diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index 38a8e5d4a6..c955041c61 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -9338,6 +9338,44 @@ must be compatible.  If @var{replacement} is somehow incompatible with
 @var{package}, then the resulting package may be unusable.  Use with
 care!
 
+@cindex tool chain, changing the build tool chain of a package
+@item --with-c-toolchain=@var{package}=@var{toolchain}
+This option changes the compilation of @var{package} and everything that
+depends on it so that they get built with @var{toolchain} instead of the
+default GNU tool chain for C/C++.
+
+Consider this example:
+
+@example
+guix build octave-cli \
+  --with-c-toolchain=fftw=gcc-toolchain@@10 \
+  --with-c-toolchain=fftwf=gcc-toolchain@@10
+@end example
+
+The command above builds a variant of the @code{fftw} and @code{fftwf}
+packages using version 10 of @code{gcc-toolchain} instead of the default
+tool chain, and then builds a variant of the GNU@tie{}Octave
+command-line interface using them.  GNU@tie{}Octave itself is also built
+with @code{gcc-toolchain@@10}.
+
+This other example builds the Hardware Locality (@code{hwloc}) library
+and its dependents up to @code{intel-mpi-benchmarks} with the Clang C
+compiler:
+
+@example
+guix build --with-c-toolchain=hwloc=clang-toolchain \
+           intel-mpi-benchmarks
+@end example
+
+@quotation Note
+There can be application binary interface (ABI) incompatibilities among
+tool chains.  This is particularly true of the C++ standard library and
+run-time support libraries such as that of OpenMP.  By rebuilding all
+dependents with the same tool chain, @option{--with-c-toolchain} minimizes
+the risks of incompatibility but cannot entirely eliminate them.  Choose
+@var{package} wisely.
+@end quotation
+
 @item --with-git-url=@var{package}=@var{url}
 @cindex Git, using the latest commit
 @cindex latest commit, building
diff --git a/guix/scripts/build.scm b/guix/scripts/build.scm
index 72a5d46347..e59e0ee67f 100644
--- a/guix/scripts/build.scm
+++ b/guix/scripts/build.scm
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
   #:use-module (guix store)
   #:use-module (guix derivations)
   #:use-module (guix packages)
+  #:use-module (guix memoization)
   #:use-module (guix grafts)
 
   #:use-module (guix utils)
@@ -396,6 +397,83 @@ a checkout of the Git repository at the given URL."
         (rewrite obj)
         obj)))
 
