diff --git a/arch_init.c b/arch_init.c
index cc56f0f..6c07a8c 100644
--- a/arch_init.c
+++ b/arch_init.c
@@ -707,6 +707,11 @@ int audio_available(void)
 #endif
 }
 
+int tcg_available(void)
+{
+    return 1;
+}
+
 int kvm_available(void)
 {
 #ifdef CONFIG_KVM
diff --git a/arch_init.h b/arch_init.h
index 17c9164..a67edf5 100644
--- a/arch_init.h
+++ b/arch_init.h
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ void do_smbios_option(const char *optarg);
 void cpudef_init(void);
 int audio_available(void);
 void audio_init(qemu_irq *isa_pic, PCIBus *pci_bus);
+int tcg_available(void);
 int kvm_available(void);
 int xen_available(void);
 
diff --git a/qemu-config.c b/qemu-config.c
index 965fa46..bf004bb 100644
--- a/qemu-config.c
+++ b/qemu-config.c
@@ -445,6 +445,19 @@ QemuOptsList qemu_option_rom_opts = {
     },
 };
 
+static QemuOptsList qemu_machine_opts = {
+    .name = "machine",
+    .head = QTAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(qemu_machine_opts.head),
+    .desc = {
+        {
+            .name = "accel",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_STRING,
+            .help = "accelerator list",
+        },
+        { /* End of list */ }
+    },
+};
+
 static QemuOptsList *vm_config_groups[32] = {
     &qemu_drive_opts,
     &qemu_chardev_opts,
@@ -459,6 +472,7 @@ static QemuOptsList *vm_config_groups[32] = {
     &qemu_trace_opts,
 #endif
     &qemu_option_rom_opts,
+    &qemu_machine_opts,
     NULL,
 };
 
diff --git a/qemu-options.hx b/qemu-options.hx
index 898561d..18948d0 100644
--- a/qemu-options.hx
+++ b/qemu-options.hx
@@ -1986,6 +1986,16 @@ Enable KVM full virtualization support. This option is only available
 if KVM support is enabled when compiling.
 ETEXI
 
+DEF("machine", HAS_ARG, QEMU_OPTION_machine, \
+    "-machine accel=accel1[:accel2]    use an accelerator (kvm,xen,tcg), default is tcg\n", QEMU_ARCH_ALL)
+STEXI
+@item -machine accel=@var{accels}
+@findex -machine
+This is use to enable an accelerator, in kvm,xen,tcg.
+By default, it use only tcg. If there a more than one accelerator
+specified, the next one is used if the first don't work.
+ETEXI
+
 DEF("xen-domid", HAS_ARG, QEMU_OPTION_xen_domid,
     "-xen-domid id   specify xen guest domain id\n", QEMU_ARCH_ALL)
 DEF("xen-create", 0, QEMU_OPTION_xen_create,
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 14255c4..6a62728 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -257,6 +257,7 @@ static NotifierList exit_notifiers =
 static NotifierList machine_init_done_notifiers =
     NOTIFIER_LIST_INITIALIZER(machine_init_done_notifiers);
 
+static int tcg_allowed = 1;
 int kvm_allowed = 0;
 uint32_t xen_domid;
 enum xen_mode xen_mode = XEN_EMULATE;
@@ -1822,6 +1823,82 @@ static int debugcon_parse(const char *devname)
     return 0;
 }
 
+static int tcg_init(int smp_cpus)
+{
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static struct {
+    const char *opt_name;
+    const char *name;
+    int (*available)(void);
+    int (*init)(int smp_cpus);
+    int *allowed;
+} accel_list[] = {
+    { "tcg", "tcg", tcg_available, tcg_init, &tcg_allowed },
+    { "kvm", "KVM", kvm_available, kvm_init, &kvm_allowed },
+};
+
+static int configure_accelerator(void)
+{
+    const char *p = NULL;
+    char buf[10];
+    int i, ret;
+    bool accel_initalised = 0;
+    bool init_failed = 0;
+
+    QemuOptsList *list = qemu_find_opts("machine");
+    if (!QTAILQ_EMPTY(&list->head)) {
+        p = qemu_opt_get(QTAILQ_FIRST(&list->head), "accel");
+    }
+
+    if (p == NULL) {
+        /* Use the default "accelerator", tcg */
+        p = "tcg";
+    }
+
+    while (!accel_initalised && *p != '\0') {
+        if (*p == ':') {
+            p++;
+        }
+        p = get_opt_name(buf, sizeof (buf), p, ':');
+        for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(accel_list); i++) {
+            if (strcmp(accel_list[i].opt_name, buf) == 0) {
+                ret = accel_list[i].init(smp_cpus);
+                if (ret < 0) {
+                    init_failed = 1;
+                    if (!accel_list[i].available()) {
+                        printf("%s not supported for this target\n",
+                               accel_list[i].name);
+                    } else {
+                        fprintf(stderr, "failed to initialize %s: %s\n",
+                                accel_list[i].name,
+                                strerror(-ret));
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    accel_initalised = 1;
+                    *(accel_list[i].allowed) = 1;
+                }
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        if (i == ARRAY_SIZE(accel_list)) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "\"%s\" accelerator does not exist.\n", buf);
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (!accel_initalised) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "No accelerator found!\n");
+        exit(1);
+    }
+
+    if (init_failed) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Back to %s accelerator.\n", accel_list[i].name);
+    }
+
+    return !accel_initalised;
+}
+
 void qemu_add_exit_notifier(Notifier *notify)
 {
     notifier_list_add(&exit_notifiers, notify);
@@ -2518,7 +2595,18 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
                 do_smbios_option(optarg);
                 break;
             case QEMU_OPTION_enable_kvm:
-                kvm_allowed = 1;
+                olist = qemu_find_opts("machine");
+                qemu_opts_reset(olist);
+                qemu_opts_parse(olist, "accel=kvm", 0);
+                break;
+            case QEMU_OPTION_machine:
+                olist = qemu_find_opts("machine");
+                qemu_opts_reset(olist);
+                opts = qemu_opts_parse(olist, optarg, 0);
+                if (!opts) {
+                    fprintf(stderr, "parse error: %s\n", optarg);
+                    exit(1);
+                }
                 break;
             case QEMU_OPTION_usb:
                 usb_enabled = 1;
@@ -2835,17 +2923,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
         exit(1);
     }
 
-    if (kvm_allowed) {
-        int ret = kvm_init(smp_cpus);
-        if (ret < 0) {
-            if (!kvm_available()) {
-                printf("KVM not supported for this target\n");
-            } else {
-                fprintf(stderr, "failed to initialize KVM: %s\n", strerror(-ret));
-            }
-            exit(1);
-        }
-    }
+    configure_accelerator();
 
     if (qemu_init_main_loop()) {
         fprintf(stderr, "qemu_init_main_loop failed\n");
