diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 70f4df4..771c4bf 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -70,6 +70,10 @@ AC_SUBST([spindlehtdocdir])
 
 BT_DEFINE_PREFIX
 
+# Build options
+
+AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([SPINDLE_ENABLE_ABOUT_SELF], [0], [Whether to enable 'items are about themselves' in the index])
+
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile
 m4/Makefile
 twine/Makefile
diff --git a/twine/common/db-schema.c b/twine/common/db-schema.c
index 22040b0..9ad5333 100644
--- a/twine/common/db-schema.c
+++ b/twine/common/db-schema.c
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
  * 1..DB_SCHEMA_VERSION must be handled individually in spindle_db_migrate_
  * below.
  */
-#define DB_SCHEMA_VERSION               25
+#define DB_SCHEMA_VERSION               26
 
 static int spindle_db_migrate_(SQL *restrict, const char *identifier, int newversion, void *restrict userdata);
 
@@ -506,6 +506,14 @@ spindle_db_migrate_(SQL *restrict sql, const char *identifier, int newversion, v
 		}
 		return 0;
 	}
+	if(newversion == 26)
+	{
+		if(sql_execute(sql, "DELETE FROM \"about\" WHERE \"id\" = \"about\""))
+		{
+			return -1;
+		}
+		return 0;
+	}
 	twine_logf(LOG_NOTICE, PLUGIN_NAME ": unsupported database schema version %d\n", newversion);
 	return -1;
 }
diff --git a/twine/generate/index-about.c b/twine/generate/index-about.c
index 5cd2184..2c5040d 100644
--- a/twine/generate/index-about.c
+++ b/twine/generate/index-about.c
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  *
  * Author: Mo McRoberts <mo.mcroberts@bbc.co.uk>
  *
- * Copyright (c) 2014-2015 BBC
+ * Copyright (c) 2014-2017 BBC
  *
  *  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  *  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ spindle_index_about(SQL *sql, const char *id, SPINDLEENTRY *data)
 		NULL
 	};
 	
+#if SPINDLE_ENABLE_ABOUT_SELF
 	/* Force an entity to always 'about' itself, so that queries match both
 	 * topics and the things about those topics
 	 */
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ spindle_index_about(SQL *sql, const char *id, SPINDLEENTRY *data)
 	{
 		return -1;
 	}
+#endif
 	if(!(query = librdf_new_statement(data->spindle->world)))
 	{
 		return -1;