diff --git a/configure/CONFIG_SITE b/configure/CONFIG_SITE
index 3063a993f..84301a0f7 100644
--- a/configure/CONFIG_SITE
+++ b/configure/CONFIG_SITE
@@ -122,6 +122,13 @@ CROSS_COMPILER_TARGET_ARCHS=
 #
 CROSS_COMPILER_HOST_ARCHS=
 
+#  The 'make runtests' and 'make tapfiles' build targets normally only run
+#  self-tests for the EPICS_HOST_ARCH architecture. If the host can execute
+#  the self-test programs for any other cross-built architectures such as
+#  a -debug architecture, those architectures can be named here.
+#
+CROSS_COMPILER_RUNTEST_ARCHS=
+
 #  Build shared libraries?
 #        must be either YES or NO
 #     NOTE: os/CONFIG.$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH).$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH) files and
diff --git a/configure/RULES_BUILD b/configure/RULES_BUILD
index ad5e76f4f..7b7ac07dc 100644
--- a/configure/RULES_BUILD
+++ b/configure/RULES_BUILD
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ $(MODNAME): %$(MODEXT): %$(EXE)
 	$(LINK.mod)
 
 runtests: $(TESTSCRIPTS)
-ifeq ($(T_A),$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH))
+ifneq (,$(findstring $(T_A),$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH) $(CROSS_COMPILER_RUNTEST_ARCHS)))
 	-$(PERL) -MTest::Harness -e 'runtests @ARGV if @ARGV;' $^
 endif
 
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ tapfiles: $(TESTSCRIPTS) $(TAPFILES)
 
 # A .tap file is the output from running the associated test script
 %.tap: %.t
-ifeq ($(T_A),$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH))
+ifneq (,$(findstring $(T_A),$(EPICS_HOST_ARCH) $(CROSS_COMPILER_RUNTEST_ARCHS)))
 	-$(PERL) $< -tap > $@
 endif
 
diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
index f4370c22f..d6e89cc60 100644
--- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
+++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
@@ -13,6 +13,18 @@
 
 <!-- Insert new items immediately below here ... -->
 
+<h3>New CONFIG_SITE variable for running self-tests</h3>
+
+<p>The 'make runtests' and 'make tapfiles' build targets normally only run the
+self-tests for the main <tt>EPICS_HOST_ARCH</tt> architecture. If the host is
+able to execute self-test programs for other target architectures that are being
+built by the host, such as when building a <tt>-debug</tt> version of the host
+architecture for example, the names of those other architectures can be added to
+the new <tt>CROSS_COMPILER_RUNTEST_ARCHS</tt> variable in either the
+<tt>configure/CONFIG_SITE</tt> file or in an appropriate
+<tt>configure/os/CONFIG_SITE.&lt;host&gt;.Common</tt> file to have the test
+programs for those targets be run as well.</p>
+
 <h3>Additional RELEASE file checks</h3>
 
 <p>An additional check has been added at build-time for the contents of the