diff --git a/package/pkg-generic.mk b/package/pkg-generic.mk
index 7b3294a09a..1709660ef2 100644
--- a/package/pkg-generic.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-generic.mk
@@ -1060,6 +1060,7 @@ PACKAGES_USERS += $$($(2)_USERS)$$(sep)
 endif
 TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS += $$($(2)_TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS)
 ROOTFS_PRE_CMD_HOOKS += $$($(2)_ROOTFS_PRE_CMD_HOOKS)
+PYTHON_KEEP_PY_FILES += $$($(2)_KEEP_PY_FILES)
 
 ifeq ($$($(2)_SITE_METHOD),svn)
 DL_TOOLS_DEPENDENCIES += svn
diff --git a/package/python/python.mk b/package/python/python.mk
index 8c2b195c91..a3f5ce2113 100644
--- a/package/python/python.mk
+++ b/package/python/python.mk
@@ -267,7 +267,9 @@ 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 | \
+	find $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON_VERSION_MAJOR) -name '*.py' \
+		$(if $(strip $(PYTHON_KEEP_PY_FILES)),-not \( $(call finddirclauses,$(TARGET_DIR),$(PYTHON_KEEP_PY_FILES)) \) ) \
+		-print0 | \
 		xargs -0 --no-run-if-empty rm -f
 endef
 PYTHON_TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS += PYTHON_REMOVE_PY_FILES
diff --git a/package/python3/python3.mk b/package/python3/python3.mk
index d6fda5c274..a8a5464149 100644
--- a/package/python3/python3.mk
+++ b/package/python3/python3.mk
@@ -285,7 +285,9 @@ 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 | \
+	find $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib/python$(PYTHON3_VERSION_MAJOR) -name '*.py' \
+		$(if $(strip $(PYTHON_KEEP_PY_FILES)),-not \( $(call finddirclauses,$(TARGET_DIR),$(PYTHON_KEEP_PY_FILES)) \) ) \
+		-print0 | \
 		xargs -0 --no-run-if-empty rm -f
 endef
 PYTHON3_TARGET_FINALIZE_HOOKS += PYTHON3_REMOVE_PY_FILES