diff --git a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/Makefile.share b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/Makefile.share
index a35af175e271..aa4c134b3b80 100644
--- a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/Makefile.share
+++ b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/Makefile.share
@@ -47,11 +47,12 @@ ifneq (, $(findstring pmi2, $(COMM_SRCS)))
   endif
 endif
 
+
 #
-# Use hugepages on Cray XC and HPE Cray EX systems.
+# Use hugepages if requested.
 #
 
-ifneq (, $(findstring $(CHPL_MAKE_TARGET_PLATFORM), cray-xc hpe-cray-ex))
+ifneq (, $(call isTrue, $(CHPL_COMM_OFI_USE_HUGEPAGES)))
   COMM_SRCS += comm-ofi-hugepages.c
 else
   COMM_SRCS += comm-ofi-no-hugepages.c
diff --git a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-hugepages.c b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-hugepages.c
index 6d81d224ff1c..d22ee9bb9783 100644
--- a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-hugepages.c
+++ b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-hugepages.c
@@ -39,3 +39,7 @@ void* chpl_comm_ofi_hp_get_huge_pages(size_t size) {
 size_t chpl_comm_ofi_hp_gethugepagesize(void) {
   return gethugepagesize();
 }
+
+chpl_bool chpl_comm_ofi_hp_supported(void) {
+  return true;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-internal.h b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-internal.h
index 2e4e10ee2df9..5e7cf9ec7b83 100644
--- a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-internal.h
+++ b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-internal.h
@@ -290,6 +290,7 @@ int  chpl_comm_ofi_oob_locales_on_node(int *localRank);
 
 void* chpl_comm_ofi_hp_get_huge_pages(size_t);
 size_t chpl_comm_ofi_hp_gethugepagesize(void);
+chpl_bool chpl_comm_ofi_hp_supported(void);
 
 
 //
diff --git a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-no-hugepages.c b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-no-hugepages.c
index 4069f27096a6..78553ef96130 100644
--- a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-no-hugepages.c
+++ b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi-no-hugepages.c
@@ -33,3 +33,5 @@ void* chpl_comm_ofi_hp_get_huge_pages(size_t size) { return NULL; }
 
 
 size_t chpl_comm_ofi_hp_gethugepagesize(void) { return 0; }
+
+chpl_bool chpl_comm_ofi_hp_supported(void) {return false; }
diff --git a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi.c b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi.c
index 5cd41b0669ad..88fe6dfa1450 100644
--- a/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi.c
+++ b/runtime/src/comm/ofi/comm-ofi.c
@@ -3479,6 +3479,10 @@ void init_fixedHeap(void) {
 
   if ((page_size = get_hugepageSize()) == 0) {
     have_hugepages = false;
+  } else {
+    have_hugepages = true;
+  }
+  if (!have_hugepages) {
     page_size = chpl_getSysPageSize();
     //
     // We'll make a fixed heap, on whole pages.
@@ -3510,7 +3514,6 @@ void init_fixedHeap(void) {
     if (start == NULL)
       chpl_error("cannot create fixed heap: cannot get memory", 0, 0);
   } else {
-    have_hugepages = true;
     //
     // We'll make a fixed heap on whole hugepages.
     //
@@ -3562,11 +3565,22 @@ size_t get_hugepageSize(void) {
 
 static
 void init_hugepageSize(void) {
-  if (chpl_numNodes > 1
-      && getenv("HUGETLB_DEFAULT_PAGE_SIZE") != NULL) {
+  chpl_bool use_hugepages = chpl_env_rt_get_bool("COMM_OFI_USE_HUGEPAGES",
+                                                 false);
+  if ((chpl_numNodes > 1) && use_hugepages &&
+      (getenv("HUGETLB_DEFAULT_PAGE_SIZE") != NULL)) {
     hugepageSize = chpl_comm_ofi_hp_gethugepagesize();
   }
 
+  if (use_hugepages && (hugepageSize == 0)) {
+    if (chpl_comm_ofi_hp_supported()) {
+      chpl_error("Unable to get hugepage size. "
+                 "Ensure that a hugepage module is loaded.", 0, 0);
+    } else {
+      chpl_error("Chapel was not built with hugepage support.", 0, 0);
+    }
+ }
+
   DBG_PRINTF(DBG_HUGEPAGES,
              "setting hugepage info: use hugepages %s, sz %#zx",
              (hugepageSize > 0) ? "YES" : "NO", hugepageSize);