diff --git a/Documentation/Makefile.in b/Documentation/Makefile.in
index 54026e41..e57ddac9 100644
--- a/Documentation/Makefile.in
+++ b/Documentation/Makefile.in
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-ifeq (@ASCIIDOC_TOOL@,sphinx)
+ifeq (@DOC_TOOL@,sphinx)
 
 # Source files for manual pages are listed in conf.py in variable man_pages
 
@@ -118,14 +118,14 @@ man8dir = $(mandir)/man8
 XMLTO = @XMLTO@
 XMLTO_EXTRA = -m manpage-bold-literal.xsl
 
-ifeq (@ASCIIDOC_TOOL@,asciidoc)
+ifeq (@DOC_TOOL@,asciidoc)
 ASCIIDOC = @ASCIIDOC@
 ASCIIDOC_ARGS = -abtrfs_version=$(BTRFS_VERSION) -f asciidoc.conf
 ASCIIDOC_HTML = html
 ASCIIDOC_DOCBOOK = docbook
 ASCIIDOC_DEPS = asciidoc.conf
 endif
-ifeq (@ASCIIDOC_TOOL@,asciidoctor)
+ifeq (@DOC_TOOL@,asciidoctor)
 ASCIIDOC = @ASCIIDOCTOR@
 ASCIIDOC_ARGS = -abtrfs_version=$(BTRFS_VERSION)
 ASCIIDOC_HTML = xhtml5
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 35568605..8085d51c 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -108,42 +108,19 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([documentation],
 AS_IF([test "x$enable_documentation" = xyes], [DISABLE_DOCUMENTATION=0], [DISABLE_DOCUMENTATION=1])
 AC_SUBST([DISABLE_DOCUMENTATION])
 
-dnl Workaround to allow to select sphinx and build the RST documentation until
-dnl it's default and without introducing temporary --with option
-dnl Use as: $ ASCIIDOC_TOOL ./configure
-if test "x$ASCIIDOC_TOOL" = "xsphinx"; then
-	ASCIIDOC_TOOL='sphinx'
+dnl detect tools to build documentation
+DOC_TOOL="none"
+if test "x$enable_documentation" = xyes; then
+	DOC_TOOL='sphinx'
 	AC_PATH_PROG([SPHINX], [sphinx-build])
 	AC_PATH_PROG([MV], [mv], [mv])
 	AC_PROG_SED
-else
 
-dnl detect tools to build documentation
-ASCIIDOC_TOOL="none"
-if test "x$enable_documentation" = xyes; then
-	AC_PATH_PROG([XMLTO], [xmlto])
-	if test -z "$XMLTO"; then
-		AC_MSG_ERROR([cannot find xmlto, cannot build documentation])
-	fi
-
-	AC_PATH_PROG([MV], [mv], [mv])
-	AC_PROG_SED
-	AC_PATH_PROG([ASCIIDOC], [asciidoc])
-	AC_PATH_PROG([ASCIIDOCTOR], [asciidoctor])
-
-	dnl asciidoc is preferred
-	if test -n "$ASCIIDOC"; then
-		ASCIIDOC_TOOL="asciidoc"
-	else
-		if test -n "$ASCIIDOCTOR"; then
-			ASCIIDOC_TOOL="asciidoctor"
-		else
-			AC_MSG_ERROR([cannot find asciidoc or asciidoctor, cannot build documentation])
-		fi
+	if test -z "$SPHINX"; then
+		AC_MSG_ERROR([cannot find sphinx-build, cannot build documentation])
 	fi
 fi
-fi
-AC_SUBST([ASCIIDOC_TOOL])
+AC_SUBST([DOC_TOOL])
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([programs],
 	      AS_HELP_STRING([--disable-programs], [do not build utility programs]),
@@ -456,7 +433,7 @@ AC_MSG_RESULT([
 	shared libraries:   ${enable_shared}
 	static libraries:   ${enable_static}
 	documentation:      ${enable_documentation}
-	doc generator:      ${ASCIIDOC_TOOL}
+	doc generator:      ${DOC_TOOL}
 	backtrace support:  ${enable_backtrace}
 	btrfs-convert:      ${enable_convert} ${convertfs:+($convertfs)}
 	btrfs-restore zstd: ${enable_zstd}