diff --git a/cmake/ecbuild_add_option.cmake b/cmake/ecbuild_add_option.cmake
index ed3de7fb..9900d3de 100644
--- a/cmake/ecbuild_add_option.cmake
+++ b/cmake/ecbuild_add_option.cmake
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ macro( ecbuild_add_option )
     set( _p_DEFAULT ON )
   else()
     if( NOT _p_DEFAULT MATCHES "[Oo][Nn]" AND NOT _p_DEFAULT MATCHES "[Oo][Ff][Ff]" )
-      ecbuild_critical("In macro ecbuild_add_option(), DEFAULT is either ON or OFF: \"${_p_DEFAULT}\"")
+      ecbuild_critical("In macro ecbuild_add_option(), DEFAULT must be either ON or OFF, but found: \"${_p_DEFAULT}\"")
     endif()
   endif()
   ecbuild_debug("ecbuild_add_option(${_p_FEATURE}): defaults to ${_p_DEFAULT}")
@@ -153,12 +153,6 @@ macro( ecbuild_add_option )
   # define the option -- for cmake GUI
 
   option( ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE} "${_p_DESCRIPTION}" ${_p_DEFAULT} )
-  get_property( _feature_desc GLOBAL PROPERTY _CMAKE_${_p_FEATURE}_DESCRIPTION )
-  if( _feature_desc )
-    add_feature_info( ${_p_FEATURE} ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE} "${_feature_desc}, ${PROJECT_NAME}: ${_p_DESCRIPTION}" )
-  else()
-    add_feature_info( ${_p_FEATURE} ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE} "${PROJECT_NAME}: ${_p_DESCRIPTION}" )
-  endif()
 
   ecbuild_debug("ecbuild_add_option(${_p_FEATURE}): defining option ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE} '${_p_DESCRIPTION}' ${_p_DEFAULT}")
   ecbuild_debug("ecbuild_add_option(${_p_FEATURE}): ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE}=${ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE}}")
@@ -176,6 +170,26 @@ macro( ecbuild_add_option )
     set( ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE} ${${PNAME}_ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE}} )
   endif()
 
+  ## Update the description of the feature summary
+  # Choose the correct tick
+  if (ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE})
+    set ( _tick "✔")
+  else()
+    set ( _tick "✘")
+  endif()
+  set(_enabled "${ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE}}")
+  get_property( _enabled_features GLOBAL PROPERTY ENABLED_FEATURES )
+  if( "${_p_FEATURE}" IN_LIST _enabled_features )
+    set(_enabled ON)
+  endif()
+  # Retrieve any existing description (n.b. occurs when the same feature is added at multiple projects)
+  get_property( _feature_desc GLOBAL PROPERTY _CMAKE_${_p_FEATURE}_DESCRIPTION )
+  # Append the new description
+  if( _feature_desc )
+    add_feature_info( ${_p_FEATURE} ${_enabled} "${_feature_desc}, ${PROJECT_NAME}(${_tick}): '${_p_DESCRIPTION}'" )
+  else()
+    add_feature_info( ${_p_FEATURE} ${_enabled} "${PROJECT_NAME}(${_tick}): '${_p_DESCRIPTION}'" )
+  endif()
 
   set( ${PROJECT_NAME}_HAVE_${_p_FEATURE} 0 )
 
@@ -250,7 +264,7 @@ macro( ecbuild_add_option )
 
     else() # if user provided input and we cannot satisfy FAIL otherwise WARN
 
-      ecbuild_disable_feature( ${_p_FEATURE} )
+      ecbuild_disable_unused_feature( ${_p_FEATURE} )
 
       if( ${_p_FEATURE}_user_provided_input )
         if( NOT _${_p_FEATURE}_condition )
@@ -267,16 +281,16 @@ macro( ecbuild_add_option )
           ecbuild_info( "Feature ${_p_FEATURE} was not enabled (also not requested) -- following required packages weren't found: ${_failed_to_find_packages}" )
         endif()
         set( ENABLE_${_p_FEATURE} OFF )
-        ecbuild_disable_feature( ${_p_FEATURE} )
+        ecbuild_disable_unused_feature( ${_p_FEATURE} )
       endif()
 
     endif()
 
   else()
 
