diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index bdd48565edeca051f54e8fe4eb51cd1dbd5e836a..98e1ac9f2690ea6525d0807da4d21eaa3736967c 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ option(REPLACE_ENFORCE_GLOG "Replace PADDLE_ENFORCE with glog/CHECK for better d
 option(WITH_ANAKIN      "Compile with Anakin library"                   OFF)
 option(WITH_GRPC     "Use grpc as the default rpc framework"            ${WITH_DISTRIBUTE})
 option(WITH_BRPC_RDMA     "Use brpc rdma as the rpc protocal"           OFF)
+option(WITH_INFERENCE    "Compile fluid inference library"              ON)
 option(WITH_SYSTEM_BLAS   "Use system blas library"           OFF)
 option(PY_VERSION       "Compile PaddlePaddle with python3 support"     ${PY_VERSION})
 
diff --git a/paddle/fluid/CMakeLists.txt b/paddle/fluid/CMakeLists.txt
index d274d96c29bdbf5973d568d783369c3975bdc436..2577e59d9cf24c26b7c04aa00cdde6cde17f7206 100644
--- a/paddle/fluid/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/paddle/fluid/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -5,5 +5,7 @@ add_subdirectory(operators)
 add_subdirectory(pybind)
 add_subdirectory(string)
 add_subdirectory(recordio)
-# NOTE: please add subdirectory inference at last.
-add_subdirectory(inference)
+if(WITH_INFERENCE)
+  # NOTE: please add subdirectory inference at last.
+  add_subdirectory(inference)
+endif()