diff --git a/kitty/constants.py b/kitty/constants.py
index 3df302562..e453ef118 100644
--- a/kitty/constants.py
+++ b/kitty/constants.py
@@ -65,5 +65,5 @@ def glfw_path(module):
 
 
 is_wayland = False
-if os.environ.get('WAYLAND_DISPLAY') and os.path.exists(glfw_path('wayland')):
+if os.environ.get('WAYLAND_DISPLAY') and 'KITTY_ENABLE_WAYLAND' in os.environ and os.path.exists(glfw_path('wayland')):
     is_wayland = True