diff --git a/makefile b/makefile
index a49aa345a98c34e9840d149fedeb320237aa0c91..af6e69bce9ab9d2f950f2fcfbbb03cea71013274 100644
--- a/makefile
+++ b/makefile
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ APPPATH = /usr/bin
 LIBPATH = /usr/lib
 BINFOLDER = bin
 
+RUN_TESTS ?= 1
+
 # can be queued from version 4.2 via MAKEFLAGS sice there is the number of jobs as well
 MAKE_PID := $(shell echo $$PPID)
 JOB_FLAG := $(filter -j%, $(subst -j ,-j,$(shell ps T | grep "^\s*$(MAKE_PID).*$(MAKE)")))
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ debug build-debug:
 	for dir in $(SUBDIRS_BINS); do \
 	    cp $$dir/bin-debug/* $(addsuffix -debug, $(BINFOLDER)); \
 	done
-	if [ "$@" == "debug" ]; then for test in $(wildcard tests.*.sh); do \
+	if [ "$@" == "debug" ] && [ $(RUN_TESTS) -eq 1 ]; then for test in $(wildcard tests.*.sh); do \
 		./$$test debug $(JOBS); \
 	done; fi
 
@@ -133,7 +135,7 @@ release build-release:
 	for dir in $(SUBDIRS_BINS); do \
 	    cp $$dir/bin-release/* $(addsuffix -release, $(BINFOLDER)); \
 	done
-	if [ "$@" == "release" ]; then for test in $(wildcard tests.*.sh); do \
+	if [ "$@" == "release" ] && [ $(RUN_TESTS) -eq 1 ]; then for test in $(wildcard tests.*.sh); do \
 		./$$test debug $(JOBS); \
 	done; fi