diff --git a/ChangeLog.d/check-return.txt b/ChangeLog.d/check-return.txt
index e6371ec69b..045b1805ec 100644
--- a/ChangeLog.d/check-return.txt
+++ b/ChangeLog.d/check-return.txt
@@ -6,7 +6,12 @@ Bugfix
      where this function cannot fail, or full-module replacements with
      MBEDTLS_AES_ALT or MBEDTLS_DES_ALT. Reported by Armelle Duboc in #1092.
 
-Changes
-   * Warn if errors from AES or DES functions are ignored. This is currently
-     supported on GCC-like compilers and on MSVC and can be configured by
-     setting MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN in mbedtls_config.h.
+Features
+   * Warn if errors from certain functions are ignored. This is currently
+     supported on GCC-like compilers and on MSVC and can be configured through
+     the macro MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN. The warnings are always enabled
+     (where supported) for critical functions where ignoring the return
+     value is almost always a bug. Enable the new configuration option
+     MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN_WARNING to get warnings for other functions. This
+     is currently implemented in the AES and DES modules, and will be extended
+     to other modules in the future.
diff --git a/include/mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h b/include/mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h
index 13c86ed582..c31a2cee52 100644
--- a/include/mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h
+++ b/include/mbedtls/mbedtls_config.h
@@ -520,6 +520,29 @@
  */
 //#define MBEDTLS_CAMELLIA_SMALL_MEMORY
 
+/**
+ * \def MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN_WARNING
+ *
+ * If this macro is defined, emit a compile-time warning if application code
+ * calls a function without checking its return value, but the return value
+ * should generally be checked in portable applications.
+ *
+ * This is only supported on platforms where #MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN is
+ * implemented. Otherwise this option has no effect.
+ *
+ * Uncomment to get warnings on using fallible functions without checking
+ * their return value.
+ *
+ * \note  This feature is a work in progress.
+ *        Warnings will be added to more functions in the future.
+ *
+ * \note  A few functions are considered critical, and ignoring the return
+ *        value of these functions will trigger a warning even if this
+ *        macro is not defined. To completely disable return value check
+ *        warnings, define #MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN with an empty expansion.
+ */
+//#define MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN_WARNING
+
 /**
  * \def MBEDTLS_CIPHER_MODE_CBC
  *
diff --git a/include/mbedtls/platform_util.h b/include/mbedtls/platform_util.h
index d8379deb31..ce0611da57 100644
--- a/include/mbedtls/platform_util.h
+++ b/include/mbedtls/platform_util.h
@@ -109,7 +109,11 @@ MBEDTLS_DEPRECATED typedef int mbedtls_deprecated_numeric_constant_t;
  *        an error code (as \c int in the \c mbedtls_xxx API or
  *        as ::psa_status_t in the \c psa_xxx API).
  */
+#if defined(MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN_WARNING)
 #define MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN_TYPICAL MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN
+#else
+#define MBEDTLS_CHECK_RETURN_TYPICAL
+#endif
 
 /** Benign-failure function
  *