diff --git a/contrib/credential/libsecret/meson.build b/contrib/credential/libsecret/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0137660fe0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/credential/libsecret/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+executable('git-credential-libsecret',
+  sources: 'git-credential-libsecret.c',
+  dependencies: [
+    dependency('glib-2.0'),
+    dependency('libsecret-1'),
+  ],
+  install: true,
+  install_dir: get_option('libexecdir') / 'git-core',
+)
diff --git a/contrib/credential/meson.build b/contrib/credential/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4216296ae0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/credential/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+foreach helper : get_option('credential_helpers')
+  subdir(helper)
+endforeach
diff --git a/contrib/credential/netrc/meson.build b/contrib/credential/netrc/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a990dbb86d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/credential/netrc/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+credential_netrc = custom_target(
+  input: 'git-credential-netrc.perl',
+  output: 'git-credential-netrc',
+  command: generate_perl_command,
+  depends: [git_version_file],
+  install: true,
+  install_dir: get_option('libexecdir') / 'git-core',
+)
+
+credential_netrc_testenv = test_environment
+credential_netrc_testenv.set('CREDENTIAL_NETRC_PATH', credential_netrc.full_path())
+
+test('t-git-credential-netrc',
+  shell,
+  args: [ meson.current_source_dir() / 't-git-credential-netrc.sh' ],
+  workdir: meson.current_source_dir(),
+  env: credential_netrc_testenv,
+  depends: test_dependencies + bin_wrappers + [credential_netrc],
+  timeout: 0,
+)
diff --git a/contrib/credential/osxkeychain/meson.build b/contrib/credential/osxkeychain/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3c7677f736
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/credential/osxkeychain/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+executable('git-credential-osxkeychain',
+  sources: 'git-credential-osxkeychain.c',
+  dependencies: [
+    dependency('CoreFoundation'),
+    dependency('Security'),
+  ],
+  install: true,
+  install_dir: get_option('libexecdir') / 'git-core',
+)
diff --git a/contrib/credential/wincred/meson.build b/contrib/credential/wincred/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6de23ca17d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/credential/wincred/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+executable('git-credential-wincred',
+  sources: 'git-credential-wincred.c',
+  install: true,
+  install_dir: get_option('libexecdir') / 'git-core',
+)
diff --git a/contrib/meson.build b/contrib/meson.build
index d74b64a518..569c23ee76 100644
--- a/contrib/meson.build
+++ b/contrib/meson.build
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 foreach feature : get_option('contrib')
   subdir(feature)
 endforeach
+
+subdir('credential')
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index d77d7b6b60..20159cef83 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -771,7 +771,7 @@ endif
 # features. It is optional if you want to neither execute tests nor use any of
 # these optional features.
 perl_required = get_option('perl')
-if get_option('tests') or get_option('gitweb').enabled()
+if get_option('tests') or get_option('gitweb').enabled() or 'netrc' in get_option('credential_helpers')
   perl_required = true
 endif
 
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 5c12e9055e..0b0708dd0e 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ option('version', type: 'string', value: '',
 # Features supported by Git.
 option('contrib', type: 'array', value: [ 'completion' ], choices: [ 'completion', 'subtree' ],
   description: 'Contributed features to include.')
+option('credential_helpers', type: 'array', value: [ ], choices: [ 'libsecret', 'netrc', 'osxkeychain', 'wincred' ],
+  description: 'Contributed features to include.')
 option('curl', type: 'feature', value: 'enabled',
   description: 'Build helpers used to access remotes with the HTTP transport.')
 option('expat', type: 'feature', value: 'enabled',