diff --git a/src/lay/lay/MainConfigPage7.ui b/src/lay/lay/MainConfigPage7.ui
index 5cc9b7655..dabfd3a4c 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/MainConfigPage7.ui
+++ b/src/lay/lay/MainConfigPage7.ui
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
    <rect>
     <x>0</x>
     <y>0</y>
-    <width>611</width>
-    <height>271</height>
+    <width>619</width>
+    <height>475</height>
    </rect>
   </property>
   <property name="windowTitle">
@@ -154,6 +154,32 @@
      </layout>
     </widget>
    </item>
+   <item>
+    <widget class="QGroupBox" name="groupBox_4">
+     <property name="title">
+      <string>Synchronize Library Files</string>
+     </property>
+     <layout class="QVBoxLayout" name="verticalLayout">
+      <item>
+       <widget class="QLabel" name="label_6">
+        <property name="text">
+         <string>If this option is enabled, library files will be reloaded automatically. If disabled, you can reload the files using &quot;File/Refresh Libraries&quot; manually.</string>
+        </property>
+        <property name="wordWrap">
+         <bool>true</bool>
+        </property>
+       </widget>
+      </item>
+      <item>
+       <widget class="QCheckBox" name="auto_sync_libraries">
+        <property name="text">
+         <string>Synchronize library files automatically</string>
+        </property>
+       </widget>
+      </item>
+     </layout>
+    </widget>
+   </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
  <layoutdefault spacing="6" margin="11"/>
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layConfig.h b/src/lay/lay/layConfig.h
index c1eb182b8..86850a4e2 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layConfig.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layConfig.h
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ static const std::string cfg_micron_digits ("digits-micron");
 static const std::string cfg_dbu_digits ("digits-dbu");
 static const std::string cfg_assistant_bookmarks ("assistant-bookmarks");
 static const std::string cfg_always_exit_without_saving ("always-exit-without-saving");
+static const std::string cfg_auto_sync_libraries ("auto-sync-libraries");
 
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.cc b/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.cc
index a95b5da3e..8b3ee0114 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.cc
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
 #include "layApplication.h"
 #include "laySaltController.h"
 #include "layConfig.h"
-#include "layMainWindow.h"
 #include "layQtTools.h"
 #include "dbLibraryManager.h"
 #include "dbLibrary.h"
@@ -44,7 +43,8 @@ namespace lay
 
 LibraryController::LibraryController ()
   : m_file_watcher (0),
-    dm_sync_files (this, &LibraryController::sync_files)
+    dm_sync_files (this, &LibraryController::sync_files_maybe),
+    m_sync (false), m_sync_once (false)
 {
 }
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ LibraryController::initialize (lay::Dispatcher * /*root*/)
 {
   //  NOTE: we initialize the libraries in the stage once to have them available for the autorun
   //  macros. We'll do that later again in order to pull in the libraries from the packages.
-  sync_files ();
+  sync_files (false);
 }
 
 void
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ LibraryController::initialized (lay::Dispatcher * /*root*/)
     connect (m_file_watcher, SIGNAL (fileRemoved (const QString &)), this, SLOT (file_watcher_triggered ()));
   }
 
-  sync_files ();
+  sync_files (false);
 }
 
 void
@@ -88,9 +88,9 @@ LibraryController::uninitialize (lay::Dispatcher * /*root*/)
 }
 
 void
-LibraryController::get_options (std::vector < std::pair<std::string, std::string> > & /*options*/) const
+LibraryController::get_options (std::vector < std::pair<std::string, std::string> > &options) const
 {
-  //  .. nothing yet ..
+  options.push_back (std::pair<std::string, std::string> (cfg_auto_sync_libraries, "false"));
 }
 
 void
@@ -100,8 +100,21 @@ LibraryController::get_menu_entries (std::vector<lay::MenuEntry> & /*menu_entrie
 }
 
 bool
-LibraryController::configure (const std::string & /*name*/, const std::string & /*value*/)
+LibraryController::configure (const std::string &name, const std::string &value)
 {
+  if (name == cfg_auto_sync_libraries) {
+
+    bool sync = false;
+    tl::from_string (value, sync);
+
+    m_sync = sync;
+    if (sync) {
+      dm_sync_files ();
+    }
+
+  }
+
+  //  don't consume
   return false;
 }
 
@@ -119,8 +132,24 @@ LibraryController::can_exit (lay::Dispatcher * /*root*/) const
 }
 
 void
-LibraryController::sync_files ()
+LibraryController::sync_files_maybe ()
 {
+  sync_files (false);
+}
+
+void
+LibraryController::sync_files (bool always)
+{
+  if (tl::verbosity () >= 20) {
+    if (always) {
+      tl::info << tl::to_string (tr ("Synchronize library files unconditionally"));
+    } else {
+      tl::info << tl::to_string (tr ("Synchronize library files"));
+    }
+  }
+
+  m_sync_once = false;
+
   if (m_file_watcher) {
     m_file_watcher->clear ();
     m_file_watcher->enable (false);
@@ -179,7 +208,7 @@ LibraryController::sync_files ()
       std::vector<LibFileInfo> libs;
       read_lib_file (lf->first, lf->second, libs);
 
