diff --git a/package/mosquitto/Config.in b/package/mosquitto/Config.in
index 417745873b..754c07be78 100644
--- a/package/mosquitto/Config.in
+++ b/package/mosquitto/Config.in
@@ -33,6 +33,22 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_MOSQUITTO_CLIENTS
 	    mosquitto_sub
 	    mosquitto_rr
 
+config BR2_PACKAGE_MOSQUITTO_APPS
+	bool "install apps"
+	default y if BR2_PACKAGE_MOSQUITTO_BROKER  # Backward compatibility
+	depends on BR2_USE_WCHAR  # libedit
+	# For mosquitto_ctrl shell feature, mandatorily enabled:
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_READLINE if !BR2_PACKAGE_LIBEDIT
+	help
+	  Those apps can be used to interact with the broker:
+	    mosquitto_db_dump
+	    mosquitto_signal
+
+	  Additionally, when openssl is enabled, the following apps are
+	  also installed:
+	    mosquitto_ctrl
+	    mosquitto_passwd
+
 config BR2_PACKAGE_MOSQUITTO_BROKER
 	bool "install the mosquitto broker"
 	default y
diff --git a/package/mosquitto/mosquitto.mk b/package/mosquitto/mosquitto.mk
index 62934966ca..a1848f96b3 100644
--- a/package/mosquitto/mosquitto.mk
+++ b/package/mosquitto/mosquitto.mk
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ MOSQUITTO_CONF_OPTS = \
 	-DWITH_TESTS=OFF \
 	-DWITH_STATIC_LIBRARIES=OFF \
 	-DWITH_BUNDLED_DEPS=ON \
-	-DWITH_HTTP_API=OFF \
-	-DWITH_CTRL_SHELL=OFF
+	-DWITH_HTTP_API=OFF
 
 # adns uses getaddrinfo_a
 ifeq ($(BR2_TOOLCHAIN_USES_GLIBC),y)
@@ -75,12 +74,18 @@ else
 MOSQUITTO_CONF_OPTS += -DWITH_CLIENTS=OFF
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_MOSQUITTO_APPS),y)
+MOSQUITTO_DEPENDENCIES += $(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_LIBEDIT),libedit,readline)
+MOSQUITTO_CONF_OPTS += -DWITH_APPS=ON -DWITH_CTRL_SHELL=ON
+else
+MOSQUITTO_CONF_OPTS += -DWITH_APPS=OFF -DWITH_CTRL_SHELL=OFF
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_MOSQUITTO_BROKER),y)
 
 MOSQUITTO_CONF_OPTS += \
 	-DCMAKE_INSTALL_SYSCONFDIR=/etc \
 	-DWITH_BROKER=ON \
-	-DWITH_APPS=ON \
 	-DWITH_PLUGINS=ON \
 	-DWITH_PLUGIN_ACL_FILE=ON \
 	-DWITH_PLUGIN_PASSWORD_FILE=ON \
@@ -125,7 +130,6 @@ MOSQUITTO_POST_INSTALL_TARGET_HOOKS += MOSQUITTO_INSTALL_TARGET_CONF
 else # !BR2_PACKAGE_MOSQUITTO_BROKER
 MOSQUITTO_CONF_OPTS += \
 	-DWITH_BROKER=OFF \
-	-DWITH_APPS=OFF \
 	-DWITH_PLUGINS=OFF
 endif