diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index bbb1a88d..d88722c0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -411,6 +411,17 @@ jobs:
       - run: test ! -f "${{ steps.test_skip_tests.outputs.ros-workspace-directory-name }}/build/ament_copyright/colcon_test.rc"
         name: "Check that 'colcon test' wasn't run on ament_copyright"
 
+      - uses: ./
+        id: test_no_symlink_install
+        name: "Test single package, with no --symlink-install"
+        with:
+          package-name: ament_copyright
+          target-ros2-distro: ${{ matrix.ros_distribution }}
+          vcs-repo-file-url: ${{ env.DISTRO_REPOS_URL }}
+          no-symlink-install: true
+      - run: test ! -f "${{ steps.test_no_symlink_install.outputs.ros-workspace-directory-name }}/install/ament_copyright/lib/python3.*/site-packages/ament-copyright.egg-link"
+        name: "Check that an .egg-link file in the install dir does not exist for ament_copyright"
+
   test_ros2_from_source_docker:
     name: "Test ROS 2 from source Docker"
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 24d6d871..c91fba2d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ This action builds and tests a [ROS](http://wiki.ros.org/) or [ROS 2](https://do
    1. [Build a ROS 1 workspace](#Build-a-ROS-1-workspace)
    1. [Skip tests](#Skip-tests)
    1. [Use a `colcon` `defaults.yaml` file](#Use-a-colcon-defaultsyaml-file)
+   1. [Do not use `--symlink-install` when building](#Do-not-use---symlink-install-when-building)
    1. [Enable Address Sanitizer to automatically report memory issues](#Enable-Address-Sanitizer-to-automatically-report-memory-issues)
    1. [Generate and process code coverage data](#Generate-and-process-code-coverage-data)
    1. [Store `colcon` logs as build artifacts](#Store-colcon-logs-as-build-artifacts)
@@ -210,6 +211,23 @@ steps:
         }
 ```
 
+### Do not use `--symlink-install` when building
+
+By default, [`--symlink-install` is used with `colcon build`](https://colcon.readthedocs.io/en/released/reference/verb/build.html).
+To avoid this, set the `no-symlink-install` input to `true`.
+
+```yaml
+steps:
+  - uses: ros-tooling/setup-ros@v0.7
+    with:
+      required-ros-distributions: humble
+  - uses: ros-tooling/action-ros-ci@v0.3
+    with:
+      package-name: my_package
+      target-ros2-distro: humble
+      no-symlink-install: true
+```
+
 ### Enable Address Sanitizer to automatically report memory issues
 
 [ASan][addresssanitizer] is an open-source tool developed to automatically report
diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index 55d48ee7..1f4cdadf 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -83,6 +83,12 @@ inputs:
       Skip rosdep install.
       Set to 'true'.
     required: false
+  no-symlink-install:
+    default: ""
+    description: |
+      Do not use '--symlink-install' with 'colcon build'.
+      Set to 'true'.
+    required: false
   rosdep-check:
     default: ""
     description: |
diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
index f5f1beca..c9d1cd5c 100644
--- a/dist/index.js
+++ b/dist/index.js
@@ -11411,6 +11411,7 @@ function run_throw() {
         const workspace = process.env.GITHUB_WORKSPACE;
         const colconDefaults = core.getInput("colcon-defaults");
         const colconMixinRepo = core.getInput("colcon-mixin-repository");
+        const noSymlinkInstall = core.getInput("no-symlink-install") === "true";
         const extraCmakeArgsInput = core.getInput("extra-cmake-args");
         const extraCmakeArgs = extraCmakeArgsInput
             ? ["--cmake-args", extraCmakeArgsInput]
@@ -11665,12 +11666,14 @@ done`;
         let colconBuildCmd = [
             `colcon`,
             `build`,
-            `--symlink-install`,
             ...buildPackageSelection,
             ...colconExtraArgs,
             ...extraCmakeArgs,
             `--event-handlers=console_cohesion+`,
         ];
+        if (!noSymlinkInstall) {
+            colconBuildCmd = [...colconBuildCmd, `--symlink-install`];
+        }
         if (useMergeInstall) {
             colconBuildCmd = [...colconBuildCmd, `--merge-install`];
         }
diff --git a/src/action-ros-ci.ts b/src/action-ros-ci.ts
index 117da82c..aa9d696e 100644
--- a/src/action-ros-ci.ts
+++ b/src/action-ros-ci.ts
@@ -360,6 +360,7 @@ async function run_throw(): Promise<void> {
 
 	const colconDefaults = core.getInput("colcon-defaults");
 	const colconMixinRepo = core.getInput("colcon-mixin-repository");
+	const noSymlinkInstall = core.getInput("no-symlink-install") === "true";
 
 	const extraCmakeArgsInput = core.getInput("extra-cmake-args");
 	const extraCmakeArgs = extraCmakeArgsInput
@@ -722,12 +723,14 @@ done`;
 	let colconBuildCmd = [
 		`colcon`,
 		`build`,
-		`--symlink-install`,
 		...buildPackageSelection,
 		...colconExtraArgs,
 		...extraCmakeArgs,
 		`--event-handlers=console_cohesion+`,
 	];
+	if (!noSymlinkInstall) {
+		colconBuildCmd = [...colconBuildCmd, `--symlink-install`];
+	}
 	if (useMergeInstall) {
 		colconBuildCmd = [...colconBuildCmd, `--merge-install`];
 	}