diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 0e8292f19a..81986c6347 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1364,6 +1364,23 @@ if test "$enable_fuzz_binary" = "yes"; then
   CHECK_RUNTIME_LIB
 fi
 
+dnl Check for libsecp256k1, only if explicitly requested
+AC_ARG_WITH([system-libsecp256k1],
+  [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-system-libsecp256k1],
+  [Build with system libsecp256k1 (default is no; DANGEROUS; NOT SUPPORTED)])],
+  [system_libsecp256k1=$withval],
+  [system_libsecp256k1=no]
+)
+if test x$system_libsecp256k1 != xno; then
+  PKG_CHECK_MODULES([libsecp256k1],[libsecp256k1],,[true])
+else
+  libsecp256k1_CFLAGS='-I$(srcdir)/secp256k1/include'
+  libsecp256k1_LIBS='secp256k1/libsecp256k1.la'
+fi
+AM_CONDITIONAL([EMBEDDED_LIBSECP256K1],[test x$system_libsecp256k1 = xno])
+AC_SUBST(libsecp256k1_CFLAGS)
+AC_SUBST(libsecp256k1_LIBS)
+
 if test "$enable_wallet" != "no"; then
     dnl Check for libdb_cxx only if wallet enabled
     if test "$use_bdb" != "no"; then
@@ -1959,8 +1976,10 @@ CPPFLAGS_TEMP="$CPPFLAGS"
 unset CPPFLAGS
 CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS_TEMP"
 
+if test x$system_libsecp256k1 = xno; then
 ac_configure_args="${ac_configure_args} --disable-shared --with-pic --enable-benchmark=no --enable-module-recovery --disable-module-ecdh"
 AC_CONFIG_SUBDIRS([src/secp256k1])
+fi
 
 AC_OUTPUT
 
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 8905c0ad1c..fe079a35bc 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ check_PROGRAMS =
 TESTS =
 BENCHMARKS =
 
-BITCOIN_INCLUDES=-I$(builddir) -I$(srcdir)/$(MINISKETCH_INCLUDE_DIR_INT) -I$(srcdir)/secp256k1/include -I$(srcdir)/$(UNIVALUE_INCLUDE_DIR_INT)
+BITCOIN_INCLUDES=-I$(builddir) -I$(srcdir)/$(MINISKETCH_INCLUDE_DIR_INT) $(libsecp256k1_CFLAGS) -I$(srcdir)/$(UNIVALUE_INCLUDE_DIR_INT)
 
 LIBBITCOIN_NODE=libbitcoin_node.a
 LIBBITCOIN_COMMON=libbitcoin_common.a
@@ -33,7 +33,11 @@ LIBBITCOIN_CLI=libbitcoin_cli.a
 LIBBITCOIN_UTIL=libbitcoin_util.a
 LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO_BASE=crypto/libbitcoin_crypto_base.la
 LIBBITCOINQT=qt/libbitcoinqt.a
+if EMBEDDED_LIBSECP256K1
 LIBSECP256K1=secp256k1/libsecp256k1.la
+else
+LIBSECP256K1=$(libsecp256k1_LIBS)
+endif
 
 if ENABLE_ZMQ
 LIBBITCOIN_ZMQ=libbitcoin_zmq.a
@@ -68,8 +72,10 @@ LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO += $(LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO_ARM_SHANI)
 endif
 noinst_LTLIBRARIES += $(LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO)
 
+if EMBEDDED_LIBSECP256K1
 $(LIBSECP256K1): $(wildcard secp256k1/src/*.h) $(wildcard secp256k1/src/*.c) $(wildcard secp256k1/include/*)
 	$(AM_V_at)$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) -C $(@D) $(@F)
+endif
 
 # Make is not made aware of per-object dependencies to avoid limiting building parallelization
 # But to build the less dependent modules first, we manually select their order here:
@@ -908,7 +914,7 @@ lib_LTLIBRARIES += $(LIBBITCOINKERNEL)
 
 libbitcoinkernel_la_LDFLAGS = $(AM_LDFLAGS) -no-undefined $(RELDFLAGS) $(PTHREAD_FLAGS)
 libbitcoinkernel_la_LIBADD = $(LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO) $(LIBLEVELDB) $(LIBMEMENV) $(LIBSECP256K1)
-libbitcoinkernel_la_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS) -I$(builddir)/obj -I$(srcdir)/secp256k1/include -DBUILD_BITCOIN_INTERNAL $(BOOST_CPPFLAGS) $(LEVELDB_CPPFLAGS)
+libbitcoinkernel_la_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS) -I$(builddir)/obj $(libsecp256k1_CFLAGS) -DBUILD_BITCOIN_INTERNAL $(BOOST_CPPFLAGS) $(LEVELDB_CPPFLAGS)
 
 # libbitcoinkernel requires default symbol visibility, explicitly specify that
 # here so that things still work even when user configures with
@@ -1015,7 +1021,7 @@ libbitcoinconsensus_la_SOURCES = support/cleanse.cpp $(crypto_libbitcoin_crypto_
 
 libbitcoinconsensus_la_LDFLAGS = $(AM_LDFLAGS) -no-undefined $(RELDFLAGS)
 libbitcoinconsensus_la_LIBADD = $(LIBSECP256K1)
-libbitcoinconsensus_la_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS) -I$(builddir)/obj -I$(srcdir)/secp256k1/include -DBUILD_BITCOIN_INTERNAL
+libbitcoinconsensus_la_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS) -I$(builddir)/obj $(libsecp256k1_CFLAGS) -DBUILD_BITCOIN_INTERNAL
 libbitcoinconsensus_la_CXXFLAGS = $(AM_CXXFLAGS) $(PIE_FLAGS)
 
 endif
diff --git a/src/Makefile.test.include b/src/Makefile.test.include
index b610dabd07..cf79094fb9 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.test.include
+++ b/src/Makefile.test.include
@@ -392,7 +392,9 @@ if ENABLE_BENCH
 	$(BENCH_BINARY) -sanity-check -priority-level=high
 endif
 endif
+if EMBEDDED_LIBSECP256K1
 	$(AM_V_at)$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) -C secp256k1 check
+endif
 
 if ENABLE_TESTS
 UNIVALUE_TESTS = univalue/test/object univalue/test/unitester