diff --git a/package/skeleton/skeleton.mk b/package/skeleton/skeleton.mk
index f5106f7449..41da1778a6 100644
--- a/package/skeleton/skeleton.mk
+++ b/package/skeleton/skeleton.mk
@@ -120,7 +120,6 @@ SKELETON_ROOT_PASSWORD =
 else ifneq ($(filter $$1$$% $$5$$% $$6$$%,$(SKELETON_TARGET_GENERIC_ROOT_PASSWD)),)
 SKELETON_ROOT_PASSWORD = '$(SKELETON_TARGET_GENERIC_ROOT_PASSWD)'
 else
-SKELETON_DEPENDENCIES += host-mkpasswd
 # This variable will only be evaluated in the finalize stage, so we can
 # be sure that host-mkpasswd will have already been built by that time.
 SKELETON_ROOT_PASSWORD = "`$(MKPASSWD) -m "$(SKELETON_TARGET_GENERIC_PASSWD_METHOD)" "$(SKELETON_TARGET_GENERIC_ROOT_PASSWD)"`"
diff --git a/system/Config.in b/system/Config.in
index 828df4217e..1ee76e8e47 100644
--- a/system/Config.in
+++ b/system/Config.in
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ config BR2_ROOTFS_MERGED_USR
 config BR2_TARGET_ENABLE_ROOT_LOGIN
 	bool "Enable root login with password"
 	default y
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_HOST_MKPASSWD if BR2_TARGET_GENERIC_ROOT_PASSWD != ""
 	help
 	  Allow root to log in with a password.