diff --git a/hmp-commands.hx b/hmp-commands.hx
index bb85ee1d26..fbd0932232 100644
--- a/hmp-commands.hx
+++ b/hmp-commands.hx
@@ -1035,6 +1035,7 @@ SRST
   migration (or once already in postcopy).
 ERST
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_REPLICATION
     {
         .name       = "x_colo_lost_heartbeat",
         .args_type  = "",
@@ -1043,6 +1044,7 @@ ERST
                       "a failover or takeover is needed.",
         .cmd = hmp_x_colo_lost_heartbeat,
     },
+#endif
 
 SRST
 ``x_colo_lost_heartbeat``
diff --git a/migration/colo.c b/migration/colo.c
index 0716e64689..089c491d70 100644
--- a/migration/colo.c
+++ b/migration/colo.c
@@ -196,6 +196,12 @@ COLOMode get_colo_mode(void)
     }
 }
 
+bool migrate_colo_enabled(void)
+{
+    MigrationState *s = migrate_get_current();
+    return s->enabled_capabilities[MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_X_COLO];
+}
+
 void colo_do_failover(void)
 {
     /* Make sure VM stopped while failover happened. */
diff --git a/migration/meson.build b/migration/meson.build
index 0d1bb9f96e..3fccf79f12 100644
--- a/migration/meson.build
+++ b/migration/meson.build
@@ -13,8 +13,6 @@ softmmu_ss.add(files(
   'block-dirty-bitmap.c',
   'channel.c',
   'channel-block.c',
-  'colo-failover.c',
-  'colo.c',
   'exec.c',
   'fd.c',
   'global_state.c',
@@ -29,6 +27,10 @@ softmmu_ss.add(files(
   'threadinfo.c',
 ), gnutls)
 
+if get_option('replication').allowed()
+  softmmu_ss.add(files('colo-failover.c', 'colo.c'))
+endif
+
 softmmu_ss.add(when: rdma, if_true: files('rdma.c'))
 if get_option('live_block_migration').allowed()
   softmmu_ss.add(files('block.c'))
diff --git a/migration/migration-hmp-cmds.c b/migration/migration-hmp-cmds.c
index 72519ea99f..4601c48f41 100644
--- a/migration/migration-hmp-cmds.c
+++ b/migration/migration-hmp-cmds.c
@@ -640,6 +640,7 @@ void hmp_migrate_start_postcopy(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
     hmp_handle_error(mon, err);
 }
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_REPLICATION
 void hmp_x_colo_lost_heartbeat(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
 {
     Error *err = NULL;
@@ -647,6 +648,7 @@ void hmp_x_colo_lost_heartbeat(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
     qmp_x_colo_lost_heartbeat(&err);
     hmp_handle_error(mon, err);
 }
+#endif
 
 typedef struct HMPMigrationStatus {
     QEMUTimer *timer;
diff --git a/migration/migration.c b/migration/migration.c
index bda4789193..2382958364 100644
--- a/migration/migration.c
+++ b/migration/migration.c
@@ -165,7 +165,9 @@ INITIALIZE_MIGRATE_CAPS_SET(check_caps_background_snapshot,
     MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_RDMA_PIN_ALL,
     MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_COMPRESS,
     MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_XBZRLE,
+#ifdef CONFIG_REPLICATION
     MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_X_COLO,
+#endif
     MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_VALIDATE_UUID,
     MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_ZERO_COPY_SEND);
 
@@ -1329,15 +1331,6 @@ static bool migrate_caps_check(bool *cap_list,
     }
 #endif
 
-#ifndef CONFIG_REPLICATION
-    if (cap_list[MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_X_COLO]) {
-        error_setg(errp, "QEMU compiled without replication module"
-                   " can't enable COLO");
-        error_append_hint(errp, "Please enable replication before COLO.\n");
-        return false;
-    }
-#endif
-
     if (cap_list[MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_POSTCOPY_RAM]) {
         /* This check is reasonably expensive, so only when it's being
          * set the first time, also it's only the destination that needs
@@ -3577,12 +3570,6 @@ fail:
                       MIGRATION_STATUS_FAILED);
 }
 
