diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 61409f4..22fb5c4 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -69,3 +69,14 @@
 tests/testsuite
 tests/testsuite.log
 tests/package.m4
+
+# manuals
+doc/manuals/*.html
+doc/manuals/*.svg
+doc/manuals/*.pdf
+doc/manuals/*__*.png
+doc/manuals/*.check
+doc/manuals/generated/
+doc/manuals/osmomsc-usermanual.xml
+doc/manuals/common
+doc/manuals/build
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index bfa1364..ede6963 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -169,6 +169,48 @@
 	CPPFLAGS="$CPPFLAGS $WERROR_FLAGS"
 fi
 
+# Generate manuals
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(manuals,
+	[AS_HELP_STRING(
+		[--enable-manuals],
+		[Generate manual PDFs [default=no]],
+	)],
+	[osmo_ac_build_manuals=$enableval], [osmo_ac_build_manuals="no"])
+AM_CONDITIONAL([BUILD_MANUALS], [test x"$osmo_ac_build_manuals" = x"yes"])
+AC_ARG_VAR(OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR, [path to common osmo-gsm-manuals files, overriding pkg-config and "../osmo-gsm-manuals"
+	fallback])
+if test x"$osmo_ac_build_manuals" = x"yes"
+then
+	# Find OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR (env, pkg-conf, fallback)
+	if test -n "$OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR"; then
+		echo "checking for OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR... $OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR (from env)"
+	else
+		OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR="$($PKG_CONFIG osmo-gsm-manuals --variable=osmogsmmanualsdir 2>/dev/null)"
+		if test -n "$OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR"; then
+			echo "checking for OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR... $OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR (from pkg-conf)"
+		else
+			OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR="../osmo-gsm-manuals"
+			echo "checking for OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR... $OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR (fallback)"
+		fi
+	fi
+	if ! test -d "$OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR"; then
+		AC_MSG_ERROR("OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR does not exist! Install osmo-gsm-manuals or set OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR.")
+	fi
+
+	# Find and run check-depends
+	CHECK_DEPENDS="$OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR/check-depends.sh"
+	if ! test -x "$CHECK_DEPENDS"; then
+		CHECK_DEPENDS="osmo-gsm-manuals-check-depends"
+	fi
+	if ! $CHECK_DEPENDS; then
+		AC_MSG_ERROR("missing dependencies for --enable-manuals")
+	fi
+
+	# Put in Makefile with absolute path
+	OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR="$(realpath "$OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR")"
+	AC_SUBST([OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR])
+fi
+
 # https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/daemon.html
 AC_ARG_WITH([systemdsystemunitdir],
      [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-systemdsystemunitdir=DIR], [Directory for systemd service files])],,
@@ -197,6 +239,7 @@
                  intl/Makefile
                  po/Makefile
                  sgsnemu/Makefile
+    doc/manuals/Makefile
                  contrib/Makefile
                  contrib/systemd/Makefile
                  tests/Makefile
diff --git a/doc/Makefile.am b/doc/Makefile.am
index 46c634e..5284eb5 100644
--- a/doc/Makefile.am
+++ b/doc/Makefile.am
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@
 
 SUBDIRS = \
 	examples \
+	manuals \
 	$(NULL)
diff --git a/doc/manuals/Makefile b/doc/manuals/Makefile
deleted file mode 100644
index e809632..0000000
--- a/doc/manuals/Makefile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-TOPDIR = ..
-
-ASCIIDOC = osmoggsn-usermanual.adoc
-ASCIIDOC_DEPS = chapters/*.adoc
-include $(TOPDIR)/build/Makefile.asciidoc.inc
-
-VTY_REFERENCE = osmoggsn-vty-reference.xml
-include $(TOPDIR)/build/Makefile.vty-reference.inc
-
-include $(TOPDIR)/build/Makefile.common.inc
diff --git a/doc/manuals/Makefile.am b/doc/manuals/Makefile.am
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d41ca2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/manuals/Makefile.am
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+EXTRA_DIST = osmoggsn-usermanual.adoc \
+    osmoggsn-usermanual-docinfo.xml \
+    osmoggsn-vty-reference.xml \
+    chapters \
+    vty
+
+if BUILD_MANUALS
+  ASCIIDOC = osmoggsn-usermanual.adoc
+  ASCIIDOC_DEPS = $(srcdir)/chapters/*.adoc
+  include $(OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR)/build/Makefile.asciidoc.inc
+
+  VTY_REFERENCE = osmoggsn-vty-reference.xml
+  include $(OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR)/build/Makefile.vty-reference.inc
+
+  include $(OSMO_GSM_MANUALS_DIR)/build/Makefile.common.inc
+endif
diff --git a/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-usermanual.adoc b/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-usermanual.adoc
index efa2c8f..9bc3885 100644
--- a/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-usermanual.adoc
+++ b/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-usermanual.adoc
@@ -3,27 +3,27 @@
 Harald Welte <hwelte@sysmocom.de>
 
 
-include::../common/chapters/preface.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/preface.adoc[]
 
-include::chapters/overview.adoc[]
+include::{srcdir}/chapters/overview.adoc[]
 
-include::chapters/running.adoc[]
+include::{srcdir}/chapters/running.adoc[]
 
-//include::chapters/control.adoc[]
+//include::{srcdir}/chapters/control.adoc[]
 
-include::../common/chapters/vty.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/vty.adoc[]
 
-include::../common/chapters/logging.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/logging.adoc[]
 
 
-include::chapters/configuration.adoc[]
+include::{srcdir}/chapters/configuration.adoc[]
 
-include::../common/chapters/control_if.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/control_if.adoc[]
 
-include::../common/chapters/port_numbers.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/port_numbers.adoc[]
 
-include::../common/chapters/bibliography.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/bibliography.adoc[]
 
-include::../common/chapters/glossary.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/glossary.adoc[]
 
-include::../common/chapters/gfdl.adoc[]
+include::./common/chapters/gfdl.adoc[]
diff --git a/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-vty-reference.xml b/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-vty-reference.xml
index c9aea03..3ad7e83 100644
--- a/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-vty-reference.xml
+++ b/doc/manuals/osmoggsn-vty-reference.xml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 -->
 <!DOCTYPE book PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML 5.0//EN"
 "http://docbook.org/xml/5.0/dtd/docbook.dtd" [
-<!ENTITY chapter-vty      SYSTEM      "../common/chapters/vty.xml" >
+<!ENTITY chapter-vty      SYSTEM      "./common/chapters/vty.xml" >
 <!ENTITY sections-vty     SYSTEM      "generated/docbook_vty.xml"  >
 ]>