diff --git a/configure b/configure
index bcc1faea3b5..352b77560b7 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -634,6 +634,7 @@ valopt datadir "${CFG_PREFIX}/share" "install data"
 valopt infodir "${CFG_PREFIX}/share/info" "install additional info"
 valopt llvm-root "" "set LLVM root"
 valopt python "" "set path to python"
+valopt nodejs "" "set path to nodejs"
 valopt jemalloc-root "" "set directory where libjemalloc_pic.a is located"
 valopt build "${DEFAULT_BUILD}" "GNUs ./configure syntax LLVM build triple"
 valopt android-cross-path "" "Android NDK standalone path (deprecated)"
@@ -749,6 +750,9 @@ if [ $(echo $python_version | grep -c '^Python 2\.7') -ne 1 ]; then
     err "Found $python_version, but Python 2.7 is required"
 fi
 
+# Checking for node, but not required
+probe CFG_NODEJS nodejs node
+
 # If we have no git directory then we are probably a tarball distribution
 # and shouldn't attempt to load submodules
 if [ ! -e ${CFG_SRC_DIR}.git ]
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/bootstrap.py b/src/bootstrap/bootstrap.py
index 3f4a18ab124..17a7c9ca66a 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/bootstrap.py
+++ b/src/bootstrap/bootstrap.py
@@ -236,15 +236,6 @@ class RustBuild:
             return config + '/bin/rustc' + self.exe_suffix()
         return os.path.join(self.bin_root(), "bin/rustc" + self.exe_suffix())
 
-    def nodejs(self):
-        config = self.get_toml('nodejs')
-        if config:
-            return config
-        if os.path.exists(os.path.join(self.bin_root(), "bin/nodejs")):
-            return os.path.join(self.bin_root(), "bin/nodejs" + self.exe_suffix())
-        elif os.path.exists(os.path.join(self.bin_root(), "bin/node")):
-            return os.path.join(self.bin_root(), "bin/node" + self.exe_suffix())
-
     def get_string(self, line):
         start = line.find('"')
         end = start + 1 + line[start+1:].find('"')
diff --git a/src/bootstrap/config.rs b/src/bootstrap/config.rs
index 5a7ae4f6973..682a6f74126 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/config.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/config.rs
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@ pub struct Config {
     pub target: Vec<String>,
     pub rustc: Option<PathBuf>,
     pub cargo: Option<PathBuf>,
-    pub nodejs: Option<PathBuf>,
     pub local_rebuild: bool,
 
     // libstd features
@@ -112,7 +111,6 @@ struct Build {
     host: Vec<String>,
     target: Vec<String>,
     cargo: Option<String>,
-    nodejs: Option<String>,
     rustc: Option<String>,
     compiler_docs: Option<bool>,
     docs: Option<bool>,
@@ -217,7 +215,6 @@ impl Config {
         }
         config.rustc = build.rustc.map(PathBuf::from);
         config.cargo = build.cargo.map(PathBuf::from);
-        config.nodejs = build.nodejs.map(PathBuf::from);
         set(&mut config.compiler_docs, build.compiler_docs);
         set(&mut config.docs, build.docs);