diff --git a/README b/README
index 5192800..e0c971d 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -55,6 +55,23 @@ of selinux context mount options (-o context=<context>, etc):
 For helpers built with mount library (libmount), support of the
 context mount depends on the libmount that distro provides.
 
+If you are having problems due to the missing nilfs2 disk format or
+ioctl interface definition file (nilfs2_ondisk.h or nilfs2_api.h,
+respectively), try installing the Linux kernel source or header file
+package first.
+
+If you still cannot install these files, or if you want to overwrite
+them with files from this package, specify the
+"--enable-uapi-header-install" option as an argument to the configure
+script.  This will install the uapi header files included in this
+package:
+
+ $ ./configure --enable-uapi-header-install
+
+Note that the utility package itself references bundled local header
+files, so you don't need to install these files with this option to
+build.
+
 
 * How to get development sources
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 98bc107..ff450aa 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -57,6 +57,12 @@ AC_ARG_WITH([blkid],
 	AS_HELP_STRING([--without-blkid], [compile without blkid support]),
 	[], with_blkid=yes)
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([uapi_header_install],
+	AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-uapi-header-install],
+		       [install kernel uapi header files]),
+	[enable_uapi_header_install="${enableval}"],
+	[enable_uapi_header_install=no])
+
 # Checks for libraries.
 AC_CHECK_LIB([uuid], [uuid_generate],
 	[AC_DEFINE([HAVE_LIBUUID], 1,
@@ -139,6 +145,9 @@ if test "${with_selinux}" = "yes"; then
 fi
 AC_SUBST([LIB_SELINUX])
 
+AM_CONDITIONAL(CONFIG_UAPI_HEADER_INSTALL,
+	       [test "$enable_uapi_header_install" = yes])
+
 # Checks for typedefs, structures, and compiler characteristics.
 AC_C_CONST
 AC_C_INLINE
diff --git a/include/Makefile.am b/include/Makefile.am
index 93f3c01..dc43dad 100644
--- a/include/Makefile.am
+++ b/include/Makefile.am
@@ -5,4 +5,8 @@ noinst_HEADERS = realpath.h nls.h parser.h nilfs_feature.h \
 	vector.h nilfs_gc.h cnormap.h cleaner_msg.h cleaner_exec.h \
 	compat.h crc32.h pathnames.h segment.h util.h
 
+if CONFIG_UAPI_HEADER_INSTALL
 nobase_include_HEADERS = linux/nilfs2_api.h linux/nilfs2_ondisk.h
+else
+noinst_HEADERS += linux/nilfs2_api.h linux/nilfs2_ondisk.h
+endif