diff --git a/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx.bkl b/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx.bkl
index 77b6d32a6b..043deeb498 100644
--- a/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx.bkl
+++ b/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx.bkl
@@ -122,6 +122,16 @@
         base core net xml odbc xrc html adv media gl dbgrid qa aui richtext stc
     </set>
 
+    <!-- if you define this variable to 0 before including wx presets, the
+         "test_for_selected_wxbuild" target which is added by default in win32 and GNU 
+         makefiles, won't be added.
+         This is useful when e.g. you want to have wxWidgets as an optional
+         dependency and thus you don't want to perform that check unconditionally.
+    -->
+    <set var="WX_TEST_FOR_SELECTED_WXBUILD" overwrite="0">
+        1
+    </set>
+
     <!-- this is a temporary variable until there is non general    -->
     <!-- function in bakefiles for returning native markup for      -->
     <!-- reading envrionment variables                              -->
diff --git a/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_unix.bkl b/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_unix.bkl
index e6fca52769..77272f6a65 100644
--- a/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_unix.bkl
+++ b/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_unix.bkl
@@ -185,12 +185,14 @@ Format-specific notes:
                          that simply creating the following target; if it fails the make
                          program will halt with the wx-config error message...
         -->
-        <action id="test_for_selected_wxbuild">
-            <dependency-of>all</dependency-of>
+        <if cond="WX_TEST_FOR_SELECTED_WXBUILD=='1'">
+            <action id="test_for_selected_wxbuild">
+                <dependency-of>all</dependency-of>
 
-            <!-- Use @ to hide to the user that we're running wx-config... -->
-            <command>@$(DOLLAR)(WX_CONFIG) $(WX_CONFIG_FLAGS)</command>
-        </action>
+                <!-- Use @ to hide to the user that we're running wx-config... -->
+                <command>@$(DOLLAR)(WX_CONFIG) $(WX_CONFIG_FLAGS)</command>
+            </action>
+        </if>
 
         <!-- we need this but the trick used in default-values above
              prevents bakefile from detecting it: -->
diff --git a/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_win32.bkl b/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_win32.bkl
index 624046d8bf..bd209cf9bc 100644
--- a/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_win32.bkl
+++ b/build/bakefiles/wxpresets/presets/wx_win32.bkl
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@
         <__wx-syslibs/>
     </template>
 
-    <if cond="FORMAT_SUPPORTS_ACTIONS=='1'">
+    <if cond="FORMAT_SUPPORTS_ACTIONS=='1' and WX_TEST_FOR_SELECTED_WXBUILD=='1'">
 
         <!--
             VERY IMPORTANT: before starting to build all targets of the generated makefile,