-    ecbuild_debug("ecbuild_add_option(${_p_FEATURE}): feature disabled")
+    ecbuild_info( "Feature ${_p_FEATURE} disabled" )
     set( ${PROJECT_NAME}_HAVE_${_p_FEATURE} 0 )
-    ecbuild_disable_feature( ${_p_FEATURE} )
+    ecbuild_disable_unused_feature( ${_p_FEATURE} )
 
   endif()
 
diff --git a/cmake/ecbuild_features.cmake b/cmake/ecbuild_features.cmake
index 6c049486..8bf57fbb 100644
--- a/cmake/ecbuild_features.cmake
+++ b/cmake/ecbuild_features.cmake
@@ -55,3 +55,11 @@ function( ecbuild_disable_feature _name )
   set_property(GLOBAL PROPERTY DISABLED_FEATURES "${_disabled_features}" )
 
 endfunction()
+
+# Disable the feature ${_name} globally (if it has not been enabled in any subproject)
+function( ecbuild_disable_unused_feature _name )
+  get_property( _enabled GLOBAL PROPERTY ENABLED_FEATURES )
+  if ( NOT _name IN_LIST _enabled ) # if not already disabled
+    ecbuild_disable_feature( ${_name} )
+  endif()
+endfunction()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 472c97c3..fa0c3d4b 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ add_subdirectory( ecbuild_find_package )
 add_subdirectory( ecbuild_add_option )
 add_subdirectory( ecbuild_add_flags )
 add_subdirectory( find_ecbuild )
-add_subdirectory( project_import )
 add_subdirectory( ecbuild_shared_libs )
 add_subdirectory( interface_library )
+add_subdirectory( project_import )
+add_subdirectory( project_summary )
diff --git a/tests/project_summary/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/project_summary/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d6c558ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/project_summary/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+
+ecbuild_add_test(
+  TARGET     test_ecbuild_project_summary
+  TYPE       SCRIPT
+  COMMAND    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/configure.sh
+  ENVIRONMENT CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR=${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
+)
diff --git a/tests/project_summary/clean.sh b/tests/project_summary/clean.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..3d88a017
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/project_summary/clean.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -e
+
+HERE=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR:-"$( cd $( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" ) && pwd -P )"}
+
+# --------------------- cleanup ------------------------
+echo "cleaning $HERE"
+rm -rf $HERE/build_*
diff --git a/tests/project_summary/configure.sh b/tests/project_summary/configure.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..d1434e1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/project_summary/configure.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -e
+
+function EXPECT_ONE_OF()
+{
+    local file=$1
+    local pattern=$2
+    local found=$(cat ${file} | grep "${pattern}" | wc -l | xargs)
+
+    if [ "$found" != "1" ]; then
+        echo "File ${file} does not contain exacly one of '$2'"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+HERE=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR:-"$( cd $( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" ) && pwd -P )"}
+SOURCE=${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR:-$HERE}
+
+# Add ecbuild to path
+export PATH=$SOURCE/../../bin:$PATH
+echo $PATH
+echo $SOURCE
+
+# --------------------- cleanup ------------------------
+$SOURCE/clean.sh
+
+# ----------------- configure project ---------------------
+
+# Options: -DENABLE_MYFEATURE=ON
+
+mkdir -p $HERE/build_1
+ecbuild -DENABLE_MYFEATURE=ON $SOURCE/test_project -B $HERE/build_1 | tee $HERE/build_1.log
+EXPECT_ONE_OF $HERE/build_1.log "* MYFEATURE, proja(✔): '', projb(✔): ''"
+
+# Options: -DENABLE_MYFEATURE=ON -DPROJB_ENABLE_MYFEATURE=OFF
+
+mkdir -p $HERE/build_2
+ecbuild -DENABLE_MYFEATURE=ON -DPROJB_ENABLE_MYFEATURE=OFF $SOURCE/test_project -B $HERE/build_2 | tee $HERE/build_2.log
+EXPECT_ONE_OF $HERE/build_2.log "* MYFEATURE, proja(✔): '', projb(✘): ''"
+
+# Options: -DENABLE_MYFEATURE=OFF -DPROJB_ENABLE_MYFEATURE=ON
+ 
+mkdir -p $HERE/build_3
+ecbuild -DENABLE_MYFEATURE=OFF -DPROJB_ENABLE_MYFEATURE=ON $SOURCE/test_project -B $HERE/build_3 | tee $HERE/build_3.log
+EXPECT_ONE_OF $HERE/build_3.log "* MYFEATURE, proja(✘): '', projb(✔): ''"
diff --git a/tests/project_summary/test_project/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/project_summary/test_project/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2a97a33e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/project_summary/test_project/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+cmake_minimum_required( VERSION 3.18.4 FATAL_ERROR )
+find_package( ecbuild 3.4 REQUIRED )
+
+project( proja LANGUAGES NONE VERSION 0.2 )
+ecbuild_add_option(
+    FEATURE MYFEATURE
+    DEFAULT ON
+)
+
+project( projb LANGUAGES NONE VERSION 0.1 )
+ecbuild_add_option(
+    FEATURE MYFEATURE
+    DEFAULT OFF
+)
+
+ecbuild_print_summary()
\ No newline at end of file