diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 0570d15a67..411f12a8c7 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 git-annex (3.20130125) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
 
   * webapp: Now allows restarting any threads that crash.
+  * Adjust debian package to only build-depend on DAV on architectures
+    where it is available.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Sat, 26 Jan 2013 15:48:40 +1100
 
diff --git a/debian/control b/debian/control
index b88f62f8cf..6bfe63da98 100644
--- a/debian/control
+++ b/debian/control
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Build-Depends:
 	libghc-http-dev,
 	libghc-utf8-string-dev,
 	libghc-hs3-dev (>= 0.5.6),
-	libghc-dav-dev (>= 0.3),
+	libghc-dav-dev (>= 0.3) [amd64 i386 kfreebsd-amd64 kfreebsd-i386 sparc],
 	libghc-testpack-dev,
 	libghc-quickcheck2-dev,
 	libghc-monad-control-dev (>= 0.3),
diff --git a/debian/rules b/debian/rules
index 1b89279577..8cd2b5aa59 100755
--- a/debian/rules
+++ b/debian/rules
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/make -f
 
-ARCH = $(shell dpkg-architecture -qDEB_BUILD_ARCH)
 ifeq (install ok installed,$(shell dpkg-query -W -f '$${Status}' libghc-yesod-dev 2>/dev/null))
-export FEATURES=-DWITH_ASSISTANT -DWITH_S3 -DWITH_WEBDAV -DWITH_HOST -DWITH_OLD_URI -DWITH_PAIRING -DWITH_XMPP -DWITH_WEBAPP -DWITH_OLD_YESOD
+export FEATURES=-DWITH_ASSISTANT -DWITH_S3 -DWITH_HOST -DWITH_OLD_URI -DWITH_PAIRING -DWITH_XMPP -DWITH_WEBAPP -DWITH_OLD_YESOD
 else
-export FEATURES=-DWITH_ASSISTANT -DWITH_S3 -DWITH_WEBDAV -DWITH_HOST -DWITH_OLD_URI -DWITH_PAIRING -DWITH_XMPP
+export FEATURES=-DWITH_ASSISTANT -DWITH_S3 -DWITH_HOST -DWITH_OLD_URI -DWITH_PAIRING -DWITH_XMPP
+endif
+ifeq (install ok installed,$(shell dpkg-query -W -f '$${Status}' libghc-dav-dev 2>/dev/null))
+export FEATURES:=${FEATURES} -DWITH_WEBDAV
 endif
 
 %: