diff --git a/src/BinDeps.jl b/src/BinDeps.jl
index 57392c4..1e67038 100644
--- a/src/BinDeps.jl
+++ b/src/BinDeps.jl
@@ -558,4 +558,10 @@ include("show.jl")
 
 @Base.deprecate_binding shlib_ext Libdl.dlext
 
+
+# Definitions that should be evaluated upon initialization, not stored in the cache
+function __init__()
+    global const has_sudo = try success(`sudo -V`) catch err false end
+end
+
 end
diff --git a/src/dependencies.jl b/src/dependencies.jl
index 8cf1feb..7e0dc95 100644
--- a/src/dependencies.jl
+++ b/src/dependencies.jl
@@ -356,6 +356,7 @@ function provides{T}(::Type{T},providers::Dict; opts...)
     end
 end
 
+sudoname(c::Cmd) = c == `` ? "" : "sudo "
 
 generate_steps(h::DependencyProvider,dep::LibraryDependency) = error("Must also pass provider options")
 generate_steps(h::BuildProcess,dep::LibraryDependency,opts) = h.steps
@@ -364,9 +365,10 @@ function generate_steps(dep::LibraryDependency,h::AptGet,opts)
         error("Will not force apt-get to rebuild dependency \"$(dep.name)\".\n"*
               "Please make any necessary adjustments manually (This might just be a version upgrade)")
     end
+    sudo = get(opts, :sudo, has_sudo) ? `sudo` : ``
     @build_steps begin
-        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `sudo apt-get install $(h.package)`:")
-        `sudo apt-get install $(h.package)`
+        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `$(sudoname(sudo))apt-get install $(h.package)`:")
+        `$sudo apt-get install $(h.package)`
         ()->(ccall(:jl_read_sonames,Void,()))
     end
 end
@@ -375,10 +377,10 @@ function generate_steps(dep::LibraryDependency,h::Yum,opts)
         error("Will not force yum to rebuild dependency \"$(dep.name)\".\n"*
               "Please make any necessary adjustments manually (This might just be a version upgrade)")
     end
-
+    sudo = get(opts, :sudo, has_sudo) ? `sudo` : ``
     @build_steps begin
-        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `sudo yum install $(h.package)`:")
-        `sudo yum install $(h.package)`
+        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `$(sudoname(sudo))yum install $(h.package)`:")
+        `$sudo yum install $(h.package)`
         ()->(ccall(:jl_read_sonames,Void,()))
     end
 end
@@ -387,9 +389,10 @@ function generate_steps(dep::LibraryDependency,h::Pacman,opts)
         error("Will not force pacman to rebuild dependency \"$(dep.name)\".\n"*
               "Please make any necessary adjustments manually (This might just be a version upgrade)")
     end
+    sudo = get(opts, :sudo, has_sudo) ? `sudo` : ``
     @build_steps begin
-        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `sudo pacman -S --needed $(h.package)`:")
-        `sudo pacman -S --needed $(h.package)`
+        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `$(sudoname(sudo))pacman -S --needed $(h.package)`:")
+        `$sudo pacman -S --needed $(h.package)`
         ()->(ccall(:jl_read_sonames,Void,()))
     end
 end
@@ -398,9 +401,10 @@ function generate_steps(dep::LibraryDependency,h::Zypper,opts)
         error("Will not force zypper to rebuild dependency \"$(dep.name)\".\n"*
               "Please make any necessary adjustments manually (This might just be a version upgrade)")
     end
+    sudo = get(opts, :sudo, has_sudo) ? `sudo` : ``
     @build_steps begin
-        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `sudo zypper install $(h.package)`:")
-        `sudo zypper install $(h.package)`
+        println("Installing dependency $(h.package) via `$(sudoname(sudo))zypper install $(h.package)`:")
+        `$sudo zypper install $(h.package)`
         ()->(ccall(:jl_read_sonames,Void,()))
     end
 end
@@ -409,9 +413,10 @@ function generate_steps(dep::LibraryDependency, p::BSDPkg, opts)
         error("Will not force pkg to rebuild dependency \"$(dep.name)\".\n" *
               "Please make any necessary adjustments manually. (This might just be a version upgrade.)")
     end
+    sudo = get(opts, :sudo, has_sudo) ? `sudo` : ``
     @build_steps begin
-        println("Installing dependency $(p.package) via `sudo pkg install -y $(p.package)`:`")
-        `sudo pkg install -y $(p.package)`
+        println("Installing dependency $(p.package) via `$(sudoname(sudo))pkg install -y $(p.package)`:`")
+        `$sudo pkg install -y $(p.package)`
         ()->(ccall(:jl_read_sonames, Void, ()))
     end
 end