diff --git a/config/toolchain.in b/config/toolchain.in
index f9a56b97..6d3ff290 100644
--- a/config/toolchain.in
+++ b/config/toolchain.in
@@ -76,6 +76,22 @@ config STATIC_TOOLCHAIN
       NOTE: this has no connection to whether the target libraries will be
       dynamic or static. This only applies to the tools themselves.
 
+config SHOW_CT_VERSION
+    bool
+    prompt "Add crosstool-NG version to --version output"
+    default y
+    help
+      If yes, the crosstool-NG version will be included in the output of
+      gcc --version, and also in binutils, glibc, gdb and gdbserver.
+
+      If this is enabled, the package version will include:
+          "crosstool-NG ${CT_VERSION}"
+
+      If this is disabled and no ID string is given below, the default
+      of each individual package will be used.
+
+      This is passed to the configure flag --with-pkgversion.
+
 config TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION
     string
     prompt "Toolchain ID string"
@@ -86,10 +102,10 @@ config TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION
       the output of gcc --version, and also in binutils, glibc, gdb and
       gdbserver.
 
-      If this string is left empty, the actual package version will be:
-          "crosstool-NG ${CT_VERSION}"
-      Otherwise, it will be:
+      If this is enabled, it will either be added to the crosstool-NG version:
           "crosstool-NG ${CT_VERSION} - ${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION}"
+      Or it will be entirely on its own:
+          "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION}"
 
       This is passed to the configure flag --with-pkgversion.
 
diff --git a/scripts/build/binutils/binutils.sh b/scripts/build/binutils/binutils.sh
index e0fe7f40..703a6fab 100644
--- a/scripts/build/binutils/binutils.sh
+++ b/scripts/build/binutils/binutils.sh
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ do_binutils_backend() {
         extra_config+=( --enable-plugins )
     fi
     if [ "${CT_BINUTILS_HAS_PKGVERSION_BUGURL}" = "y" ]; then
-        extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
+        [ -n "${CT_PKGVERSION}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
         [ -n "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-bugurl=${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}")
     fi
     if [ "${CT_MULTILIB}" = "y" ]; then
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ do_binutils_for_target() {
         CT_DoLog EXTRA "Configuring binutils for target"
 
         if [ "${CT_BINUTILS_HAS_PKGVERSION_BUGURL}" = "y" ]; then
-            extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
+            [ -n "${CT_PKGVERSION}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
             [ -n "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-bugurl=${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}")
         fi
         if [ "${CT_MULTILIB}" = "y" ]; then
diff --git a/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh b/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh
index 54dd514c..2609873a 100644
--- a/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh
+++ b/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ do_gcc_core_backend() {
         fi
     done
 
-    extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
+    [ -n "${CT_PKGVERSION}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
     [ -n "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-bugurl=${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}")
 
     if [ "${CT_CC_CXA_ATEXIT}" = "y" ]; then
@@ -874,7 +874,7 @@ do_gcc_backend() {
     done
 
     [ "${CT_SHARED_LIBS}" = "y" ] || extra_config+=("--disable-shared")
-    extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
+    [ -n "${CT_PKGVERSION}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
     [ -n "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-bugurl=${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}")
 
     case "${CT_CC_GCC_SJLJ_EXCEPTIONS}" in
diff --git a/scripts/build/debug/300-gdb.sh b/scripts/build/debug/300-gdb.sh
index 19d9d6dc..e3a40d07 100644
--- a/scripts/build/debug/300-gdb.sh
+++ b/scripts/build/debug/300-gdb.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ do_debug_gdb_build() {
     esac
 
     if [ "${CT_GDB_HAS_PKGVERSION_BUGURL}" = "y" ]; then
-        extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
+        [ -n "${CT_PKGVERSION}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
         [ -n "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-bugurl=${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}")
     fi
 
diff --git a/scripts/build/libc/glibc.sh b/scripts/build/libc/glibc.sh
index c09ff5cd..0cf58f35 100644
--- a/scripts/build/libc/glibc.sh
+++ b/scripts/build/libc/glibc.sh
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ do_libc_backend_once() {
         *)  extra_config+=("--enable-add-ons=$(do_libc_add_ons_list ,)");;
     esac
 
-    extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
+    [ -n "${CT_PKGVERSION}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
     [ -n "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-bugurl=${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}")
 
     touch config.cache
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ do_libc_locales() {
     # a harmless: `configure: WARNING: unrecognized options: --with-bugurl...`
     # If it's set, use it, if is a recognized option.
     if [ ! "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION}" = "" ]; then
-        extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
+        [ -n "${CT_PKGVERSION}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-pkgversion=${CT_PKGVERSION}")
     fi
     if [ ! "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" = "" ]; then
         [ -n "${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}" ] && extra_config+=("--with-bugurl=${CT_TOOLCHAIN_BUGURL}")
diff --git a/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in b/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in
index d5066e21..9c09b5e4 100644
--- a/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in
+++ b/scripts/crosstool-NG.sh.in
@@ -168,7 +168,11 @@ CT_CC_GCC_CORE_EXTRA_CONFIG_ARRAY=( ${CT_ARCH_CC_CORE_EXTRA_CONFIG} "${CT_CC_GCC
 CT_CC_GCC_EXTRA_CONFIG_ARRAY=( ${CT_ARCH_CC_EXTRA_CONFIG} "${CT_CC_GCC_EXTRA_CONFIG_ARRAY[@]}" )
 
 # Compute the package version string
-CT_PKGVERSION="crosstool-NG ${CT_VERSION}${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION:+ - ${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION}}"
+if [ "${CT_SHOW_CT_VERSION}" = "y" ]; then
+    CT_PKGVERSION="crosstool-NG ${CT_VERSION}${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION:+ - ${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION}}"
+else
+    CT_PKGVERSION="${CT_TOOLCHAIN_PKGVERSION}"
+fi
 
 # Compute the working directories names
 CT_TARBALLS_DIR="${CT_WORK_DIR}/tarballs"