diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index 1e626bf..95e8a78 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # compiler, tools
-CC = $(shell type -P clang || echo gcc)
+CC ?= $(shell type -P clang || echo gcc)
 PKG_CONFIG ?= pkg-config
 
 # flags