diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 36a4d75bb2..ed26d2e32d 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -752,6 +752,7 @@ gstreamer-full-minimal static build:
     MESON_ARGS: >-
       -Ddoc=disabled
       -Dauto_features=disabled
+      -Dgst-full=enabled
       -Dgstreamer:check=enabled
       -Dtests=enabled
       -Dgst-plugins-base:alsa=enabled
@@ -781,6 +782,7 @@ fluster v4l2-stateless on visl:
     MESON_ARGS: >-
       -Dvirtme_kernel_image=/opt/linux/bzImage
       -Dauto_features=disabled
+      -Dgst-full=enabled
       -Dgstreamer:check=enabled
       -Ddoc=disabled
       -Dtests=enabled
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 50312ad936..cd70ac7741 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -254,6 +254,11 @@ Only linux-like platforms are currently well supported when Windows, MSVC
 and MinGW, should be considered as *experimental* as the symbols export
 is still under discussion.
 
+Since 1.24.7, it is possible to disable the `gstreamer-full` library by passing
+`-Dgst-full=disabled`. This can be useful in cases where you want a static
+build of gstreamer, but you do not want to use gst-full, since linking the
+static executables associated with it can be quite CPU/RAM intensive.
+
 
 #### Full-static build
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index d8b6ac928d..7646f6cf53 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ if not meson.is_subproject() and cc.get_id() == 'msvc'
       language: ['c', 'cpp'])
 endif
 
-building_full = get_option('default_library') == 'static'
+building_full = get_option('default_library') == 'static' and not get_option('gst-full').disabled()
 building_full_static = false
 building_full_options = []
 if building_full
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index f9a345d813..15a315b60c 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ option('oss_fuzz', type : 'feature', value : 'disabled',
 
 # Other options
 option('custom_subprojects', type : 'string', value : '', description : 'Comma-separated project names')
+option('gst-full', type: 'feature', value: 'auto', description: 'Enable the gstreamer-full library feature')
 option('gst-full-libraries', type : 'array', value : [],
   description : '''List of libraries to expose in gstreamer-full's ABI. gstreamer, glib and gobject are always included.''')
 option('gst-full-version-script', type : 'string', value: 'data/misc/gstreamer-full-default.map',
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
index e3d608bba7..ae243ebd64 100644
--- a/tests/meson.build
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 if get_option('tests').disabled()
 	subdir_done()
 endif
-subdir('static-plugins')
+if building_full
+  subdir('static-plugins')
+endif
 subdir('python')
 subdir('virtme')
diff --git a/tests/static-plugins/meson.build b/tests/static-plugins/meson.build
index 0faeab20c8..9464788b1d 100644
--- a/tests/static-plugins/meson.build
+++ b/tests/static-plugins/meson.build
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-
-dep = dependency('gstreamer-full-1.0', required: get_option('default_library') == 'static')
+dep = dependency('gstreamer-full-1.0', required: get_option('gst-full'))
 if dep.found()
 	test_gst_full_features = executable('test-gst-full-features', 'test-gst-full-features.c', dependencies : gst_full_dep, c_args: ['-DHAVE_CONFIG_H'])
 	test('test-gst-full-features', test_gst_full_features)