-bool migrate_colo_enabled(void)
-{
-    MigrationState *s = migrate_get_current();
-    return s->enabled_capabilities[MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_X_COLO];
-}
-
 typedef enum MigThrError {
     /* No error detected */
     MIG_THR_ERR_NONE = 0,
@@ -4537,7 +4524,9 @@ static Property migration_properties[] = {
     DEFINE_PROP_MIG_CAP("x-postcopy-ram", MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_POSTCOPY_RAM),
     DEFINE_PROP_MIG_CAP("x-postcopy-preempt",
                         MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_POSTCOPY_PREEMPT),
+#ifdef CONFIG_REPLICATION
     DEFINE_PROP_MIG_CAP("x-colo", MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_X_COLO),
+#endif
     DEFINE_PROP_MIG_CAP("x-release-ram", MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_RELEASE_RAM),
     DEFINE_PROP_MIG_CAP("x-block", MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_BLOCK),
     DEFINE_PROP_MIG_CAP("x-return-path", MIGRATION_CAPABILITY_RETURN_PATH),
diff --git a/net/meson.build b/net/meson.build
index 87afca3e93..38d50b8c96 100644
--- a/net/meson.build
+++ b/net/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 softmmu_ss.add(files(
   'announce.c',
   'checksum.c',
-  'colo-compare.c',
   'colo.c',
   'dump.c',
   'eth.c',
@@ -19,6 +18,10 @@ softmmu_ss.add(files(
   'util.c',
 ))
 
+if get_option('replication').allowed()
+  softmmu_ss.add(files('colo-compare.c'))
+endif
+
 softmmu_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_TCG', if_true: files('filter-replay.c'))
 
 if have_l2tpv3
diff --git a/qapi/migration.json b/qapi/migration.json
index c84fa10e86..93863fa88c 100644
--- a/qapi/migration.json
+++ b/qapi/migration.json
@@ -486,7 +486,8 @@
 { 'enum': 'MigrationCapability',
   'data': ['xbzrle', 'rdma-pin-all', 'auto-converge', 'zero-blocks',
            'compress', 'events', 'postcopy-ram',
-           { 'name': 'x-colo', 'features': [ 'unstable' ] },
+           { 'name': 'x-colo', 'features': [ 'unstable' ],
+             'if': 'CONFIG_REPLICATION' },
            'release-ram',
            'block', 'return-path', 'pause-before-switchover', 'multifd',
            'dirty-bitmaps', 'postcopy-blocktime', 'late-block-activate',
@@ -1409,7 +1410,8 @@
 #
 ##
 { 'command': 'x-colo-lost-heartbeat',
-  'features': [ 'unstable' ] }
+  'features': [ 'unstable' ],
+  'if': 'CONFIG_REPLICATION' }
 
 ##
 # @migrate_cancel:
@@ -1685,7 +1687,8 @@
 ##
 { 'struct': 'COLOStatus',
   'data': { 'mode': 'COLOMode', 'last-mode': 'COLOMode',
-            'reason': 'COLOExitReason' } }
+            'reason': 'COLOExitReason' },
+  'if': 'CONFIG_REPLICATION' }
 
 ##
 # @query-colo-status:
@@ -1702,7 +1705,8 @@
 # Since: 3.1
 ##
 { 'command': 'query-colo-status',
-  'returns': 'COLOStatus' }
+  'returns': 'COLOStatus',
+  'if': 'CONFIG_REPLICATION' }
 
 ##
 # @migrate-recover:
diff --git a/stubs/colo.c b/stubs/colo.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..45c8ac0cc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stubs/colo.c
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#include "qemu/osdep.h"
+#include "qemu/notify.h"
+#include "net/colo-compare.h"
+#include "migration/colo.h"
+#include "migration/migration.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
+#include "qapi/qapi-commands-migration.h"
+
+void colo_compare_cleanup(void)
+{
+    abort();
+}
+
+void colo_shutdown(void)
+{
+    abort();
+}
+
+void *colo_process_incoming_thread(void *opaque)
+{
+    abort();
+}
+
+void colo_checkpoint_notify(void *opaque)
+{
+    abort();
+}
+
+void migrate_start_colo_process(MigrationState *s)
+{
+    abort();
+}
+
+bool migration_in_colo_state(void)
+{
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool migration_incoming_in_colo_state(void)
+{
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool migrate_colo_enabled(void)
+{
+    return false;
+}
diff --git a/stubs/meson.build b/stubs/meson.build
index b2b5956d97..8412cad15f 100644
--- a/stubs/meson.build
+++ b/stubs/meson.build
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ stub_ss.add(files('target-get-monitor-def.c'))
 stub_ss.add(files('target-monitor-defs.c'))
 stub_ss.add(files('trace-control.c'))
 stub_ss.add(files('uuid.c'))
+stub_ss.add(files('colo.c'))
 stub_ss.add(files('vmstate.c'))
 stub_ss.add(files('vm-stop.c'))
 stub_ss.add(files('win32-kbd-hook.c'))
