diff --git a/tools/testing/ktest/ktest.pl b/tools/testing/ktest/ktest.pl
index 5323c6f9bf9b..a9f2e10fc16f 100755
--- a/tools/testing/ktest/ktest.pl
+++ b/tools/testing/ktest/ktest.pl
@@ -2162,6 +2162,159 @@ sub patchcheck {
     return 1;
 }
 
+my %depends;
+my $iflevel = 0;
+my @ifdeps;
+
+# prevent recursion
+my %read_kconfigs;
+
+# taken from streamline_config.pl
+sub read_kconfig {
+    my ($kconfig) = @_;
+
+    my $state = "NONE";
+    my $config;
+    my @kconfigs;
+
+    my $cont = 0;
+    my $line;
+
+
+    if (! -f $kconfig) {
+	doprint "file $kconfig does not exist, skipping\n";
+	return;
+    }
+
+    open(KIN, "$kconfig")
+	or die "Can't open $kconfig";
+    while (<KIN>) {
+	chomp;
+
+	# Make sure that lines ending with \ continue
+	if ($cont) {
+	    $_ = $line . " " . $_;
+	}
+
+	if (s/\\$//) {
+	    $cont = 1;
+	    $line = $_;
+	    next;
+	}
+
+	$cont = 0;
+
+	# collect any Kconfig sources
+	if (/^source\s*"(.*)"/) {
+	    $kconfigs[$#kconfigs+1] = $1;
+	}
+
+	# configs found
+	if (/^\s*(menu)?config\s+(\S+)\s*$/) {
+	    $state = "NEW";
+	    $config = $2;
+
+	    for (my $i = 0; $i < $iflevel; $i++) {
+		if ($i) {
+		    $depends{$config} .= " " . $ifdeps[$i];
+		} else {
+		    $depends{$config} = $ifdeps[$i];
+		}
+		$state = "DEP";
+	    }
+
+	# collect the depends for the config
+	} elsif ($state eq "NEW" && /^\s*depends\s+on\s+(.*)$/) {
+
+	    if (defined($depends{$1})) {
+		$depends{$config} .= " " . $1;
+	    } else {
+		$depends{$config} = $1;
+	    }
+
+	# Get the configs that select this config
+	} elsif ($state ne "NONE" && /^\s*select\s+(\S+)/) {
+	    if (defined($depends{$1})) {
+		$depends{$1} .= " " . $config;
+	    } else {
+		$depends{$1} = $config;
+	    }
+
+	# Check for if statements
+	} elsif (/^if\s+(.*\S)\s*$/) {
+	    my $deps = $1;
+	    # remove beginning and ending non text
+	    $deps =~ s/^[^a-zA-Z0-9_]*//;
+	    $deps =~ s/[^a-zA-Z0-9_]*$//;
+
+	    my @deps = split /[^a-zA-Z0-9_]+/, $deps;
+
+	    $ifdeps[$iflevel++] = join ':', @deps;
+
+	} elsif (/^endif/) {
+
+	    $iflevel-- if ($iflevel);
+
+	# stop on "help"
+	} elsif (/^\s*help\s*$/) {
+	    $state = "NONE";
+	}
+    }
+    close(KIN);
+
+    # read in any configs that were found.
+    foreach $kconfig (@kconfigs) {
+	if (!defined($read_kconfigs{$kconfig})) {
+	    $read_kconfigs{$kconfig} = 1;
+	    read_kconfig("$builddir/$kconfig");
+	}
+    }
+}
+
+sub read_depends {
+    # find out which arch this is by the kconfig file
+    open (IN, $output_config)
+	or dodie "Failed to read $output_config";
+    my $arch;
+    while (<IN>) {
+	if (m,Linux/(\S+)\s+\S+\s+Kernel Configuration,) {
+	    $arch = $1;
+	    last;
+	}
+    }
+    close IN;
+
+    if (!defined($arch)) {
+	doprint "Could not find arch from config file\n";
+	doprint "no dependencies used\n";
+	return;
+    }
+
+    # arch is really the subarch, we need to know
+    # what directory to look at.
+    if ($arch eq "i386" || $arch eq "x86_64") {
+	$arch = "x86";
+    } elsif ($arch =~ /^tile/) {
+	$arch = "tile";
+    }
+
+    my $kconfig = "$builddir/arch/$arch/Kconfig";
+
+    if (! -f $kconfig && $arch =~ /\d$/) {
+	my $orig = $arch;
+ 	# some subarchs have numbers, truncate them
+	$arch =~ s/\d*$//;
+	$kconfig = "$builddir/arch/$arch/Kconfig";
+	if (! -f $kconfig) {
+	    doprint "No idea what arch dir $orig is for\n";
+	    doprint "no dependencies used\n";
+	    return;
+	}
+    }
+
+    read_kconfig($kconfig);
+}
+
 sub read_config_list {
     my ($config) = @_;
 
