diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index dbf9d77f124fc6f1ad35696ad7a8c0b677b55ec0..cf91f1daad3aae065b278eb4bb677d1a22aa7460 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	* src/nano.c (version): Print the correct --enable/--disable option.
 	* configure.ac, src/*, doc/texinfo/nano.texi: Convert all occurrences
 	of #ifdef ENABLE_NANORC to #ifndef DISABLE_NANORC, and adapt for it.
+	* configure.ac: Complain about --enable-color without --enable-nanorc.
 
 2014-04-10  Benno Schulenberg  <bensberg@justemail.net>
 	* doc/syntax/Makefile.am: Add four recent syntaxes to the packlist.
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index b2bb2d2024485919d23d1c88659111be761829b3..f9889e1e3cb2a073e1eb213c76aa927ab3c126d2 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -175,6 +175,10 @@ if test "x$enable_tiny" = xyes; then
     if test "x$enable_color" != xyes; then
 	AC_DEFINE(DISABLE_COLOR, 1, [Define this to disable syntax highlighting.])
 	color_support=no
+    else
+	if test "x$enable_nanorc" != xyes; then
+	    AC_MSG_ERROR([--enable-color with --enable-tiny cannot work without --enable-nanorc])
+	fi
     fi
     if test "x$enable_extra" != xyes; then
 	AC_DEFINE(DISABLE_EXTRA, 1, [Define this to disable extra stuff.])