diff --git a/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.bb b/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.bb
index 0391b388f4..b60bc85ed3 100644
--- a/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.bb
+++ b/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.bb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 SECTION = "x11/base"
 SRC_URI = "file://gtk-doc.m4"
 LICENSE = "LGPL"
-PR = "r3"
+PR = "r4"
 
 ALLOW_EMPTY_${PN} = "1"
 
diff --git a/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.m4 b/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.m4
index af73800bf2..2cfa1e7178 100644
--- a/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.m4
+++ b/meta/packages/gtk-doc/gtk-doc.m4
@@ -8,46 +8,54 @@ AC_DEFUN([GTK_DOC_CHECK],
 [
   AC_BEFORE([AC_PROG_LIBTOOL],[$0])dnl setup libtool first
   AC_BEFORE([AM_PROG_LIBTOOL],[$0])dnl setup libtool first
+
+  dnl check for tools we added during development
+  AC_PATH_PROG([GTKDOC_CHECK],[gtkdoc-check])
+  AC_PATH_PROGS([GTKDOC_REBASE],[gtkdoc-rebase],[true])
+  AC_PATH_PROG([GTKDOC_MKPDF],[gtkdoc-mkpdf])
+
   dnl for overriding the documentation installation directory
-  AC_ARG_WITH(html-dir,
-    AC_HELP_STRING([--with-html-dir=PATH], [path to installed docs]),,
+  AC_ARG_WITH([html-dir],
+    AS_HELP_STRING([--with-html-dir=PATH], [path to installed docs]),,
     [with_html_dir='${datadir}/gtk-doc/html'])
   HTML_DIR="$with_html_dir"
-  AC_SUBST(HTML_DIR)
+  AC_SUBST([HTML_DIR])
 
   dnl enable/disable documentation building
-  AC_ARG_ENABLE(gtk-doc,
-    AC_HELP_STRING([--enable-gtk-doc],
-                   [use gtk-doc to build documentation [default=no]]),,
-    enable_gtk_doc=no)
+  AC_ARG_ENABLE([gtk-doc],
+    AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-gtk-doc],
+                   [use gtk-doc to build documentation [[default=no]]]),,
+    [enable_gtk_doc=no])
 
-  have_gtk_doc=no
   if test x$enable_gtk_doc = xyes; then
-    if test -z "$PKG_CONFIG"; then
-      AC_PATH_PROG(PKG_CONFIG, pkg-config, no)
-    fi
-    if test "$PKG_CONFIG" != "no" && $PKG_CONFIG --exists gtk-doc; then
-      have_gtk_doc=yes
-    fi
-
-  dnl do we want to do a version check?
-ifelse([$1],[],,
-    [gtk_doc_min_version=$1
-    if test "$have_gtk_doc" = yes; then
-      AC_MSG_CHECKING([gtk-doc version >= $gtk_doc_min_version])
-      if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-version $gtk_doc_min_version gtk-doc; then
-        AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)
-      else
-        AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
-        have_gtk_doc=no
-      fi
-    fi
-])
-    if test "$have_gtk_doc" != yes; then
-      enable_gtk_doc=no
-    fi
+    ifelse([$1],[],
+      [PKG_CHECK_EXISTS([gtk-doc],,
+                        AC_MSG_ERROR([gtk-doc not installed and --enable-gtk-doc requested]))],
+      [PKG_CHECK_EXISTS([gtk-doc >= $1],,
+                        AC_MSG_ERROR([You need to have gtk-doc >= $1 installed to build $PACKAGE_NAME]))])
   fi
 
-  AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_GTK_DOC, test x$enable_gtk_doc = xyes)
-  AM_CONDITIONAL(GTK_DOC_USE_LIBTOOL, test -n "$LIBTOOL")
+  AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether to build gtk-doc documentation])
+  AC_MSG_RESULT($enable_gtk_doc)
+
+  dnl enable/disable output formats
+  AC_ARG_ENABLE([gtk-doc-html],
+    AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-gtk-doc-html],
+                   [build documentation in html format [[default=yes]]]),,
+    [enable_gtk_doc_html=yes])
+    AC_ARG_ENABLE([gtk-doc-pdf],
+      AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-gtk-doc-pdf],
+                     [build documentation in pdf format [[default=no]]]),,
+      [enable_gtk_doc_pdf=no])
+
+  if test -z "$GTKDOC_MKPDF"; then
+    enable_gtk_doc_pdf=no
+  fi
+
+
+  AM_CONDITIONAL([ENABLE_GTK_DOC], [test x$enable_gtk_doc = xyes])
+  AM_CONDITIONAL([GTK_DOC_BUILD_HTML], [test x$enable_gtk_doc_html = xyes])
+  AM_CONDITIONAL([GTK_DOC_BUILD_PDF], [test x$enable_gtk_doc_pdf = xyes])
+  AM_CONDITIONAL([GTK_DOC_USE_LIBTOOL], [test -n "$LIBTOOL"])
+  AM_CONDITIONAL([GTK_DOC_USE_REBASE], [test -n "$GTKDOC_REBASE"])
 ])