--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -116,7 +116,15 @@
 AC_SEARCH_LIBS([cap_init], [cap])
 
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES(DBUS, dbus-1)
-PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBSYSTEMD, libsystemd)
+
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(systemd-integration,
+	      AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-systemd-integration], [use the sd-daemon API to communicate with systemd]),
+	      [enable_libsystemd=$enableval],
+	      [enable_libsystemd=yes])
+if test "x${enable_libsystemd}" != "xno"; then
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES(LIBSYSTEMD, libsystemd)
+	AC_DEFINE([HAVE_LIBSYSTEMD], [1], [Define to 1 if you have libsystemd and its header files])
+fi
 
 AC_ARG_WITH([systemdsystemunitdir],
         AS_HELP_STRING([--with-systemdsystemunitdir=DIR], [Directory for systemd service files]),
@@ -142,5 +150,6 @@
     localstatedir:          ${localstatedir}
     Compiler:               ${CC}
     CFLAGS:                 ${CFLAGS}
+    systemd integration:    ${enable_libsystemd}
     systemd unit directory: ${systemdsystemunitdir}
 "
--- a/rtkit-daemon.c
+++ b/rtkit-daemon.c
@@ -50,7 +50,10 @@
 #include <dirent.h>
 #include <syslog.h>
 #include <grp.h>
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBSYSTEMD
 #include <systemd/sd-daemon.h>
+#endif
 
 #include "rtkit.h"
 
@@ -1432,11 +1435,13 @@
                 n_total_processes,
                 n_users);
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBSYSTEMD
         sd_notifyf(0,
                    "STATUS=Supervising %u threads of %u processes of %u users.",
                    n_total_threads,
                    n_total_processes,
                    n_users);
+#endif
 
 finish:
         if (r) {
@@ -2304,7 +2309,9 @@
 
         syslog(LOG_DEBUG, "Running.\n");
 
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBSYSTEMD
         sd_notify(0, "STATUS=Running.");
+#endif
 
         dbus_connection_set_exit_on_disconnect(bus, FALSE);