diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4729e4f..4129920 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.11.1 -Wall -Werror dist-bzip2 foreign color-tests parallel-t
 AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 
 AC_CHECK_TOOL([STRIP], [strip])
+# Those are only used in tests, hence we gracefully degrate if they are not found.
+AC_CHECK_TOOL([OBJDUMP], [objdump], [objdump])
+AC_CHECK_TOOL([OBJCOPY], [objcopy], [objcopy])
+AC_CHECK_TOOL([READELF], [readelf], [readelf])
 
 AM_PROG_CC_C_O
 AC_PROG_CXX
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index ba51652..cb80d9a 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ TESTS = $(src_TESTS) $(build_TESTS)
 
 EXTRA_DIST = no-rpath-prebuild $(src_TESTS) no-rpath-prebuild.sh invalid-elf endianness empty-note
 
-TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = PATCHELF_DEBUG=1
+TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = PATCHELF_DEBUG=1 OBJDUMP=$(OBJDUMP) READELF=$(READELF)
 
 $(no_rpath_arch_TESTS): no-rpath-prebuild.sh
 	@ln -s $< $@
diff --git a/tests/add-debug-tag.sh b/tests/add-debug-tag.sh
index 203a0bc..4fbbfa4 100755
--- a/tests/add-debug-tag.sh
+++ b/tests/add-debug-tag.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh -e
 SCRATCH=scratch/$(basename $0 .sh)
+READELF=${READELF:-readelf}
 
 rm -rf ${SCRATCH}
 mkdir -p ${SCRATCH}
@@ -7,7 +8,7 @@ mkdir -p ${SCRATCH}
 cp libsimple.so ${SCRATCH}/
 
 # check there is no DT_DEBUG tag
-debugTag=$(readelf -d ${SCRATCH}/libsimple.so)
+debugTag=$($READELF -d ${SCRATCH}/libsimple.so)
 echo ".dynamic before: $debugTag"
 if echo "$debugTag" | grep -q DEBUG; then
     echo "failed --add-debug-tag test. Expected no line with (DEBUG), got: $debugTag"
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ fi
 ../src/patchelf --add-debug-tag ${SCRATCH}/libsimple.so
 
 # check there is DT_DEBUG tag
-debugTag=$(readelf -d ${SCRATCH}/libsimple.so)
+debugTag=$($READELF -d ${SCRATCH}/libsimple.so)
 echo ".dynamic before: $debugTag"
 if ! echo "$debugTag" | grep -q DEBUG; then
     echo "failed --add-debug-tag test. Expected line with (DEBUG), got: $debugTag"
diff --git a/tests/build-id.sh b/tests/build-id.sh
index 81b8f06..94ddc4c 100755
--- a/tests/build-id.sh
+++ b/tests/build-id.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh -e
 SCRATCH=scratch/$(basename $0 .sh)
-
-if ! command -v readelf >/dev/null; then
-    echo "No readelf found; skip test"
-    exit 0
-fi
+READELF=${READELF:-readelf}
 
 rm -rf "${SCRATCH}"
 mkdir -p "${SCRATCH}"
diff --git a/tests/force-rpath.sh b/tests/force-rpath.sh
index 9256905..6b1422a 100755
--- a/tests/force-rpath.sh
+++ b/tests/force-rpath.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh -e
 SCRATCH=scratch/$(basename $0 .sh)
+OBJDUMP=${OBJDDUMP:-objdump}
 
 rm -rf ${SCRATCH}
 mkdir -p ${SCRATCH}
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ doit() {
 }
 
 expect() {
-    out=$(echo $(objdump -x $SCRATCHFILE | grep PATH))
+    out=$(echo $($OBJDUMP -x $SCRATCHFILE | grep PATH))
 
     if [ "$out" != "$*" ]; then
         echo "Expected '$*' but got '$out'"
diff --git a/tests/set-rpath-rel-map.sh b/tests/set-rpath-rel-map.sh
index efc0943..48bc361 100755
--- a/tests/set-rpath-rel-map.sh
+++ b/tests/set-rpath-rel-map.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 #! /bin/sh -e
 
-if ! objdump -p main | grep -q MIPS_RLD_MAP_REL; then
+SCRATCH=scratch/$(basename $0 .sh)
+OBJDUMP=${OBJDUMP:-objdump}
+OBJCOPY=${OBJCOPY:-objcopy}
+
+if ! $OBJDUMP -p main | grep -q MIPS_RLD_MAP_REL; then
     echo "No MIPS_RLD_MAP_REL dynamic section entry, skipping"
     exit 0
 fi
 
-SCRATCH=scratch/$(basename $0 .sh)
-
 rm -rf ${SCRATCH}
 mkdir -p ${SCRATCH}
 mkdir -p ${SCRATCH}/libsA
@@ -17,7 +19,7 @@ cp libfoo.so ${SCRATCH}/libsA/
 cp libbar.so ${SCRATCH}/libsB/
 
 # break the main executable by removing .rld_map section
-objcopy --remove-section .rld_map ${SCRATCH}/main
+${OBJCOPY} --remove-section .rld_map ${SCRATCH}/main
 
 oldRPath=$(../src/patchelf --print-rpath ${SCRATCH}/main)
 if test -z "$oldRPath"; then oldRPath="/oops"; fi