diff --git a/base/Makefile.in b/base/Makefile.in
index 8cd19ea21908..6903f7b15537 100644
--- a/base/Makefile.in
+++ b/base/Makefile.in
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@ include $(DEPTH)/config/autoconf.mk
 
 DIRS = public src
 
+ifdef ENABLE_TESTS
 DIRS += tests
+endif
 
 include $(topsrcdir)/config/config.mk