diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 28f159b02..7bf94e732 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -5638,6 +5638,54 @@ ac_link='$CC -o conftest$ac_exeext $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS $LDFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext $
 ac_compiler_gnu=$ac_cv_c_compiler_gnu
 
 
+ac_ext=c
+ac_cpp='$CPP $CPPFLAGS'
+ac_compile='$CC -c $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext >&5'
+ac_link='$CC -o conftest$ac_exeext $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS $LDFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext $LIBS >&5'
+ac_compiler_gnu=$ac_cv_c_compiler_gnu
+
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking whether C compiler accepts -Wformat-overflow" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking whether C compiler accepts -Wformat-overflow... " >&6; }
+if ${ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror___Wformat_overflow+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+
+  ax_check_save_flags=$CFLAGS
+  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Werror  -Wformat-overflow"
+  cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+
+int
+main ()
+{
+
+  ;
+  return 0;
+}
+_ACEOF
+if ac_fn_c_try_compile "$LINENO"; then :
+  ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror___Wformat_overflow=yes
+else
+  ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror___Wformat_overflow=no
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
+  CFLAGS=$ax_check_save_flags
+fi
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror___Wformat_overflow" >&5
+$as_echo "$ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror___Wformat_overflow" >&6; }
+if test x"$ax_cv_check_cflags__Werror___Wformat_overflow" = xyes; then :
+  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wno-format-overflow"
+else
+  :
+fi
+
+  ac_ext=c
+ac_cpp='$CPP $CPPFLAGS'
+ac_compile='$CC -c $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext >&5'
+ac_link='$CC -o conftest$ac_exeext $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS $LDFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext $LIBS >&5'
+ac_compiler_gnu=$ac_cv_c_compiler_gnu
+
+
 ac_ext=c
 ac_cpp='$CPP $CPPFLAGS'
 ac_compile='$CC -c $CFLAGS $CPPFLAGS conftest.$ac_ext >&5'
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9760e7cae..9749b841e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -237,6 +237,8 @@ check_cc_flag([-Wformat-zero-length], [CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wno-format-zero-length"]
 
 check_cc_flag([-Wformat-truncation], [CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wno-format-truncation"])
 
+check_cc_flag([-Wformat-overflow], [CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wno-format-overflow"])
+
 dnl While it can be useful to occasionally to compile with warnings about
 dnl unused variables and parameters, we often 'think ahead' when coding things
 dnl so they may be useless now but not later. Similarly, for variables, we