diff --git a/package/boost/Config.in b/package/boost/Config.in
index a15b849d10..574f51ae7e 100644
--- a/package/boost/Config.in
+++ b/package/boost/Config.in
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_LAYOUT
 	default "tagged" if BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_LAYOUT_TAGGED
 	default "versioned" if BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_LAYOUT_VERSIONED
 
+config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_ATOMIC
+	bool "boost-atomic"
+
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CHRONO
 	bool "boost-chrono"
 
diff --git a/package/boost/boost.mk b/package/boost/boost.mk
index 7b56827bf1..70160da4de 100644
--- a/package/boost/boost.mk
+++ b/package/boost/boost.mk
@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@ HOST_BOOST_FLAGS = --without-icu \
 	iostreams locale log math mpi program_options python random regex \
 	serialization signals system test thread timer wave)
 
-# atomic library compile only with upstream version, wait for next release
 # coroutine breaks on some weak toolchains and it's new for 1.54+
 # log breaks with some toolchain combinations and it's new for 1.54+
-BOOST_WITHOUT_FLAGS = atomic coroutine log
+BOOST_WITHOUT_FLAGS = coroutine log
 
+BOOST_WITHOUT_FLAGS += $(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_ATOMIC),,atomic)
 BOOST_WITHOUT_FLAGS += $(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CHRONO),,chrono)
 BOOST_WITHOUT_FLAGS += $(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CONTEXT),,context)
 BOOST_WITHOUT_FLAGS += $(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_DATE_TIME),,date_time)