diff --git a/demos/README.txt b/demos/README.txt
index e86ab3c189ee9..1a7d4f447f2c0 100644
--- a/demos/README.txt
+++ b/demos/README.txt
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ OpenSSL Demonstration Applications
 This folder contains source code that demonstrates the proper use of the OpenSSL
 library API.
 
+Note: Makefiles are provided in the demo subfolders to demonstrate how to build
+them, but are not frequently used.  Configure openssl with enable-demos to build
+them automatically through the perl based build system
+
 bio:                   Demonstration of a simple TLS client and server
 
 certs:                 Demonstration of creating certs, using OCSP