diff --git a/scripts/build_xhpast.sh b/scripts/build_xhpast.sh
index e3d3972..bd31609 100755
--- a/scripts/build_xhpast.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_xhpast.sh
@@ -1,27 +1,29 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
 set -e
 
 ROOT=`dirname $0`"/../support/xhpast"
 
 echo
 echo "Building XHPAST..."
 echo
 
 cd $ROOT
 make clean all install
 
 echo
 echo "Testing xhpast works"
 echo
 if ! ./xhpast --version
 then
   echo
   echo >&2 "xhpast is broken :("
+  echo >&2 "Maybe try `STATIC=1 ./build_xhpast.sh` if the error"
+  echo >&2 "is linker-related?"
   echo
   exit 2
 fi
 
 echo
 echo "Build successful!"
 echo
diff --git a/support/xhpast/Makefile b/support/xhpast/Makefile
index fbd107b..83b22c8 100755
--- a/support/xhpast/Makefile
+++ b/support/xhpast/Makefile
@@ -1,60 +1,61 @@
 ifdef DEBUG
 CPPFLAGS = -fPIC -ggdb -Wall -DDEBUG
 else
 CPPFLAGS = -fPIC -g -Wall -O3 -minline-all-stringops
 endif
 
 ifdef PROFILE
 CPPFLAGS += -pg
 endif
 
-# See T953
+ifdef STATIC
 CPPFLAGS += -static
+endif
 
 ROOT = ../../src/parser/xhpast
 
 all: xhpast
 
 clean:
 	-rm xhpast parser.yacc.output libxhpast.a *.o 2>/dev/null
 
 cleanall: clean
 	-rm scanner.lex.cpp scanner.lex.hpp parser.yacc.cpp parser.yacc.hpp
 
 install: xhpast
 	cp xhpast $(ROOT)/bin/xhpast
 
 scanner: scanner.l
 	./find_flex.sh >/dev/null && \
 		`./find_flex.sh` -C --header-file=scanner.lex.hpp -o scanner.lex.cpp -d $<
 	echo '/* @gen''er''ated */' >> scanner.lex.cpp
 	echo '/* @gen''er''ated */' >> scanner.lex.hpp
 
 parser: parser.y
 	bison --debug --verbose -d -o parser.yacc.cpp $<
 	echo '/* @gen''er''ated */' >> parser.yacc.cpp
 	echo '/* @gen''er''ated */' >> parser.yacc.hpp
 
 node_names.hpp: generate_nodes.php
 	php -f generate_nodes.php
 	cp parser_nodes.php $(ROOT)/constants/
 
 %.o: %.cpp
 	$(CXX) -c $(CPPFLAGS) -o $@ $<
 
 needparserscanner:
 	 @([ -e parser.yacc.hpp ] && [ -e parser.yacc.cpp ] && \
 	   [ -e scanner.lex.hpp ] && [ -e scanner.lex.cpp ]) \
 		|| (echo "Run 'make parser scanner' first.'" && exit 1)
 
 parser.yacc.o: needparserscanner scanner.lex.hpp
 
 scanner.lex.o: needparserscanner parser.yacc.hpp node_names.hpp
 
 libxhpast.a: astnode.o scanner.lex.o parser.yacc.o
 	$(AR) -crs $@ $^
 
 xhpast: xhpast.cpp libxhpast.a
 	$(CXX) $(CPPFLAGS) -o $@ $^
 
 .PHONY: all clean