+(define (package-dependents/spec top bottom)
+  "Return the list of dependents of BOTTOM, a spec string, that are also
+dependencies of TOP, a package."
+  (define-values (name version)
+    (package-name->name+version bottom))
+
+  (define dependent?
+    (mlambda (p)
+      (and (package? p)
+           (or (and (string=? name (package-name p))
+                    (or (not version)
+                        (version-prefix? version (package-version p))))
+               (match (bag-direct-inputs (package->bag p))
+                 (((labels dependencies . _) ...)
+                  (any dependent? dependencies)))))))
+
+  (filter dependent? (package-closure (list top))))
+
+(define (package-toolchain-rewriting p bottom toolchain)
+  "Return a procedure that, when passed a package that's either BOTTOM or one
+of its dependents up to P so, changes it so it is built with TOOLCHAIN.
+TOOLCHAIN must be an input list."
+  (define rewriting-property
+    (gensym " package-toolchain-rewriting"))
+
+  (match (package-dependents/spec p bottom)
+    (()                                           ;P does not depend on BOTTOM
+     identity)
+    (set
+     ;; SET is the list of packages "between" P and BOTTOM (included) whose
+     ;; toolchain needs to be changed.
+     (package-mapping (lambda (p)
+                        (if (or (assq rewriting-property
+                                      (package-properties p))
+                                (not (memq p set)))
+                            p
+                            (let ((p (package-with-c-toolchain p toolchain)))
+                              (package/inherit p
+                                (properties `((,rewriting-property . #t)
+                                              ,@(package-properties p)))))))
+                      (lambda (p)
+                        (or (assq rewriting-property (package-properties p))
+                            (not (memq p set))))
+                      #:deep? #t))))
+
+(define (transform-package-toolchain replacement-specs)
+  "Return a procedure that, when passed a package, changes its toolchain or
+that of its dependencies according to REPLACEMENT-SPECS.  REPLACEMENT-SPECS is
+a list of strings like \"fftw=gcc-toolchain@10\" meaning that the package to
+the left of the equal sign must be built with the toolchain to the right of
+the equal sign."
+  (define split-on-commas
+    (cute string-tokenize <> (char-set-complement (char-set #\,))))
+
+  (define (specification->input spec)
+    (let ((package (specification->package spec)))
+      (list (package-name package) package)))
+
+  (define replacements
+    (map (lambda (spec)
+           (match (string-tokenize spec %not-equal)
+             ((spec (= split-on-commas toolchain))
+              (cons spec (map specification->input toolchain)))
+             (_
+              (leave (G_ "~a: invalid toolchain replacement specification~%")
+                     spec))))
+         replacement-specs))
+
+  (lambda (store obj)
+    (if (package? obj)
+        (or (any (match-lambda
+                   ((bottom . toolchain)
+                    ((package-toolchain-rewriting obj bottom toolchain) obj)))
+                 replacements)
+            obj)
+        obj)))
+
 (define (transform-package-tests specs)
   "Return a procedure that, when passed a package, sets #:tests? #f in its
 'arguments' field."
@@ -426,6 +504,7 @@ a checkout of the Git repository at the given URL."
     (with-branch . ,transform-package-source-branch)
     (with-commit . ,transform-package-source-commit)
     (with-git-url . ,transform-package-source-git-url)
+    (with-c-toolchain . ,transform-package-toolchain)
     (without-tests . ,transform-package-tests)))
 
 (define (transformation-procedure key)
@@ -455,6 +534,8 @@ a checkout of the Git repository at the given URL."
                   (parser 'with-commit))
           (option '("with-git-url") #t #f
                   (parser 'with-git-url))
+          (option '("with-c-toolchain") #t #f
+                  (parser 'with-c-toolchain))
           (option '("without-tests") #t #f
                   (parser 'without-tests)))))
 
@@ -477,6 +558,9 @@ a checkout of the Git repository at the given URL."
   (display (G_ "
       --with-git-url=PACKAGE=URL
                          build PACKAGE from the repository at URL"))
+  (display (G_ "
+      --with-c-toolchain=PACKAGE=TOOLCHAIN
+                         build PACKAGE and its dependents with TOOLCHAIN"))
   (display (G_ "
       --without-tests=PACKAGE
                          build PACKAGE without running its tests")))
diff --git a/tests/scripts-build.scm b/tests/scripts-build.scm
index 5f91360953..6925374baa 100644
--- a/tests/scripts-build.scm
+++ b/tests/scripts-build.scm
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
   #:use-module (guix derivations)
   #:use-module (guix packages)
   #:use-module (guix git-download)
+  #:use-module (guix build-system)
+  #:use-module (guix build-system gnu)
   #:use-module (guix scripts build)
   #:use-module (guix ui)
   #:use-module (guix utils)
@@ -30,6 +32,8 @@
   #:use-module (gnu packages base)
   #:use-module (gnu packages busybox)
   #:use-module (ice-9 match)
+  #:use-module (srfi srfi-1)
+  #:use-module (srfi srfi-26)
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-64))
 
 
@@ -270,6 +274,80 @@
                        ((("x" dep3))
                         (map package-source (list dep1 dep3))))))))))))
 
