEPEND([$1], [$2], [$3])
-    AC_DEFINE([HAVE_$1], [1], [Define if you have $2 >= $3])
-  else
-    AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+  AC_ARG_ENABLE([$4-check],
+AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-$4-check], [Enable checking for $5 (default)])
+AC_HELP_STRING([--disable-$4-check], [Disable checking for $5]),
+    [ac_cv_$1_check=$enableval], [ac_cv_$1_check=yes])
+
+  if test x"$ac_cv_$1_check" = x"yes"; then
+    AC_MSG_CHECKING([for $2 >= $3])
+    if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-version=$3 $2 2> /dev/null; then
+      AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
+      BM_DEPEND([$1], [$2], [$3])
+      AC_DEFINE([HAVE_$1], [1], [Define if you have $2 >= $3])
+    else
+      AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+    fi
   fi
 ])
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 7d25df264212c62057bdd3527d1f271df9d403bb..6f1aed59a2618f5d799db8b17d26a8e8c6d03e15 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -862,6 +862,11 @@ Optional Features:
   --disable-libtool-lock  avoid locking (might break parallel builds)
   --enable-rpath          Specify run path to the ELF linker (default)
   --disable-rpath         Do not use -rpath (use with care!!)
+  --enable-startup-notification-check
+                          Enable checking for startup notification library
+                          (default)
+  --disable-startup-notification-check
+                          Disable checking for startup notification library
   --enable-debug=yes|no|full
                           Build with debugging support
   --disable-debug         Include no debugging support default
@@ -5105,7 +5110,7 @@ test x"$pic_mode" = xno && libtool_flags="$libtool_flags --prefer-non-pic"
 case $host in
 *-*-irix6*)
   # Find out which ABI we are using.
-  echo '#line 5108 "configure"' > conftest.$ac_ext
+  echo '#line 5113 "configure"' > conftest.$ac_ext
   if { (eval echo "$as_me:$LINENO: \"$ac_compile\"") >&5
   (eval $ac_compile) 2>&5
   ac_status=$?
@@ -8874,10 +8879,19 @@ echo "$as_me: error: Library requirements (xfce-mcs-manager >= 0.1) not met; con
 
 
 
-  echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for libstartup-notification-1.0 >= 0.4" >&5
+  # Check whether --enable-startup-notification-check or --disable-startup-notification-check was given.
+if test "${enable_startup_notification_check+set}" = set; then
+  enableval="$enable_startup_notification_check"
+  ac_cv_LIBSTARTUP_NOTIFICATION_check=$enableval
+else
+  ac_cv_LIBSTARTUP_NOTIFICATION_check=yes
+fi;
+
+  if test x"$ac_cv_LIBSTARTUP_NOTIFICATION_check" = x"yes"; then
+    echo "$as_me:$LINENO: checking for libstartup-notification-1.0 >= 0.4" >&5
 echo $ECHO_N "checking for libstartup-notification-1.0 >= 0.4... $ECHO_C" >&6
-  if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-version=0.4 libstartup-notification-1.0 2> /dev/null; then
-    echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: yes" >&5
+    if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-version=0.4 libstartup-notification-1.0 2> /dev/null; then
+      echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: yes" >&5
 echo "${ECHO_T}yes" >&6
 
 
@@ -8986,9 +9000,10 @@ cat >>confdefs.h <<\_ACEOF
 #define HAVE_LIBSTARTUP_NOTIFICATION 1
 _ACEOF
 
-  else
-    echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: no" >&5
+    else
+      echo "$as_me:$LINENO: result: no" >&5
 echo "${ECHO_T}no" >&6
+    fi
   fi
 
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index dc3277de21d4bc657cbb3bb2d0475a540d680948..2df910e09d86075793d82e9b612a17b4b57d498f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ BM_DEPEND(LIBXFCE4UTIL, libxfce4util-1.0, 0.0)
 BM_DEPEND(LIBXFCEGUI4, libxfcegui4-1.0, 0.0.16)
 BM_DEPEND(XFCE_MCS_MANAGER, xfce-mcs-manager, 0.1)
 
-BM_DEPEND_CHECK(LIBSTARTUP_NOTIFICATION, libstartup-notification-1.0, 0.4)
+BM_DEPEND_CHECK(LIBSTARTUP_NOTIFICATION, libstartup-notification-1.0, 0.4,
+  [startup-notification], [startup notification library])
 
 dnl Check for debugging support
 BM_DEBUG_SUPPORT
diff --git a/m4/depends.m4 b/m4/depends.m4
index 10253c5dd67b15c3ef23f1cc78fcaefeee0cf69b..dcee10cdc68869c085a0835855e65f9806c59db2 100644
--- a/m4/depends.m4
+++ b/m4/depends.m4
@@ -10,17 +10,24 @@ AC_DEFUN([BM_DEPEND],
 ])
 
 dnl
-dnl BM_DEPEND_CHECK(var, pkg, version)
+dnl BM_DEPEND_CHECK(var, pkg, version, name, helpstring)
 dnl
 AC_DEFUN([BM_DEPEND_CHECK],
 [
-  AC_MSG_CHECKING([for $2 >= $3])
-  if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-version=$3 $2 2> /dev/null; then
-    AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
-    BM_DEPEND([$1], [$2], [$3])
-    AC_DEFINE([HAVE_$1], [1], [Define if you have $2 >= $3])
-  else
-    AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+  AC_ARG_ENABLE([$4-check],
+AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-$4-check], [Enable checking for $5 (default)])
+AC_HELP_STRING([--disable-$4-check], [Disable checking for $5]),
+    [ac_cv_$1_check=$enableval], [ac_cv_$1_check=yes])
+
+  if test x"$ac_cv_$1_check" = x"yes"; then
+    AC_MSG_CHECKING([for $2 >= $3])
+    if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-version=$3 $2 2> /dev/null; then
+      AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
+      BM_DEPEND([$1], [$2], [$3])
+      AC_DEFINE([HAVE_$1], [1], [Define if you have $2 >= $3])
+    else
+      AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+    fi
   fi
 ])