diff --git a/racket/src/configure b/racket/src/configure
index b4353468f8..6415cd57ca 100755
--- a/racket/src/configure
+++ b/racket/src/configure
@@ -712,6 +712,7 @@ PLAIN_CC
 MZLINKER
 REZ
 CC_FOR_BUILD
+STRIP_LIB_DEBUG
 STRIP_DEBUG
 ARFLAGS
 STATIC_AR
@@ -3177,6 +3178,7 @@ INSTALL_SETUP_RACKET_FLAGS=
 INSTALL_LIBS_ENABLE=no-install
 
 STRIP_DEBUG=":"
+STRIP_LIB_DEBUG=":"
 strip_debug_flags=""
 enable_strip_by_default=yes
 
@@ -4743,9 +4745,6 @@ $as_echo "#define HAVE_STDINT_H 1" >>confdefs.h
     PREFLAGS="$PREFLAGS -DOS_X -D_DARWIN_UNLIMITED_SELECT"
     try_kqueue_syscall=yes
 
-    # Needed when stripping ".a"s:
-    strip_debug_flags=" -S"
-
     # ".a" is typically not useful, since we always build a ".dylib":
     if test "${enable_libs}" == "" ; then
       INSTALL_LIBS_ENABLE=no-install
@@ -4855,6 +4854,11 @@ if test "${enable_strip}" = "" ; then
   fi
 fi
 
+try_archive_conftest()
+{
+   $AR $ARFLAGS conftest.a conftest.$OBJEXT > /dev/null 2>&1
+}
+
 if test "${enable_strip}" = "yes" ; then
   if test -n "$ac_tool_prefix"; then
   # Extract the first word of "${ac_tool_prefix}strip", so it can be a program name with args.
@@ -4949,7 +4953,32 @@ else
 fi
 
   # Used to add -S flag, but not all `strip' variants support it:
-  STRIP_DEBUG="${STRIP}${strip_debug_flags}"
+  STRIP_DEBUG="${STRIP}"
+  if test "${INSTALL_LIBS_ENABLE}" = "install" ; then
+    # Can only support library stripping if something like "-S" is available:
+     msg="for strip -S"
+    { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking $msg" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking $msg... " >&6; }
+    set_strip_lib=no
+    cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
+/* end confdefs.h.  */
+int f() { return 0; }
+_ACEOF
+if ac_fn_c_try_compile "$LINENO"; then :
+  try_archive_conftest
+else
+  set_strip_lib=no
+fi
+rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
+    if test conftest.a ; then
+      if "${STRIP_DEBUG}" -S conftest.a > /dev/null 2>&1 ; then
+        STRIP_LIB_DEBUG="${STRIP_DEBUG} -S"
+        set_strip_lib=yes
+      fi
+    fi
+    { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $set_strip_lib" >&5
+$as_echo "$set_strip_lib" >&6; }
+  fi
 fi
 
 ############## C flags ################
@@ -6880,6 +6909,7 @@ LIBS="$LIBS $EXTRALIBS"
 
 
 
+
 
 
 mk_needed_dir()
diff --git a/racket/src/racket/Makefile.in b/racket/src/racket/Makefile.in
index 396a2eff78..2d8e4c750d 100644
--- a/racket/src/racket/Makefile.in
+++ b/racket/src/racket/Makefile.in
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ ARFLAGS = @ARFLAGS@
 RANLIB = @RANLIB@
 
 STRIP_DEBUG = @STRIP_DEBUG@
+STRIP_LIB_DEBUG = @STRIP_LIB_DEBUG@
 
 ARLIBFLAGS = @LDFLAGS@ @LIBS@
 
@@ -406,8 +407,8 @@ unix-install-cgc:
 unix-install-libs-cgc:
 	cd ..; $(ICP) racket/libmzgc.@LIBSFX@ "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libmzgc.@LIBSFX@"
 	cd ..; $(ICP) racket/libracket.@LIBSFX@ "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libracket.@LIBSFX@"
-	cd ..; $(STRIP_DEBUG) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libmzgc.@LIBSFX@"
-	cd ..; $(STRIP_DEBUG) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libracket.@LIBSFX@"
+	cd ..; $(STRIP_LIB_DEBUG) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libmzgc.@LIBSFX@"
+	cd ..; $(STRIP_LIB_DEBUG) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libracket.@LIBSFX@"
 
 unix-no-install-libs-cgc:
 	$(NOOP)
@@ -424,7 +425,7 @@ unix-install-3m:
 
 unix-install-libs-3m:
 	cd ..; $(ICP) racket/libracket3m.@LIBSFX@ "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libracket3m.@LIBSFX@"
-	cd ..; $(STRIP_DEBUG) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libracket3m.@LIBSFX@"
+	cd ..; $(STRIP_LIB_DEBUG) "$(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/libracket3m.@LIBSFX@"
 
 unix-no-install-libs-3m:
 	$(NOOP)
diff --git a/racket/src/racket/configure.ac b/racket/src/racket/configure.ac
index 8ad72a7af4..aea5974d24 100644
--- a/racket/src/racket/configure.ac
+++ b/racket/src/racket/configure.ac
@@ -450,6 +450,7 @@ INSTALL_SETUP_RACKET_FLAGS=
 INSTALL_LIBS_ENABLE=no-install
 
 STRIP_DEBUG=":"
+STRIP_LIB_DEBUG=":"
 strip_debug_flags=""
 enable_strip_by_default=yes
 
@@ -867,9 +868,6 @@ case "$host_os" in
     PREFLAGS="$PREFLAGS -DOS_X -D_DARWIN_UNLIMITED_SELECT"
     try_kqueue_syscall=yes
 
-    # Needed when stripping ".a"s:
-    strip_debug_flags=" -S"
-
     # ".a" is typically not useful, since we always build a ".dylib":
     if test "${enable_libs}" == "" ; then
       INSTALL_LIBS_ENABLE=no-install
@@ -979,10 +977,29 @@ if test "${enable_strip}" = "" ; then
   fi
 fi
 
+try_archive_conftest()
+{
+   $AR $ARFLAGS conftest.a conftest.$OBJEXT > /dev/null 2>&1
+}
+
 if test "${enable_strip}" = "yes" ; then
   AC_CHECK_TOOL([STRIP], [strip])
   # Used to add -S flag, but not all `strip' variants support it:
-  STRIP_DEBUG="${STRIP}${strip_debug_flags}"
+  STRIP_DEBUG="${STRIP}"
+  if test "${INSTALL_LIBS_ENABLE}" = "install" ; then
+    # Can only support library stripping if something like "-S" is available:
+    [ msg="for strip -S" ]
+    AC_MSG_CHECKING($msg)
+    set_strip_lib=no
+    AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_SOURCE([int f() { return 0; }])], try_archive_conftest, set_strip_lib=no )
+    if test conftest.a ; then
+      if "${STRIP_DEBUG}" -S conftest.a > /dev/null 2>&1 ; then
+        STRIP_LIB_DEBUG="${STRIP_DEBUG} -S"
+        set_strip_lib=yes
+      fi
+    fi
+    AC_MSG_RESULT($set_strip_lib)
+  fi
 fi
 
 ############## C flags ################
@@ -1692,6 +1709,7 @@ AC_SUBST(AR)
 AC_SUBST(STATIC_AR)
 AC_SUBST(ARFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(STRIP_DEBUG)
+AC_SUBST(STRIP_LIB_DEBUG)
 AC_SUBST(CC_FOR_BUILD)
 AC_SUBST(REZ)
 AC_SUBST(MZLINKER)