Index: auto.def
==================================================================
--- auto.def
+++ auto.def
@@ -116,11 +116,11 @@
     }
     return $found
 }
 
 if {![opt-bool internal-sqlite]} {
-  proc find_internal_sqlite {} {
+  proc find_system_sqlite {} {
 
     # On some systems (slackware), libsqlite3 requires -ldl to link. So
     # search for the system SQLite once with -ldl, and once without. If
     # the library can only be found with $extralibs set to -ldl, then
     # the code below will append -ldl to LIBS.
@@ -131,14 +131,10 @@
       # if sqlite3_stmt_isexplain can be found as well. If we can find open() but
       # not stmt_isexplain(), then the system SQLite is too old to link against
       # fossil.
       #
       if {[check-function-in-lib sqlite3_open sqlite3 $extralibs]} {
-        if {![check-function-in-lib sqlite3_stmt_isexplain sqlite3 $extralibs]} {
-          user-error "system sqlite3 too old (require >= 3.28.0)"
-        }
-
         # Success. Update symbols and return.
         #
         define USE_SYSTEM_SQLITE 1
         define-append LIBS -lsqlite3
         define-append LIBS $extralibs
@@ -146,11 +142,44 @@
       }
     }
     user-error "system sqlite3 not found"
   }
 
-  find_internal_sqlite
+  find_system_sqlite
+
+  proc test_system_sqlite {} {
+    # Check compatibility of the system SQLite library by running the sqlcompttest.c
+    # program in the source tree
+    #
+    set cmdline {}
+    lappend cmdline {*}[get-define CCACHE]
+    lappend cmdline {*}[get-define CC] {*}[get-define CFLAGS]
+    lappend cmdline $::autosetup(dir)/../src/sqlcompattest.c -o conftest__
+    lappend cmdline {*}[get-define LDFLAGS]
+    lappend cmdline {*}[get-define LIBS]
+    set ok 1
+    set err [catch {exec-with-stderr {*}$cmdline} result errinfo]
+    if {$err} {
+       configlog "Failed: [join $cmdline]"
+       if {[string length $result]>0} {configlog $result}
+       configlog "============"
+       set ok 0
+    } elseif {$::autosetup(debug)} {
+       configlog "Compiled OK: [join $cmdline]"
+       configlog "============"
+    }
+    if {!$ok} {
+      user-error "unable to compile SQLite compatibility test program"
+    }
+    set err [catch {exec-with-stderr ./conftest__} result errinfo]
+    if {$err} {
+      user-error $result
+    }
+    file delete ./conftest__
+  }
+  test_system_sqlite
+    
 }
 
 proc is_mingw {} {
     return [string match *mingw* [get-define host]]
 }

ADDED   src/sqlcompattest.c
Index: src/sqlcompattest.c
==================================================================
--- src/sqlcompattest.c
+++ src/sqlcompattest.c
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/*
+** Copyright (c) 2019 D. Richard Hipp
+**
+** This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+** modify it under the terms of the Simplified BSD License (also
+** known as the "2-Clause License" or "FreeBSD License".)
+**
+** This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+** but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of
+** merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
+**
+** Author contact information:
+**   drh@hwaci.com
+**   http://www.hwaci.com/drh/
+**
+*******************************************************************************
+**
+** This file is NOT part of the Fossil executable
+**
+** This file contains a test program used by ../configure with the
+** the --disable-internal-sqlite option to determine whether or
+** not the system SQLite library is sufficient to support Fossil.
+**
+** It is preferred to statically link Fossil with the sqlite3.c source
+** file that is part of the source tree and not use any SQLite shared
+** library that is included with the system.  But some packagers do not
+** like to do this.  Hence, we provide the option to link Fossil against
+** the system SQLite shared library.  But Fossil is very particular about
+** the version and build options for SQLite.  Unless a recent version of
+** SQLite is available, and unless that SQLite is built using some
+** non-default features, the system library won't meet the needs of
+** Fossil.  This program attempts to determine if the system library
+** SQLite is sufficient for Fossil.
+**
+** Compile this program, linking it against the system SQLite library,
+** and run it.  If it returns with a zero exit code, then all is well.
+** But if it returns a non-zero exit code, then the system SQLite library
+** lacks some capability that Fossil uses.  A message on stdout describes
+** the missing feature.
+*/
+#include "sqlite3.h"
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv){
+  int i;
+  static const char *zRequiredOpts[] = {
+    "ENABLE_FTS4",        /* Required for repository search */
+    "ENABLE_JSON1",       /* Required for the check-in locking protocol */
+    "ENABLE_DBSTAT_VTAB", /* Required by /repo-tabsize page */
+  };
+
+  /* Check minimum SQLite version number */
+  if( sqlite3_libversion_number()<3028000 ){
+    printf("found SQLite version %s but need 3.28.0 or later\n",
+            sqlite3_libversion());
+    return 1;
+  }
+
+  for(i=0; i<sizeof(zRequiredOpts)/sizeof(zRequiredOpts[0]); i++){
+    if( !sqlite3_compileoption_used(zRequiredOpts[i]) ){
+      printf("system SQLite library omits required build option -DSQLITE_%s\n",
+             zRequiredOpts[i]);
+      return 1;
+    }
+  }
+
+  /* Success! */
+  return 0;
+}