diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index ae096a61..64658a5a 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -49,3 +49,8 @@ debug = true
 # We need this to avoid leaking symbols, see
 # https://internals.rust-lang.org/t/rust-staticlibs-and-optimizing-for-size/5746
 lto = true
+
+[features]
+sqlite-rpmdb-default = []
+
+default = []
diff --git a/Makefile-rpm-ostree.am b/Makefile-rpm-ostree.am
index fab0e5c5..02229ab1 100644
--- a/Makefile-rpm-ostree.am
+++ b/Makefile-rpm-ostree.am
@@ -91,6 +91,10 @@ privdata_DATA = src/app/rpm-ostree-0-integration.conf
 # Propagate automake verbose mode
 cargo_build = $(cargo) build $(if $(subst 0,,$(V)),--verbose,)
 
+if BUILDOPT_ENABLE_SQLITE_RPMDB_DEFAULT
+cargo_build += --features sqlite-rpmdb-default
+endif
+
 tooling_src = bindgen/Cargo.toml bindgen/src/main.rs
 tooling-build:
 	cd $(top_srcdir)/tooling && $(cargo_build) --release --all-targets
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 36f99a6e..ef3e3ac9 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -176,6 +176,12 @@ AC_ARG_WITH(bubblewrap,
               [with_bubblewrap=/usr/bin/bwrap])
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(WITH_BUBBLEWRAP_PATH, ["$with_bubblewrap"], [Define to bubblewrap path])
 
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(sqlite_rpmdb_default,
+              AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-sqlite-rpmdb-default],
+                             [Default to sqlite rpmdb backend (default: no)]),,
+              [enable_sqlite_rpmdb_default=no])
+AM_CONDITIONAL(BUILDOPT_ENABLE_SQLITE_RPMDB_DEFAULT, test x$enable_sqlite_rpmdb_default = xyes)
+
 RPM_OSTREE_FEATURES="$RPM_OSTREE_FEATURES compose"
 
 dnl PKG_CHECK_VAR added to pkg-config 0.28 (though it's already in the new pkgconf; this
@@ -290,4 +296,5 @@ echo "
     gtk-doc:                                 $enable_gtk_doc
     rust:                                    $rust_debug_release
     cbindgen:                                ${cbindgen:-internal}
+    sqlite rpmdb default:                    ${enable_sqlite_rpmdb_default}
 "
diff --git a/docs/treefile.md b/docs/treefile.md
index 12f4a586..1ecbf78f 100644
--- a/docs/treefile.md
+++ b/docs/treefile.md
@@ -99,7 +99,8 @@ It supports the following parameters:
 
  * `rpmdb`: String, optional: The RPM database backend.  Can be one of
     `bdb`, `ndb`, or `sqlite`.  If unspecified, defaults to `bdb` for
-    compatibility.
+    compatibility. The default can be set to `sqlite` at compile-time
+    via `--enable-sqlite-rpmdb-default`.
 
  * `cliwrap`: boolean, optional.  Defaults to `false`.  If enabled,
     rpm-ostree will replace binaries such as `/usr/bin/rpm` with
diff --git a/packaging/rpm-ostree.spec.in b/packaging/rpm-ostree.spec.in
index ae5eb74e..ff5d2ae8 100644
--- a/packaging/rpm-ostree.spec.in
+++ b/packaging/rpm-ostree.spec.in
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@ BuildRequires: rust
 %bcond_without zchunk
 %endif
 
+%if 0%{?fedora} >= 34
+%define sqlite_rpmdb_default "--enable-sqlite-rpmdb-default"
+%endif
+
 # For the autofiles bits below
 BuildRequires: /usr/bin/python3
 # We always run autogen.sh
@@ -135,7 +139,7 @@ env NOCONFIGURE=1 ./autogen.sh
 # the %%configure macro today assumes (reasonably) that one is building
 # C/C++ and sets C{,XX}FLAGS
 export RUSTFLAGS="%{build_rustflags}"
-%configure --disable-silent-rules --enable-gtk-doc
+%configure --disable-silent-rules --enable-gtk-doc %{?sqlite_rpmdb_default}
 %make_build
 
 %install
diff --git a/rust/src/treefile.rs b/rust/src/treefile.rs
index 02a5bf0e..a1ab8a3d 100644
--- a/rust/src/treefile.rs
+++ b/rust/src/treefile.rs
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ use crate::utils;
 
 const INCLUDE_MAXDEPTH: u32 = 50;
 
+#[cfg(not(feature = "sqlite-rpmdb-default"))]
+const DEFAULT_RPMDB_BACKEND: RpmdbBackend = RpmdbBackend::BDB;
+#[cfg(feature = "sqlite-rpmdb-default")]
+const DEFAULT_RPMDB_BACKEND: RpmdbBackend = RpmdbBackend::Sqlite;
+
 /// This struct holds file descriptors for any external files/data referenced by
 /// a TreeComposeConfig.
 struct TreefileExternals {
@@ -1558,7 +1563,7 @@ mod ffi {
     #[no_mangle]
     pub extern "C" fn ror_treefile_get_rpmdb(tf: *mut Treefile) -> *mut libc::c_char {
         let tf = ref_from_raw_ptr(tf);
-        let s: &str = match tf.parsed.rpmdb.as_ref().unwrap_or(&RpmdbBackend::BDB) {
+        let s: &str = match tf.parsed.rpmdb.as_ref().unwrap_or(&DEFAULT_RPMDB_BACKEND) {
             RpmdbBackend::BDB => "bdb",
             RpmdbBackend::Sqlite => "sqlite",
             RpmdbBackend::NDB => "ndb",