diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 7f55c4dd..b5f178e6 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ option('dgi', type: 'boolean', value: false, description: 'DOS Gateway Interface
 option('mujs', type: 'boolean', value: false, description: 'use mujs library')
 option('codepoint', type: 'boolean', value: true, description: 'whether check codepoints on Linux console')
 option('test', type: 'boolean', value: false, description: 'whether build test programs')
+option('test-mailcap', type: 'boolean', value: false, description: 'whether build test mailcap program')
 option('doc', type: 'boolean', value: true, description: 'whether build documentation')
 option('docdir', type: 'string', value: '', description: 'Documentation installation directory. Default $prefix/share/doc/elinks.')
 option('apidoc', type: 'boolean', value: true, description: 'whether to generate API docs with doxygen')
diff --git a/src/mime/backend/meson.build b/src/mime/backend/meson.build
index 99a68c03..fe4e4231 100644
--- a/src/mime/backend/meson.build
+++ b/src/mime/backend/meson.build
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ endif
 
 srcs += files('common.c', 'default.c')
 
-if conf_data.get('CONFIG_MAILCAP') and get_option('test')
+if conf_data.get('CONFIG_MAILCAP') and (get_option('test-mailcap') or get_option('test'))
 	mailcap_cache_files = files('common.c', 'mailcap.c', meson.source_root()+'/src/osdep/osdep.c')
 
 	if conf_data.get('CONFIG_NLS') and not conf_data.get('CONFIG_GETTEXT')