diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index ee30d721bc7..94904d16282 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ option('link-journalctl-shared', type: 'boolean',
        description : 'link journalctl against libsystemd-shared.so')
 option('link-boot-shared', type: 'boolean',
        description : 'link bootctl and systemd-bless-boot against libsystemd-shared.so')
+option('link-busctl-shared', type: 'boolean',
+       description : 'link busctl against libsystemd-shared.so')
 option('link-portabled-shared', type: 'boolean',
        description : 'link systemd-portabled and its helpers to libsystemd-shared.so')
 option('first-boot-full-preset', type: 'boolean', value: false,
diff --git a/src/busctl/meson.build b/src/busctl/meson.build
index 6b3a479b219..6d94e2925b8 100644
--- a/src/busctl/meson.build
+++ b/src/busctl/meson.build
@@ -5,11 +5,19 @@ busctl_sources = files(
         'busctl.c',
 )
 
+if get_option('link-busctl-shared')
+        busctl_link_with = [libshared]
+else
+        busctl_link_with = [libsystemd_static,
+                            libshared_static]
+endif
+
 executables += [
         executable_template + {
                 'name' : 'busctl',
                 'public' : true,
                 'sources' : busctl_sources,
+                'link_with' : busctl_link_with,
         },
         test_template + {
                 'sources' : files(