diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1a97f21b8de..b7ca50c726d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ ZIP ?= zip
 PLANTUML ?= plantuml # may also be "java -jar plantuml.jar" if installed elsewhere
 
 # The KCONFIG programs are only needed for re-generating the ".config" file.
-KCONFIG_CONF ?= kconfig-conf
-KCONFIG_MCONF ?= kconfig-mconf
+# You can install the python "kconfiglib", if you don't have kconfig/kbuild.
+KCONFIG_CONF ?= $(shell command -v kconfig-conf || command -v kbuild-conf || echo oldconfig)
+KCONFIG_MCONF ?= $(shell command -v kconfig-mconf || command -v kbuild-mconf || echo menuconfig)
 
 GOOS ?= $(shell $(GO) env GOOS)
 ifeq ($(GOOS),windows)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 35db2a21c9d..7463d75e680 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -140,6 +140,9 @@ curl -fsSL "https://github.com/lima-vm/lima/releases/download/${VERSION}/lima-${
 The tools are available as either "kconfig-frontends" or "kbuild-standalone".
 There is one `conf` for the text, and one `mconf` for the menu interface.
 
+A python implementation is available at <https://pypi.org/project/kconfiglib>.
+It can be installed with `pip install --user kconfiglib`, including `guiconfig`.
+
 </p>
 </details>