diff --git a/mlir/CMakeLists.txt b/mlir/CMakeLists.txt
index 2880dc30bca91..82bfbe56f0839 100644
--- a/mlir/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/mlir/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -162,6 +162,9 @@ configure_file(
 # Requires:
 #   The pybind11 library can be found (set with -DPYBIND_DIR=...)
 #   The python executable is correct (set with -DPython3_EXECUTABLE=...)
+# By default, find_package and probing for installed pybind11 is performed.
+# Super projects can set MLIR_DISABLE_CONFIGURE_PYTHON_DEV_PACKAGES=ON to 
+# disable all package setup and control it themselves.
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 set(MLIR_ENABLE_BINDINGS_PYTHON 0 CACHE BOOL
@@ -170,8 +173,17 @@ set(MLIR_DETECT_PYTHON_ENV_PRIME_SEARCH 1 CACHE BOOL
        "Prime the python detection by searching for a full 'Development' \
        component first (temporary while diagnosing environment specific Python \
        detection issues)")
+set(MLIR_DISABLE_CONFIGURE_PYTHON_DEV_PACKAGES 0 CACHE BOOL
+       "Performs python dev package configuration sufficient to use all MLIR \
+       python features. Super-projects that wish to control their own setup \
+       must perform an appropriate find_package of Python3 with \
+       'Development.Module' and ensure that find_package(pybind11) is \
+       satisfied (and keep up to date as requirements evolve).")
+
 if(MLIR_ENABLE_BINDINGS_PYTHON)
   include(MLIRDetectPythonEnv)
+  # Note that both upstream and downstreams often call this macro. It gates
+  # internally on the MLIR_CONFIGURE_PYTHON_DEV_PACKAGES option.
   mlir_configure_python_dev_packages()
 endif()
 
diff --git a/mlir/cmake/modules/MLIRDetectPythonEnv.cmake b/mlir/cmake/modules/MLIRDetectPythonEnv.cmake
index d3a98aaf6ffd1..05397b7a1e1c7 100644
--- a/mlir/cmake/modules/MLIRDetectPythonEnv.cmake
+++ b/mlir/cmake/modules/MLIRDetectPythonEnv.cmake
@@ -2,34 +2,36 @@
 
 # Finds and configures python packages needed to build MLIR Python bindings.
 macro(mlir_configure_python_dev_packages)
-  if(MLIR_DETECT_PYTHON_ENV_PRIME_SEARCH)
-    # Prime the search for python to see if there is a full development
-    # package. This seems to work around cmake bugs searching only for
-    # Development.Module in some environments. However, in other environments
-    # it may interfere with the subsequent search for Development.Module.
-    find_package(Python3 ${LLVM_MINIMUM_PYTHON_VERSION}
-      COMPONENTS Interpreter Development)
-  endif()
+  if(NOT MLIR_DISABLE_CONFIGURE_PYTHON_DEV_PACKAGES)
+    if(MLIR_DETECT_PYTHON_ENV_PRIME_SEARCH)
+      # Prime the search for python to see if there is a full development
+      # package. This seems to work around cmake bugs searching only for
+      # Development.Module in some environments. However, in other environments
+      # it may interfere with the subsequent search for Development.Module.
+      find_package(Python3 ${LLVM_MINIMUM_PYTHON_VERSION}
+        COMPONENTS Interpreter Development)
+    endif()
 
-  # After CMake 3.18, we are able to limit the scope of the search to just
-  # Development.Module. Searching for Development will fail in situations where
-  # the Python libraries are not available. When possible, limit to just
-  # Development.Module.
-  # See https://pybind11.readthedocs.io/en/stable/compiling.html#findpython-mode
-  set(_python_development_component Development.Module)
+    # After CMake 3.18, we are able to limit the scope of the search to just
+    # Development.Module. Searching for Development will fail in situations where
+    # the Python libraries are not available. When possible, limit to just
+    # Development.Module.
+    # See https://pybind11.readthedocs.io/en/stable/compiling.html#findpython-mode
+    set(_python_development_component Development.Module)
 
-  find_package(Python3 ${LLVM_MINIMUM_PYTHON_VERSION}
-    COMPONENTS Interpreter ${_python_development_component} REQUIRED)
-  unset(_python_development_component)
-  message(STATUS "Found python include dirs: ${Python3_INCLUDE_DIRS}")
-  message(STATUS "Found python libraries: ${Python3_LIBRARIES}")
-  message(STATUS "Found numpy v${Python3_NumPy_VERSION}: ${Python3_NumPy_INCLUDE_DIRS}")
-  mlir_detect_pybind11_install()
-  find_package(pybind11 2.10 CONFIG REQUIRED)
-  message(STATUS "Found pybind11 v${pybind11_VERSION}: ${pybind11_INCLUDE_DIR}")
-  message(STATUS "Python prefix = '${PYTHON_MODULE_PREFIX}', "
-                 "suffix = '${PYTHON_MODULE_SUFFIX}', "
-                 "extension = '${PYTHON_MODULE_EXTENSION}")
+    find_package(Python3 ${LLVM_MINIMUM_PYTHON_VERSION}
+      COMPONENTS Interpreter ${_python_development_component} REQUIRED)
+    unset(_python_development_component)
+    message(STATUS "Found python include dirs: ${Python3_INCLUDE_DIRS}")
+    message(STATUS "Found python libraries: ${Python3_LIBRARIES}")
+    message(STATUS "Found numpy v${Python3_NumPy_VERSION}: ${Python3_NumPy_INCLUDE_DIRS}")
+    mlir_detect_pybind11_install()
+    find_package(pybind11 2.10 CONFIG REQUIRED)
+    message(STATUS "Found pybind11 v${pybind11_VERSION}: ${pybind11_INCLUDE_DIR}")
+    message(STATUS "Python prefix = '${PYTHON_MODULE_PREFIX}', "
+                  "suffix = '${PYTHON_MODULE_SUFFIX}', "
+                  "extension = '${PYTHON_MODULE_EXTENSION}")
+  endif()
 endmacro()
 
 # Detects a pybind11 package installed in the current python environment