diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index f911f70344..32d29b87db 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -415,7 +415,13 @@ PERL		= perl
 PYTHON		?= python
 PYTHON2		= python2
 PYTHON3		?= python3
-DTC		?= $(objtree)/scripts/dtc/dtc
+
+# The devicetree compiler and pylibfdt are automatically built unless DTC is
+# provided. If DTC is provided, it is assumed the pylibfdt is available too.
+DTC_INTREE	:= $(objtree)/scripts/dtc/dtc
+DTC		?= $(DTC_INTREE)
+DTC_MIN_VERSION	:= 010406
+
 CHECK		= sparse
 
 CHECKFLAGS     := -D__linux__ -Dlinux -D__STDC__ -Dunix -D__unix__ \
@@ -1954,9 +1960,29 @@ endif
 
 endif
 
+# Check dtc and pylibfdt, if DTC is provided, else build them
 PHONY += scripts_dtc
 scripts_dtc: scripts_basic
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=scripts/dtc
+	$(Q)if test "$(DTC)" = "$(DTC_INTREE)"; then \
+		$(MAKE) $(build)=scripts/dtc; \
+	else \
+		if ! $(DTC) -v >/dev/null; then \
+			echo '*** Failed to check dtc version: $(DTC)'; \
+			false; \
+		else \
+			if test "$(call dtc-version)" -lt $(DTC_MIN_VERSION); then \
+				echo '*** Your dtc is too old, please upgrade to dtc $(DTC_MIN_VERSION) or newer'; \
+				false; \
+			else \
+				if [ -n "$(CONFIG_PYLIBFDT)" ]; then \
+					if ! echo "import libfdt" | $(PYTHON3) 2>/dev/null; then \
+						echo '*** pylibfdt does not seem to be available with $(PYTHON3)'; \
+						false; \
+					fi; \
+				fi; \
+			fi; \
+		fi; \
+	fi
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 quiet_cmd_cpp_lds = LDS     $@
diff --git a/doc/build/gcc.rst b/doc/build/gcc.rst
index 0cdc307d57..6c4b4ad7a0 100644
--- a/doc/build/gcc.rst
+++ b/doc/build/gcc.rst
@@ -120,6 +120,27 @@ Further important build parameters are
 * O=<dir> - generate all output files in directory <dir>, including .config
 * V=1 - verbose build
 
+Devicetree compiler
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Boards that use `CONFIG_OF_CONTROL` (i.e. almost all of them) need the
+devicetree compiler (dtc). Those with `CONFIG_PYLIBFDT` need pylibfdt, a Python
+library for accessing devicetree data. Suitable versions of these are included
+in the U-Boot tree in `scripts/dtc` and built automatically as needed.
+
+To use the system versions of these, use the DTC parameter, for example
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+    DTC=/usr/bin/dtc make
+
+In this case, dtc and pylibfdt are not built. The build checks that the version
+of dtc is new enough. It also makes sure that pylibfdt is present, if needed
+(see `scripts_dtc` in the Makefile).
+
+Note that the :doc:`tools` are always built with the included version of libfdt
+so it is not possible to build U-Boot tools with a system libfdt, at present.
+
 Other build targets
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/dts/Kconfig b/dts/Kconfig
index fc4130545a..90c7a1c5f4 100644
--- a/dts/Kconfig
+++ b/dts/Kconfig
@@ -5,9 +5,6 @@
 config SUPPORT_OF_CONTROL
 	bool
 
-config DTC
-	bool
-
 config PYLIBFDT
 	bool
 
@@ -42,7 +39,6 @@ menu "Device Tree Control"
 
 config OF_CONTROL
 	bool "Run-time configuration via Device Tree"
-	select DTC
 	select OF_LIBFDT if !OF_PLATDATA
 	select OF_REAL if !OF_PLATDATA
 	help
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile b/scripts/Makefile
index e7b353f77f..cfe9fef804 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile
+++ b/scripts/Makefile
@@ -10,4 +10,3 @@ always		:= $(hostprogs-y)
 
 # Let clean descend into subdirs
 subdir-	+= basic kconfig
-subdir-$(CONFIG_DTC)	+= dtc
diff --git a/scripts/dtc-version.sh b/scripts/dtc-version.sh
index bd4e818e92..bfb514e179 100755
--- a/scripts/dtc-version.sh
+++ b/scripts/dtc-version.sh
@@ -10,11 +10,16 @@
 dtc="$*"
 
 if [ ${#dtc} -eq 0 ]; then
-	echo "Error: No dtc command specified."
+	echo "Error: No dtc command specified"
 	printf "Usage:\n\t$0 <dtc-command>\n"
 	exit 1
 fi
 
+if ! which $dtc >/dev/null ; then
+	echo "Error: Cannot find dtc: $dtc"
+	exit 1
+fi
+
 MAJOR=$($dtc -v | head -1 | awk '{print $NF}' | cut -d . -f 1)
 MINOR=$($dtc -v | head -1 | awk '{print $NF}' | cut -d . -f 2)
 PATCH=$($dtc -v | head -1 | awk '{print $NF}' | cut -d . -f 3 | cut -d - -f 1)