diff --git a/package/gpsd/Config.in b/package/gpsd/Config.in
index 5dd57c34b8..1da9a5ce2a 100644
--- a/package/gpsd/Config.in
+++ b/package/gpsd/Config.in
@@ -79,6 +79,17 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_GPSD_MAX_DEV_VALUE
 config BR2_PACKAGE_GPSD_SQUELCH
 	bool "squelch gpsd_report and gpsd_hexdump to save cpu"
 
+config BR2_PACKAGE_GPSD_PYTHON
+	bool "build Python support and modules"
+	depends on BR2_USE_WCHAR # python
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3 if !BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON
+	help
+	  Python libraries and tools for the gpsd service daemon
+	  including gpsfake test harness.
+
+comment "GPSD python support not available with toolchain w/o wide characters support"
+	depends on !BR2_USE_WCHAR
+
 comment "Protocols"
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_GPSD_AIVDM
diff --git a/package/gpsd/gpsd.mk b/package/gpsd/gpsd.mk
index 41dff2f155..0fbb5dfa1d 100644
--- a/package/gpsd/gpsd.mk
+++ b/package/gpsd/gpsd.mk
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ GPSD_SCONS_OPTS = \
 	prefix=/usr \
 	sysroot=$(STAGING_DIR) \
 	strip=no \
-	python=no \
 	qt=no \
 	systemd=$(if $(BR2_INIT_SYSTEMD),yes,no)
 
@@ -189,6 +188,18 @@ ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_GPSD_MAX_DEV),y)
 GPSD_SCONS_OPTS += max_devices=$(BR2_PACKAGE_GPSD_MAX_DEV_VALUE)
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3),y)
+GPSD_SCONS_OPTS += \
+	python=yes \
+	python_libdir="/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON3_VERSION_MAJOR)/site-packages"
+else ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON),y)
+GPSD_SCONS_OPTS += \
+	python=yes \
+	python_libdir="/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR)/site-packages"
+else
+GPSD_SCONS_OPTS += python=no
+endif
+
 GPSD_SCONS_ENV += \
 	LDFLAGS="$(GPSD_LDFLAGS)" \
 	CFLAGS="$(GPSD_CFLAGS)" \