@@ -2197,6 +2350,95 @@ sub make_new_config {
     close OUT;
 }
 
+sub get_depends {
+    my ($dep) = @_;
+
+    my $kconfig = $dep;
+    $kconfig =~ s/CONFIG_//;
+
+    $dep = $depends{"$kconfig"};
+
+    # the dep string we have saves the dependencies as they
+    # were found, including expressions like ! && ||. We
+    # want to split this out into just an array of configs.
+
+    my $valid = "A-Za-z_0-9";
+
+    my @configs;
+
+    while ($dep =~ /[$valid]/) {
+
+	if ($dep =~ /^[^$valid]*([$valid]+)/) {
+	    my $conf = "CONFIG_" . $1;
+
+	    $configs[$#configs + 1] = $conf;
+
+	    $dep =~ s/^[^$valid]*[$valid]+//;
+	} else {
+	    die "this should never happen";
+	}
+    }
+
+    return @configs;
+}
+
+my %min_configs;
+my %keep_configs;
+my %processed_configs;
+my %nochange_config;
+
+sub test_this_config {
+    my ($config) = @_;
+
+    my $found;
+
+    # if we already processed this config, skip it
+    if (defined($processed_configs{$config})) {
+	return undef;
+    }
+    $processed_configs{$config} = 1;
+
+    # if this config failed during this round, skip it
+    if (defined($nochange_config{$config})) {
+	return undef;
+    }
+
+    my $kconfig = $config;
+    $kconfig =~ s/CONFIG_//;
+
+    # Test dependencies first
+    if (defined($depends{"$kconfig"})) {
+	my @parents = get_depends $config;
+	foreach my $parent (@parents) {
+	    # if the parent is in the min config, check it first
+	    next if (!defined($min_configs{$parent}));
+	    $found = test_this_config($parent);
+	    if (defined($found)) {
+		return $found;
+	    }
+	}
+    }
+
+    # Remove this config from the list of configs
+    # do a make oldnoconfig and then read the resulting
+    # .config to make sure it is missing the config that
+    # we had before
+    my %configs = %min_configs;
+    delete $configs{$config};
+    make_new_config ((values %configs), (values %keep_configs));
+    make_oldconfig;
+    undef %configs;
+    assign_configs \%configs, $output_config;
+
+    return $config if (!defined($configs{$config}));
+
+    doprint "disabling config $config did not change .config\n";
+
+    $nochange_config{$config} = 1;
+
+    return undef;
+}
+
 sub make_min_config {
     my ($i) = @_;
 
@@ -2216,8 +2458,12 @@ sub make_min_config {
 
     run_command "$make allnoconfig" or return 0;
 
+    read_depends;
+
     process_config_ignore $output_config;
-    my %keep_configs;
+
+    undef %keep_configs;
+    undef %min_configs;
 
     if (defined($ignore_config)) {
 	# make sure the file exists
@@ -2229,7 +2475,6 @@ sub make_min_config {
 
     # Look at the current min configs, and save off all the
     # ones that were set via the allnoconfig
-    my %min_configs;
     assign_configs \%min_configs, $start_minconfig;
 
     my @config_keys = keys %min_configs;
@@ -2261,9 +2506,8 @@ sub make_min_config {
 	}
     }
 
-    my %nochange_config;
-
     my $done = 0;
+    my $take_two = 0;
 
     while (!$done) {
 
@@ -2293,35 +2537,30 @@ sub make_min_config {
 	    undef %nochange_config;
 	}
 
+	undef %processed_configs;
+
 	foreach my $config (@test_configs) {
 
-	    # Remove this config from the list of configs
-	    # do a make oldnoconfig and then read the resulting
-	    # .config to make sure it is missing the config that
-	    # we had before
-	    my %configs = %min_configs;
-	    delete $configs{$config};
-	    make_new_config ((values %configs), (values %keep_configs));
-	    make_oldconfig;
-	    undef %configs;
-	    assign_configs \%configs, $output_config;
+	    $found = test_this_config $config;
 
-	    if (!defined($configs{$config})) {
-		$found = $config;
-		last;
-	    }
-
-	    doprint "disabling config $config did not change .config\n";
+	    last if (defined($found));
 
 	    # oh well, try another config
-	    $nochange_config{$config} = 1;
 	}
 
 	if (!defined($found)) {
+	    # we could have failed due to the nochange_config hash
+	    # reset and try again
+	    if (!$take_two) {
+		undef %nochange_config;
+		$take_two = 1;
+		next;
+	    }
 	    doprint "No more configs found that we can disable\n";
 	    $done = 1;
 	    last;
 	}
+	$take_two = 0;
 
 	$config = $found;
 
@@ -2338,7 +2577,7 @@ sub make_min_config {
 	$in_bisect = 0;
 
 	if ($failed) {
-	    doprint "$config is needed to boot the box... keeping\n";
+	    doprint "$min_configs{$config} is needed to boot the box... keeping\n";
 	    # this config is needed, add it to the ignore list.
 	    $keep_configs{$config} = $min_configs{$config};
 	    delete $min_configs{$config};
diff --git a/tools/testing/ktest/sample.conf b/tools/testing/ktest/sample.conf
index a83846d829bd..d096a0c80401 100644
--- a/tools/testing/ktest/sample.conf
+++ b/tools/testing/ktest/sample.conf
@@ -837,6 +837,18 @@
 #  TODO: add a test version that makes the config do more than just
 #   boot, like having network access.
 #
+#  To save time, the test does not just grab any option and test
+#  it. The Kconfig files are examined to determine the dependencies
+#  of the configs. If a config is chosen that depends on another
+#  config, that config will be checked first. By checking the
+#  parents first, we can eliminate whole groups of configs that
+#  may have been enabled.
+#
+#  For example, if a USB device config is chosen and depends on CONFIG_USB,
+#  the CONFIG_USB will be tested before the device. If CONFIG_USB is
+#  found not to be needed, it, as well as all configs that depend on
+#  it, will be disabled and removed from the current min_config.
+#
 #  OUTPUT_MIN_CONFIG is the path and filename of the file that will
 #   be created from the MIN_CONFIG. If you interrupt the test, set
 #   this file as your new min config, and use it to continue the test.