diff --git a/config.mk.in b/config.mk.in
index 812573a14..11d00851a 100644
--- a/config.mk.in
+++ b/config.mk.in
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ HAVE_OUTPUT=@HAVE_OUTPUT@
 HAVE_OVERLAYFS=@HAVE_OVERLAYFS@
 HAVE_PRIVATE_HOME=@HAVE_PRIVATE_HOME@
 HAVE_PRIVATE_LIB=@HAVE_PRIVATE_LIB@
+HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK=@HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK@
 HAVE_SELINUX=@HAVE_SELINUX@
 HAVE_SUID=@HAVE_SUID@
 HAVE_USERNS=@HAVE_USERNS@
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ MANFLAGS = \
 	$(HAVE_OVERLAYFS) \
 	$(HAVE_PRIVATE_HOME) \
 	$(HAVE_PRIVATE_LIB) \
+	$(HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK) \
 	$(HAVE_SELINUX) \
 	$(HAVE_SUID) \
 	$(HAVE_USERNS) \
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 70e8c9b61..781acf0dc 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -674,6 +674,7 @@ PKG_CONFIG_PATH
 PKG_CONFIG
 HAVE_APPARMOR
 HAVE_IDS
+HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK
 DEPS_CFLAGS
 TAR
 STRIP
@@ -733,6 +734,7 @@ ac_user_opts='
 enable_option_checking
 enable_analyzer
 enable_sanitizer
+enable_sandbox_check
 enable_ids
 enable_apparmor
 enable_selinux
@@ -1391,6 +1393,9 @@ Optional Features:
   --enable-analyzer       enable GCC static analyzer
   --enable-sanitizer=[address | memory | undefined]
                           enable a compiler-based sanitizer (debug)
+  --disable-sandbox-check checking if current instance of firejail is running
+                          within a sandbox is disabled, only use this when
+                          developing firejail inside of a sandbox
   --enable-ids            enable ids
   --enable-apparmor       enable apparmor
   --enable-selinux        SELinux labeling support
@@ -3955,6 +3960,21 @@ esac
 fi
 
 
+fi
+
+HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK=""
+
+# Check whether --enable-sandbox-check was given.
+if test ${enable_sandbox_check+y}
+then :
+  enableval=$enable_sandbox_check;
+fi
+
+if test "x$enable_sandbox_check" != "xno"
+then :
+
+	HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK="-DHAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK"
+
 fi
 
 HAVE_IDS=""
@@ -5793,6 +5813,7 @@ Features:
    overlayfs support: $HAVE_OVERLAYFS
    private home support: $HAVE_PRIVATE_HOME
    private lib support: $HAVE_PRIVATE_LIB
+   sandbox check: $HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK
    SELinux labeling support: $HAVE_SELINUX
    user namespace: $HAVE_USERNS
    X11 sandboxing support: $HAVE_X11
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 86b05d9b0..55c096b1f 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -69,6 +69,14 @@ AS_IF([test "x$enable_sanitizer" != "xno" ], [
 	], [AC_MSG_ERROR([sanitizer not supported: $enable_sanitizer])])
 ])
 
+HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK=""
+AC_SUBST([HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK])
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([sandbox-check],
+	      [AS_HELP_STRING([--disable-sandbox-check], [checking if current instance of firejail is running within a sandbox is disabled, only use this when developing firejail inside of a sandbox])])
+AS_IF([test "x$enable_sandbox_check" != "xno"], [
+	HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK="-DHAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK"
+])
+
 HAVE_IDS=""
 AC_SUBST([HAVE_IDS])
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([ids],
@@ -324,6 +332,7 @@ Features:
    overlayfs support: $HAVE_OVERLAYFS
    private home support: $HAVE_PRIVATE_HOME
    private lib support: $HAVE_PRIVATE_LIB
+   sandbox check: $HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK
    SELinux labeling support: $HAVE_SELINUX
    user namespace: $HAVE_USERNS
    X11 sandboxing support: $HAVE_X11
diff --git a/src/firejail/checkcfg.c b/src/firejail/checkcfg.c
index bab0e819f..175894684 100644
--- a/src/firejail/checkcfg.c
+++ b/src/firejail/checkcfg.c
@@ -405,6 +405,13 @@ static const char *const compiletime_support =
 		"disabled"
 #endif
 
+	"\n\t- sandbox check is "
+#ifdef HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK
+		"enabled"
+#else
+		"disabled"
+#endif
+
 	"\n\t- SELinux support is "
 #ifdef HAVE_SELINUX
 		"enabled"
diff --git a/src/firejail/main.c b/src/firejail/main.c
index e989a5ead..d85d1569f 100644
--- a/src/firejail/main.c
+++ b/src/firejail/main.c
@@ -1130,6 +1130,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp) {
 	// If LXC is detected, start firejail sandbox
 	// otherwise try to detect a PID namespace by looking under /proc for specific kernel processes and:
 	//	- start the application in a /bin/bash shell
+#ifdef HAVE_SANDBOX_CHECK
 	if (check_namespace_virt() == 0) {
 		EUID_ROOT();
 		int rv = check_kernel_procs();
@@ -1145,6 +1146,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp) {
 			__builtin_unreachable();
 		}
 	}
+#endif
 
 	// profile builder
 	if (check_arg(argc, argv, "--build", 0)) // supports both --build and --build=filename