diff --git a/core/config.mk b/core/config.mk
index 9c04fe0f0f..ed6429ae29 100644
--- a/core/config.mk
+++ b/core/config.mk
@@ -990,6 +990,13 @@ $(foreach device,$(call to-upper,$(BOARD_SUPER_PARTITION_BLOCK_DEVICES)), \
 
 endif # PRODUCT_USE_DYNAMIC_PARTITIONS
 
+# By default, we build the hidden API csv files from source. You can use
+# prebuilt hiddenapi files by setting BOARD_PREBUILT_HIDDENAPI_DIR to the name
+# of a directory containing both prebuilt hiddenapi-flags.csv and
+# hiddenapi-index.csv.
+BOARD_PREBUILT_HIDDENAPI_DIR ?=
+.KATI_READONLY := BOARD_PREBUILT_HIDDENAPI_DIR
+
 # ###############################################################
 # Set up final options.
 # ###############################################################
diff --git a/core/soong_config.mk b/core/soong_config.mk
index 54e9698f09..fde5832f03 100644
--- a/core/soong_config.mk
+++ b/core/soong_config.mk
@@ -237,6 +237,7 @@ $(call add_json_list, BoardKernelBinaries, $(BOARD_KERNEL_BINARIES))
 $(call add_json_list, BoardKernelModuleInterfaceVersions, $(BOARD_KERNEL_MODULE_INTERFACE_VERSIONS))
 
 $(call add_json_bool, BoardMoveRecoveryResourcesToVendorBoot, $(BOARD_MOVE_RECOVERY_RESOURCES_TO_VENDOR_BOOT))
+$(call add_json_str,  PrebuiltHiddenApiDir, $(BOARD_PREBUILT_HIDDENAPI_DIR))
 
 $(call json_end)