diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f7acc44faf16d..11202cbd79b9d 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ option(CURSES "Build curses version." "ON")
 option(SOUND "Support for in-game sounds & music." "OFF")
 option(BACKTRACE "Support for printing stack backtraces on crash" "ON")
 option(LIBBACKTRACE "Print backtrace with libbacktrace." "OFF")
-option(USE_HOME_DIR "Use user's home directory for save files." "ON")
+option(USE_XDG_DIR "Use XDG directories for save and config files." "OFF")
+option(USE_HOME_DIR "Use user's home directory for save and config files." "ON")
 option(USE_PREFIX_DATA_DIR "Use UNIX system directories for game data in release build." "ON")
 option(LOCALIZE "Support for language localizations. Also enable UTF support." "ON")
 option(LANGUAGES "Compile localization files for specified languages." "")
@@ -186,6 +187,11 @@ if (TILES)
     set(CURSES OFF)
 endif ()
 
+# Can't use both home and xdg directories
+if (USE_XDG_DIR)
+    set(USE_HOME_DIR OFF)
+endif ()
+
 # Set build types and display info
 if ("${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" STREQUAL "Debug")
     set(RELEASE 0)
@@ -229,6 +235,7 @@ message(STATUS "CURSES                        : ${CURSES}")
 message(STATUS "SOUND                         : ${SOUND}")
 message(STATUS "BACKTRACE                     : ${BACKTRACE}")
 message(STATUS "LOCALIZE                      : ${LOCALIZE}")
+message(STATUS "USE_XDG_DIR                   : ${USE_XDG_DIR}")
 message(STATUS "USE_HOME_DIR                  : ${USE_HOME_DIR}")
 message(STATUS "LANGUAGES                     : ${LANGUAGES}")
 message(STATUS "See doc/COMPILING/COMPILING-CMAKE.md for details and more info --")
@@ -412,6 +419,10 @@ if (USE_HOME_DIR)
     add_definitions(-DUSE_HOME_DIR)
 endif ()
 
+if (USE_XDG_DIR)
+    add_definitions(-DUSE_XDG_DIR)
+endif ()
+
 find_program(CCACHE_FOUND ccache)
 if (CCACHE_FOUND AND CATA_CCACHE)
     set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_LAUNCHER ccache)
diff --git a/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING-CMAKE.md b/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING-CMAKE.md
index 92c27ceca2568..18b34d20c7f2b 100644
--- a/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING-CMAKE.md
+++ b/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING-CMAKE.md
@@ -281,7 +281,8 @@ $ cmake -DOPTION_NAME1=option_value1 [-DOPTION_NAME2=option_value2 [...]]
  * `CURSES=<boolean>`: Build curses version.
  * `TILES=<boolean>`: Build graphical tileset version.
  * `SOUND=<boolean>`: Support for in-game sounds & music.
- * `USE_HOME_DIR=<boolean>`: Use user's home directory for save files.
+ * `USE_XDG_DIR=<boolean>`: Use user's XDG directories for save and config files.
+ * `USE_HOME_DIR=<boolean>`: Use user's home directory for save and config files.
  * `USE_PREFIX_DATA_DIR=<boolean>`: Use UNIX system directories for game data in release build.
  * `LOCALIZE=<boolean>`: Support for language localizations. Also enable UTF support.
  * `LANGUAGES=<str>`: Compile localization files for specified languages. Example:
diff --git a/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING.md b/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING.md
index 8989697d0b40e..bbcccb2d41352 100644
--- a/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING.md
+++ b/doc/COMPILING/COMPILING.md
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ The Cataclysm source is compiled using `make`.
 * `RELEASE=1` build an optimized release version; omit for debug build.
 * `CLANG=1` build with [Clang](http://clang.llvm.org/), the compiler that's included with the latest Command Line Tools for Xcode; omit to build using gcc/g++. This is enabled by default.
 * `MACPORTS=1` build against dependencies installed via Macports, currently only `gettext` and `ncurses`.
-* `USE_HOME_DIR=1` places user files (config, saves, graveyard, etc) in the user's home directory. For curses builds, this is `/Users/<user>/.cataclysm-dda`, for SDL builds it is `/Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/Cataclysm`.
+* `USE_HOME_DIR=1` places user files (config, saves, graveyard, etc) in the user's home directory. For curses builds, this is `/Users/<user>/.cataclysm-dda`, for OSX builds it is `/Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/Cataclysm`.
 * `DEBUG_SYMBOLS=1` retains debug symbols when building an optimized release binary, making it easy for developers to spot the crash site.
 
 In addition to the options above, there is an `app` make target which will package the tiles build into `Cataclysm.app`, a complete tiles build in a Mac application that can run without Terminal.