diff --git a/package/pkg-python.mk b/package/pkg-python.mk
index b7a702d0f7..9725d24f98 100644
--- a/package/pkg-python.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-python.mk
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ ifndef $(2)_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS
 define $(2)_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS
 	(cd $$($$(PKG)_BUILDDIR)/; \
 		$$($$(PKG)_BASE_ENV) $$($$(PKG)_ENV) \
-		$$($(2)_PYTHON_INTERPRETER) setup.py install \
+		$$($(2)_PYTHON_INTERPRETER) setup.py install --no-compile \
 		$$($$(PKG)_BASE_INSTALL_TARGET_OPTS) \
 		$$($$(PKG)_INSTALL_TARGET_OPTS))
 endef
diff --git a/package/python/python.mk b/package/python/python.mk
index 4e927660a8..913dc2c55d 100644
--- a/package/python/python.mk
+++ b/package/python/python.mk
@@ -143,7 +143,8 @@ PYTHON_CONF_OPTS += \
 	--disable-tk		\
 	--disable-nis		\
 	--disable-dbm		\
-	--disable-pyo-build
+	--disable-pyo-build	\
+	--disable-pyc-build
 
 # This is needed to make sure the Python build process doesn't try to
 # regenerate those files with the pgen program. Otherwise, it builds
@@ -217,6 +218,17 @@ PYTHON_PATH = $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR)/sysconfigdata/
 $(eval $(autotools-package))
 $(eval $(host-autotools-package))
 
+define PYTHON_CREATE_PYC_FILES
+	PYTHONPATH="$(PYTHON_PATH)" \
+	$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python$(PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR) \
+		support/scripts/pycompile.py \
+		$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR)
+endef
+
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON_PYC_ONLY)$(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON_PY_PYC),y)
+TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS += PYTHON_CREATE_PYC_FILES
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON_PYC_ONLY),y)
 define PYTHON_REMOVE_PY_FILES
 	find $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR) -name '*.py' -print0 | \
@@ -225,6 +237,8 @@ endef
 TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS += PYTHON_REMOVE_PY_FILES
 endif
 
+# Normally, *.pyc files should not have been compiled, but just in
+# case, we make sure we remove all of them.
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON_PY_ONLY),y)
 define PYTHON_REMOVE_PYC_FILES
 	find $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR) -name '*.pyc' -print0 | \
diff --git a/package/python3/python3.mk b/package/python3/python3.mk
index 3089c03b7b..8459b113e3 100644
--- a/package/python3/python3.mk
+++ b/package/python3/python3.mk
@@ -78,10 +78,6 @@ ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_PYC_ONLY),y)
 PYTHON3_CONF_OPTS += --enable-old-stdlib-cache
 endif
 
-ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_PY_ONLY),y)
-PYTHON3_CONF_OPTS += --disable-pyc-build
-endif
-
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_SQLITE),y)
 PYTHON3_DEPENDENCIES += sqlite
 else
@@ -135,7 +131,8 @@ PYTHON3_CONF_OPTS += \
 	--disable-lib2to3	\
 	--disable-tk		\
 	--disable-nis		\
-	--disable-idle3
+	--disable-idle3		\
+	--disable-pyc-build
 
 # Python builds two tools to generate code: 'pgen' and
 # '_freeze_importlib'. Unfortunately, for the target Python, they are
@@ -212,6 +209,17 @@ PYTHON3_PATH = $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON3_VERSION_MAJOR)/sysconfigdat
 $(eval $(autotools-package))
 $(eval $(host-autotools-package))
 
+define PYTHON3_CREATE_PYC_FILES
+	PYTHONPATH="$(PYTHON3_PATH)" \
+	$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python$(PYTHON3_VERSION_MAJOR) \
+		support/scripts/pycompile.py \
+		$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON3_VERSION_MAJOR)
+endef
+
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_PYC_ONLY)$(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_PY_PYC),y)
+TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS += PYTHON3_CREATE_PYC_FILES
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_PYC_ONLY),y)
 define PYTHON3_REMOVE_PY_FILES
 	find $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON3_VERSION_MAJOR) -name '*.py' -print0 | \
@@ -220,6 +228,8 @@ endef
 TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS += PYTHON3_REMOVE_PY_FILES
 endif
 
+# Normally, *.pyc files should not have been compiled, but just in
+# case, we make sure we remove all of them.
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3_PY_ONLY),y)
 define PYTHON3_REMOVE_PYC_FILES
 	find $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON3_VERSION_MAJOR) -name '*.pyc' -print0 | \
diff --git a/support/scripts/pycompile.py b/support/scripts/pycompile.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fde711a42a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/support/scripts/pycompile.py
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+# Wrapper for python2 and python3 around compileall to raise exception
+# when a python byte code generation failed.
+#
+# Inspired from:
+#   http://stackoverflow.com/questions/615632/how-to-detect-errors-from-compileall-compile-dir
+
+from __future__ import print_function
+import sys
+import py_compile
+import compileall
+
+class ReportProblem:
+    def __nonzero__(self):
+        type, value, traceback = sys.exc_info()
+        if type is not None and issubclass(type, py_compile.PyCompileError):
+            print("Cannot compile %s" %value.file)
+            raise value
+        return 1
+
+report_problem = ReportProblem()
+
+compileall.compile_dir(sys.argv[1], quiet=report_problem)