diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 11aa026f..9d15675d 100755
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ elseif("${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}" STREQUAL "GNU")
   set(cista-compile-flags -Wall -Wextra)
 endif()
 
+option(CISTA_FMT "add libfmt support" ON)
 option(CISTA_ZERO_OUT "zero out fresh memory for valgrind" OFF)
 option(CISTA_COVERAGE "generate coverage report" OFF)
 option(CISTA_GENERATE_TO_TUPLE "generate include/cista/reflection/to_tuple.h" OFF)
@@ -63,6 +64,9 @@ endif()
 if (CISTA_USE_MIMALLOC)
   target_compile_definitions(cista INTERFACE CISTA_USE_MIMALLOC=1)
 endif()
+if (CISTA_FMT)
+  target_compile_definitions(cista INTERFACE CISTA_FMT)
+endif()
 target_include_directories(cista SYSTEM INTERFACE
   $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/include>
   $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}>)
diff --git a/include/cista/containers/bitset.h b/include/cista/containers/bitset.h
index bc2332f5..bb0447a9 100644
--- a/include/cista/containers/bitset.h
+++ b/include/cista/containers/bitset.h
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ struct bitset {
 
 }  // namespace cista
 
-#if __has_include("fmt/ostream.h")
+#if defined(CISTA_FMT)
 
 #include "fmt/ostream.h"
 
diff --git a/include/cista/indexed.h b/include/cista/indexed.h
index abd393cc..e234eea2 100644
--- a/include/cista/indexed.h
+++ b/include/cista/indexed.h
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ constexpr bool is_indexed_v = is_indexed_helper<std::remove_cv_t<T>>::value;
 
 }  // namespace cista
 
-#if __has_include("fmt/ostream.h")
+#if defined(CISTA_FMT)
 
 #include "fmt/ostream.h"
 
diff --git a/include/cista/strong.h b/include/cista/strong.h
index b2bfbe8d..17046b8e 100644
--- a/include/cista/strong.h
+++ b/include/cista/strong.h
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ struct hash<cista::strong<T, Tag>> {
 
 }  // namespace std
 
-#if __has_include("fmt/ostream.h")
+#if defined(CISTA_FMT)
 
 #include "fmt/ostream.h"