diff --git a/dependency.c b/dependency.c
index d92687a..75b1f48 100644
--- a/dependency.c
+++ b/dependency.c
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ pkg_dependency_add(pkg_dependency_t *head, const char *package, const char *vers
 		dep->prev->next = dep;
 
 #if DEBUG_PARSE
-	fprintf(stderr, "--> %s %d %s\n", dep->package, dep->compare, dep->version);
+	fprintf(error_msgout, "--> %s %d %s\n", dep->package, dep->compare, dep->version);
 #endif
 
 	return dep;
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ pkg_dependency_parse(pkg_t *pkg, const char *depends)
 
 				package = strndup(iter, ptr - iter);
 #if DEBUG_PARSE
-				fprintf(stderr, "Found package: %s\n", package);
+				fprintf(error_msgout, "Found package: %s\n", package);
 #endif
 				start = ptr;
 			}
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ pkg_dependency_parse(pkg_t *pkg, const char *depends)
 
 		case AFTER_OPERATOR:
 #if DEBUG_PARSE
-			fprintf(stderr, "Found op: %d\n", compare);
+			fprintf(error_msgout, "Found op: %d\n", compare);
 #endif
 
 			if (!isspace(*ptr))
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ pkg_dependency_parse(pkg_t *pkg, const char *depends)
 				state = OUTSIDE_MODULE;
 
 #if DEBUG_PARSE
-				fprintf(stderr, "Found version: %s\n", version);
+				fprintf(error_msgout, "Found version: %s\n", version);
 #endif
 				deplist = pkg_dependency_add(deplist, package, version, compare);
 
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index bb49669..ea780ac 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ static char *required_module_version = NULL;
 static char *want_variable = NULL;
 static char *sysroot_dir = NULL;
 
+FILE *error_msgout = NULL;
+
 static bool
 fragment_has_system_dir(pkg_fragment_t *frag)
 {
@@ -432,6 +434,7 @@ usage(void)
 	printf("  --version                         print pkgconf version to stdout\n");
 	printf("  --atleast-pkgconfig-version       check whether or not pkgconf is compatible\n");
 	printf("                                    with a specified pkg-config version\n");
+	printf("  --errors-to-stdout                print all errors on stdout instead of stderr\n");
 
 	printf("\nchecking specific pkg-config database entries:\n\n");
 
@@ -476,6 +479,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	pkg_queue_t *pkgq = NULL;
 	pkg_queue_t *pkgq_head = NULL;
 	char *builddir;
+	int want_errors_on_stdout = 0;
 
 	struct option options[] = {
 		{ "version", no_argument, &want_version, 1, },
@@ -509,7 +513,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		{ "exact-version", required_argument, NULL, 28, },
 		{ "max-version", required_argument, NULL, 29, },
 		{ "ignore-conflicts", no_argument, &want_ignore_conflicts, 30, },
-		{ "errors-to-stdout", no_argument, NULL, 31, },
+		{ "errors-to-stdout", no_argument, &want_errors_on_stdout, 31, },
 		{ NULL, 0, NULL, 0 }
 	};
 
@@ -555,6 +559,10 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		return EXIT_SUCCESS;
 	}
 
+	error_msgout = stderr;
+	if (want_errors_on_stdout)
+		error_msgout = stdout;
+
 	if (want_ignore_conflicts || getenv("PKG_CONFIG_IGNORE_CONFLICTS") != NULL)
 		global_traverse_flags |= PKGF_SKIP_CONFLICTS;
 
@@ -680,7 +688,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
 	if (pkgq_head == NULL)
 	{
-		fprintf(stderr, "Please specify at least one package name on the command line.\n");
+		fprintf(error_msgout, "Please specify at least one package name on the command line.\n");
 		return EXIT_FAILURE;
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg.c b/pkg.c
index e8a4905..99f6131 100644
--- a/pkg.c
+++ b/pkg.c
@@ -592,18 +592,18 @@ pkg_report_graph_error(pkg_t *pkg, pkg_dependency_t *node, unsigned int eflags)
 {
 	if (eflags & PKG_ERRF_PACKAGE_NOT_FOUND)
 	{
-		fprintf(stderr, "Package %s was not found in the pkg-config search path.\n", node->package);
-		fprintf(stderr, "Perhaps you should add the directory containing `%s.pc'\n", node->package);
-		fprintf(stderr, "to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable\n");
-		fprintf(stderr, "No package '%s' found\n", node->package);
+		fprintf(error_msgout, "Package %s was not found in the pkg-config search path.\n", node->package);
+		fprintf(error_msgout, "Perhaps you should add the directory containing `%s.pc'\n", node->package);
+		fprintf(error_msgout, "to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable\n");
+		fprintf(error_msgout, "No package '%s' found\n", node->package);
 	}
 	else if (eflags & PKG_ERRF_PACKAGE_VER_MISMATCH)
 	{
-		fprintf(stderr, "Package dependency requirement '%s %s %s' could not be satisfied.\n",
+		fprintf(error_msgout, "Package dependency requirement '%s %s %s' could not be satisfied.\n",
 			node->package, pkg_get_comparator(node), node->version);
 
 		if (pkg != NULL)
-			fprintf(stderr, "Package '%s' has version '%s', required version is '%s %s'\n",
+			fprintf(error_msgout, "Package '%s' has version '%s', required version is '%s %s'\n",
 				node->package, pkg->version, pkg_get_comparator(node), node->version);
 	}
 
@@ -661,11 +661,11 @@ pkg_walk_conflicts_list(pkg_t *root, pkg_dependency_t *deplist, unsigned int fla
 		pkgdep = pkg_verify_dependency(node, flags, &eflags);
 		if (eflags == PKG_ERRF_OK)
 		{
-			fprintf(stderr, "Version '%s' of '%s' conflicts with '%s' due to satisfying conflict rule '%s %s%s%s'.\n",
+			fprintf(error_msgout, "Version '%s' of '%s' conflicts with '%s' due to satisfying conflict rule '%s %s%s%s'.\n",
 				pkgdep->version, pkgdep->realname, root->realname, node->package, pkg_get_comparator(node),
 				node->version != NULL ? " " : "", node->version != NULL ? node->version : "");
-			fprintf(stderr, "It may be possible to ignore this conflict and continue, try the\n");
-			fprintf(stderr, "PKG_CONFIG_IGNORE_CONFLICTS environment variable.\n");
+			fprintf(error_msgout, "It may be possible to ignore this conflict and continue, try the\n");
+			fprintf(error_msgout, "PKG_CONFIG_IGNORE_CONFLICTS environment variable.\n");
 
 			pkg_free(pkgdep);
 
diff --git a/pkg.h b/pkg.h
index ecea1d7..b71e6e8 100644
--- a/pkg.h
+++ b/pkg.h
@@ -169,4 +169,7 @@ char *pkg_tuple_find_global(const char *key);
 void pkg_tuple_free_global(void);
 void pkg_tuple_define_global(const char *kv);
 
+/* main.c */
+extern FILE *error_msgout;
+
 #endif