diff --git a/cmake/px4_add_common_flags.cmake b/cmake/px4_add_common_flags.cmake
index 063f23b63b..699d976641 100644
--- a/cmake/px4_add_common_flags.cmake
+++ b/cmake/px4_add_common_flags.cmake
@@ -114,8 +114,8 @@ function(px4_add_common_flags)
 	elseif ("${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}" STREQUAL "GNU")
 
 		if(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_VERSION VERSION_GREATER 4.9)
-			# force color for gcc > 4.9
-			add_compile_options(-fdiagnostics-color=always)
+			# enable color for gcc > 4.9 when stdout is terminal
+			add_compile_options(-fdiagnostics-color=auto)
 		endif()
 
 		if(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_VERSION VERSION_GREATER 9.3)