diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 394aec712c7d..f9dc25cd9b2e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -183,11 +183,14 @@ SUBARCH := $(shell uname -m | sed -e s/i.86/i386/ -e s/sun4u/sparc64/ \
 # CROSS_COMPILE can be set on the command line
 # make CROSS_COMPILE=ia64-linux-
 # Alternatively CROSS_COMPILE can be set in the environment.
+# A third alternative is to store a setting in .config so that plain
+# "make" in the configured kernel build directory always uses that.
 # Default value for CROSS_COMPILE is not to prefix executables
 # Note: Some architectures assign CROSS_COMPILE in their arch/*/Makefile
 export KBUILD_BUILDHOST := $(SUBARCH)
 ARCH		?= $(SUBARCH)
 CROSS_COMPILE	?=
+CROSS_COMPILE	?= $(CONFIG_CROSS_COMPILE:"%"=%)
 
 # Architecture as present in compile.h
 UTS_MACHINE 	:= $(ARCH)
diff --git a/init/Kconfig b/init/Kconfig
index d95ca7cd5d45..313506d8be6e 100644
--- a/init/Kconfig
+++ b/init/Kconfig
@@ -76,6 +76,14 @@ config INIT_ENV_ARG_LIMIT
 	  variables passed to init from the kernel command line.
 
 
+config CROSS_COMPILE
+	string "Cross-compiler tool prefix"
+	help
+	  Same as running 'make CROSS_COMPILE=prefix-' but stored for
+	  default make runs in this kernel build directory.  You don't
+	  need to set this unless you want the configured kernel build
+	  directory to select the cross-compiler automatically.
+
 config LOCALVERSION
 	string "Local version - append to kernel release"
 	help