diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 8e204f0e397..36723f614ad 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -644,6 +644,8 @@ LN
 INSTALL_DATA
 INSTALL_SCRIPT
 INSTALL_PROGRAM
+HAS_PYTHON
+DISABLE_ASDLGEN
 HAS_HG
 HGBRANCH
 HGTAG
@@ -5204,6 +5206,9 @@ fi
 
 
 
+
+if test -e $srcdir/.hg/00changelog.i
+then
 # Extract the first word of "hg", so it can be a program name with args.
 set dummy hg; ac_word=$2
 { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
@@ -5242,6 +5247,9 @@ $as_echo "no" >&6; }
 fi
 
 
+else
+HAS_HG=no-repository
+fi
 if test $HAS_HG = found
 then
     HGVERSION="hg id -i \$(srcdir)"
@@ -5253,6 +5261,52 @@ else
     HGBRANCH=""
 fi
 
+
+DISABLE_ASDLGEN=""
+# Extract the first word of "python", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy python; ac_word=$2
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
+if ${ac_cv_prog_HAS_PYTHON+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+  if test -n "$HAS_PYTHON"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_HAS_PYTHON="$HAS_PYTHON" # Let the user override the test.
+else
+as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
+    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if { test -f "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" && $as_test_x "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; }; then
+    ac_cv_prog_HAS_PYTHON="found"
+    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+  done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+  test -z "$ac_cv_prog_HAS_PYTHON" && ac_cv_prog_HAS_PYTHON="not-found"
+fi
+fi
+HAS_PYTHON=$ac_cv_prog_HAS_PYTHON
+if test -n "$HAS_PYTHON"; then
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $HAS_PYTHON" >&5
+$as_echo "$HAS_PYTHON" >&6; }
+else
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+$as_echo "no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+
+if test $HAS_HG != found -o $HAS_PYTHON != found
+then
+    DISABLE_ASDLGEN="@echo hg: $HAS_HG, python: $HAS_PYTHON! cannot run \$(srcdir)/Parser/asdl_c.py #"
+fi
+
+
 case $MACHDEP in
 bsdos*|hp*|HP*)
 	# install -d does not work on BSDI or HP-UX