+(define* (depends-on-toolchain? p #:optional (toolchain "gcc-toolchain"))
+  "Return true if P depends on TOOLCHAIN instead of the default tool chain."
+  (define toolchain-packages
+    '("gcc" "binutils" "glibc" "ld-wrapper"))
+
+  (define (package-name* obj)
+    (and (package? obj) (package-name obj)))
+
+  (match (bag-build-inputs (package->bag p))
+    (((_ (= package-name* packages) . _) ...)
+     (and (not (any (cut member <> packages) toolchain-packages))
+          (member toolchain packages)))))
+
+(test-assert "options->transformation, with-c-toolchain"
+  (let* ((dep0 (dummy-package "chbouib"
+                 (build-system gnu-build-system)
+                 (native-inputs `(("y" ,grep)))))
+         (dep1 (dummy-package "stuff"
+                 (native-inputs `(("x" ,dep0)))))
+         (p    (dummy-package "thingie"
+                 (build-system gnu-build-system)
+                 (inputs `(("foo" ,grep)
+                           ("bar" ,dep1)))))
+         (t    (options->transformation
+                '((with-c-toolchain . "chbouib=gcc-toolchain")))))
+    ;; Here we check that the transformation applies to DEP0 and all its
+    ;; dependents: DEP0 must use GCC-TOOLCHAIN, DEP1 must use GCC-TOOLCHAIN
+    ;; and the DEP0 that uses GCC-TOOLCHAIN, and so on.
+    (with-store store
+      (let ((new (t store p)))
+        (and (depends-on-toolchain? new "gcc-toolchain")
+             (match (bag-build-inputs (package->bag new))
+               ((("foo" dep0) ("bar" dep1) _ ...)
+                (and (depends-on-toolchain? dep1 "gcc-toolchain")
+                     (not (depends-on-toolchain? dep0 "gcc-toolchain"))
+                     (string=? (package-full-name dep0)
+                               (package-full-name grep))
+                     (match (bag-build-inputs (package->bag dep1))
+                       ((("x" dep) _ ...)
+                        (and (depends-on-toolchain? dep "gcc-toolchain")
+                             (match (bag-build-inputs (package->bag dep))
+                               ((("y" dep) _ ...) ;this one is unchanged
+                                (eq? dep grep))))))))))))))
+
+(test-equal "options->transformation, with-c-toolchain twice"
+  (package-full-name grep)
+  (let* ((dep0 (dummy-package "chbouib"))
+         (dep1 (dummy-package "stuff"))
+         (p    (dummy-package "thingie"
+                 (build-system gnu-build-system)
+                 (inputs `(("foo" ,dep0)
+                           ("bar" ,dep1)
+                           ("baz" ,grep)))))
+         (t    (options->transformation
+                '((with-c-toolchain . "chbouib=clang-toolchain")
+                  (with-c-toolchain . "stuff=clang-toolchain")))))
+    (with-store store
+      (let ((new (t store p)))
+        (and (depends-on-toolchain? new "clang-toolchain")
+             (match (bag-build-inputs (package->bag new))
+               ((("foo" dep0) ("bar" dep1) ("baz" dep2) _ ...)
+                (and (depends-on-toolchain? dep0 "clang-toolchain")
+                     (depends-on-toolchain? dep1 "clang-toolchain")
+                     (not (depends-on-toolchain? dep2 "clang-toolchain"))
+                     (package-full-name dep2)))))))))
+
+(test-assert "options->transformation, with-c-toolchain, no effect"
+  (let ((p (dummy-package "thingie"))
+        (t (options->transformation
+            '((with-c-toolchain . "does-not-exist=gcc-toolchain")))))
+    ;; When it has no effect, '--with-c-toolchain' returns P.
+    (with-store store
+      (eq? (t store p) p))))
+
 (test-assert "options->transformation, without-tests"
   (let* ((dep (dummy-package "dep"))
          (p   (dummy-package "foo"
@@ -286,3 +364,7 @@
                    '(#:tests? #f))))))))
 
 (test-end)
+
+;;; Local Variables:
+;;; eval: (put 'dummy-package 'scheme-indent-function 1)
+;;; End:
