diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index b2d2e151..21d850be 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -365,11 +365,5 @@ your commit(s).
 - `libglib2.0-dev-bin` (IIRC that one is to compress the `.ui` files and the
 icons into a `.gresource` file)
 
-Aside of this, **since 0.6.0**, the main `meson.build` script will try to check
-if your system does have **the dependencies to run the app**.
-
-The tag 0.6.0 can't be built if `appstream-util` is on the system, the other
-tags should be fine.
-
 ----
 
diff --git a/data/meson.build b/data/meson.build
index bba5243c..0548d626 100644
--- a/data/meson.build
+++ b/data/meson.build
@@ -1,38 +1,59 @@
 
-desktop_file = i18n.merge_file(
-	input: app_uuid + '.desktop.in',
-	output: app_uuid + '.desktop',
-	type: 'desktop',
-	po_dir: '../po',
-	install: true,
-	install_dir: join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'applications')
-)
+################################################################################
+# Installation and validation of the .desktop file #############################
+
+desktop_files_dir = join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'applications')
+if get_option('enable-translations-and-appdata')
+	desktop_file = i18n.merge_file(
+		input: app_uuid + '.desktop.in',
+		output: app_uuid + '.desktop',
+		type: 'desktop',
+		po_dir: '../po',
+		install: true,
+		install_dir: desktop_files_dir
+	)
+else
+	install_data(
+		app_uuid + '.desktop.in',
+		install_rename: app_uuid + '.desktop',
+		install_dir: desktop_files_dir
+	)
+	desktop_file = desktop_files_dir / app_uuid + '.desktop'
+endif
 
 desktop_utils = find_program('desktop-file-validate', required: false)
 if desktop_utils.found()
 	test('Validate desktop file', desktop_utils, args: [desktop_file])
 endif
 
-appstream_file = i18n.merge_file(
-	input: app_uuid + '.appdata.xml.in',
-	output: app_uuid + '.appdata.xml',
-	po_dir: '../po',
-	install: true,
-	install_dir: join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'metainfo')
-)
+################################################################################
+# Installation and validation of the appstream file ############################
 
-appstream_util = find_program('appstream-util', required: false)
-if appstream_util.found()
-	test(
-		'Validate appstream file',
-		appstream_util,
-		args: ['validate', appstream_file]
+if get_option('enable-translations-and-appdata')
+	appstream_file = i18n.merge_file(
+		input: app_uuid + '.appdata.xml.in',
+		output: app_uuid + '.appdata.xml',
+		po_dir: '../po',
+		install: true,
+		install_dir: join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'metainfo')
 	)
-	# The app will never pass "validate-strict" because appstream-util wants
-	# pictures with a 16:9 ratio, while i use pictures of the default window
-	# size, which is approximating the objectively better golden ratio.
+
+	appstream_util = find_program('appstream-util', required: false)
+	if appstream_util.found()
+		test(
+			'Validate appstream file',
+			appstream_util,
+			args: ['validate', appstream_file]
+		)
+		# The app will never pass "validate-strict" because appstream-util wants
+		# pictures with a 16:9 ratio, while i use pictures of the default window
+		# size, which is approximating the objectively better golden ratio.
+	endif
 endif
 
+################################################################################
+# Installation and validation of the .gschema file #############################
+
 install_data(
 	app_uuid + '.gschema.xml',
 	install_dir: join_paths(get_option('datadir'), 'glib-2.0/schemas')
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 3f970e26..3d8461d6 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -8,47 +8,16 @@ app_uuid = 'com.github.maoschanz.drawing'
 
 # Dependencies #################################################################
 
-# XXX the proper way to check python3 libs dependencies is this:
+# TODO the proper way to check python3 libs dependencies is this:
 # https://mesonbuild.com/Python-module.html#dependency but the doc is quite bad
 # so i've no idea how to make it work
 
-python3 = find_program('python3')
-python3_tested_modules = {
-	'cairo': '',
-	'gi': '3.30',
-}
-
-# You can comment the following loop if you're using an old distro to build a
-# package for a recent distro. These modules are required to run the app, but
-# not to build the package
-foreach module, required_version : python3_tested_modules
-	if run_command(python3, '-c', 'import @0@'.format(module)).returncode() != 0
-		error('python3 module \'' + module + '\' not found')
-	else
-		test_module = run_command(
-			python3,
-			'-c',
-			'import @0@, sys; print (sys.modules["@0@"].__version__)'.format(module)
-		)
-		actual_version = test_module.stdout().strip()
-	endif
-	if required_version > actual_version
-		error(
-			'python3 module "' + module + '" found with version "' + actual_version
-			+ '", the version "' + required_version + '" is required.'
-		)
-	else
-		message('python3 module "' + module + '" looks fine.')
-	endif
-endforeach
-
-# TODO options to build it without gettext. If gettext, validate the dep is here
-# TODO options to build it without appdata. If appdata, validate the dep is here
-
 ################################################################################
 
 # Will be used in po and data
-i18n = import('i18n')
+if get_option('enable-translations-and-appdata')
+	i18n = import('i18n')
+endif
 
 # Will be used in help and src
 gnome = import('gnome')
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f66d21d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+option('enable-translations-and-appdata', type: 'boolean', value: true)
+
diff --git a/po/meson.build b/po/meson.build
index 39f45e67..860a73fe 100644
--- a/po/meson.build
+++ b/po/meson.build
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 
-i18n.gettext('drawing', args: '--add-location=file', preset: 'glib')
+if get_option('enable-translations-and-appdata')
+	i18n.gettext('drawing', args: '--add-location=file', preset: 'glib')
+endif