-      read_libs (libs, new_lib_files);
+      read_libs (libs, new_lib_files, always);
 
       if (m_file_watcher) {
         m_file_watcher->add_file (tl::absolute_file_path (lf->first));
@@ -222,7 +251,7 @@ LibraryController::sync_files ()
         }
       }
 
-      read_libs (libs, new_lib_files);
+      read_libs (libs, new_lib_files, always);
 
     }
 
@@ -424,9 +453,9 @@ LibraryController::read_lib_file (const std::string &lib_file, const std::string
 }
 
 void
-LibraryController::read_libs (const std::vector<LibraryController::LibFileInfo> &libs, std::map<std::string, LibraryController::LibInfo> &new_lib_files)
+LibraryController::read_libs (const std::vector<LibraryController::LibFileInfo> &libs, std::map<std::string, LibraryController::LibInfo> &new_lib_files, bool always)
 {
-  bool needs_load = false;
+  bool needs_load = always;
 
   for (auto im = libs.begin (); im != libs.end () && ! needs_load; ++im) {
 
@@ -532,14 +561,17 @@ void
 LibraryController::sync_with_external_sources ()
 {
   tl::log << tl::to_string (tr ("Package updates - updating libraries"));
+  m_sync_once = true;
   dm_sync_files ();
 }
 
 void
 LibraryController::file_watcher_triggered ()
 {
-  tl::log << tl::to_string (tr ("Detected file system change in libraries - updating"));
-  dm_sync_files ();
+  if (m_sync) {
+    tl::log << tl::to_string (tr ("Detected file system change in libraries - updating"));
+    dm_sync_files ();
+  }
 }
 
 LibraryController *
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.h b/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.h
index 0fd26634e..4b0392c63 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layLibraryController.h
@@ -112,6 +112,13 @@ public:
    */
   bool can_exit (lay::Dispatcher *root) const;
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief Synchronize files
+   *
+   *  If "always" is set, all files are synchronized unconditionally.
+   */
+  void sync_files (bool always);
+
   /**
    *  @brief Gets the singleton instance for this object
    */
@@ -147,9 +154,11 @@ private:
   tl::FileSystemWatcher *m_file_watcher;
   tl::DeferredMethod<LibraryController> dm_sync_files;
   std::map<std::string, LibInfo> m_lib_files;
+  bool m_sync;
+  bool m_sync_once;
 
-  void sync_files ();
-  void read_libs (const std::vector<LibFileInfo> &file_info, std::map<std::string, LibInfo> &new_lib_files);
+  void sync_files_maybe ();
+  void read_libs (const std::vector<LibFileInfo> &file_info, std::map<std::string, LibInfo> &new_lib_files, bool always);
 };
 
 }
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMainConfigPages.cc b/src/lay/lay/layMainConfigPages.cc
index 3b8d9c890..c56f48357 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMainConfigPages.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMainConfigPages.cc
@@ -197,6 +197,10 @@ MainConfigPage7::setup (lay::Dispatcher *root)
   root->config_get (cfg_layout_file_watcher_enabled, en);
   mp_ui->check_for_updates->setChecked (en);
 
+  bool asl = false;
+  root->config_get (cfg_auto_sync_libraries, asl);
+  mp_ui->auto_sync_libraries->setChecked (asl);
+
   int kb = 0;
   root->config_get (cfg_keep_backups, kb);
   mp_ui->keep_backups->setValue (kb);
@@ -211,6 +215,7 @@ MainConfigPage7::commit (lay::Dispatcher *root)
 {
   try {
     root->config_set (cfg_layout_file_watcher_enabled, mp_ui->check_for_updates->isChecked ());
+    root->config_set (cfg_auto_sync_libraries, mp_ui->auto_sync_libraries->isChecked ());
     root->config_set (cfg_keep_backups, mp_ui->keep_backups->value ());
     root->config_set (cfg_always_exit_without_saving, mp_ui->always_exit_without_saving->isChecked ());
   } catch (...) { }
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc b/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
index 0410cbb4d..4304d056e 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@
 #include "laySettingsForm.h"
 #include "laySelectCellViewForm.h"
 #include "layTechnologyController.h"
+#include "layLibraryController.h"
 #include "laySaltController.h"
 #include "layTipDialog.h"
 #include "layMacroController.h"
@@ -2612,6 +2613,10 @@ MainWindow::cm_writer_options ()
 void
 MainWindow::cm_refresh ()
 {
+  if (lay::LibraryController::instance ()) {
+    lay::LibraryController::instance ()->sync_files (false);
+  }
+
   db::LibraryManager::instance ().refresh_all ();
 }