diff --git a/Tools/wasm/README.md b/Tools/wasm/README.md
index 94b3729a5da..40f23a396f6 100644
--- a/Tools/wasm/README.md
+++ b/Tools/wasm/README.md
@@ -98,9 +98,11 @@ popd
 ```
 
 ```shell
-node --experimental-wasm-threads --experimental-wasm-bulk-memory builddir/emscripten-node/python.js
+node --experimental-wasm-threads --experimental-wasm-bulk-memory --experimental-wasm-bigint builddir/emscripten-node/python.js
 ```
 
+(``--experimental-wasm-bigint`` is not needed with recent NodeJS versions)
+
 # wasm32-emscripten limitations and issues
 
 Emscripten before 3.1.8 has known bugs that can cause memory corruption and
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 34de0f7f1b6..9f15e492b99 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -7953,6 +7953,8 @@ fi
 
         as_fn_append LDFLAGS_NODIST " -sALLOW_MEMORY_GROWTH -sTOTAL_MEMORY=20971520"
 
+        as_fn_append LDFLAGS_NODIST " -sWASM_BIGINT"
+
         as_fn_append LDFLAGS_NODIST " -sFORCE_FILESYSTEM -lidbfs.js -lnodefs.js -lproxyfs.js -lworkerfs.js"
 
     if test "x$enable_wasm_dynamic_linking" = xyes; then :
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 3b70532e4d0..f9abd851ea5 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2028,6 +2028,9 @@ AS_CASE([$ac_sys_system],
     dnl Start with 20 MB and allow to grow
     AS_VAR_APPEND([LDFLAGS_NODIST], [" -sALLOW_MEMORY_GROWTH -sTOTAL_MEMORY=20971520"])
 
+    dnl map int64_t and uint64_t to JS bigint
+    AS_VAR_APPEND([LDFLAGS_NODIST], [" -sWASM_BIGINT"])
+
     dnl Include file system support
     AS_VAR_APPEND([LDFLAGS_NODIST], [" -sFORCE_FILESYSTEM -lidbfs.js -lnodefs.js -lproxyfs.js -lworkerfs.js"])