diff --git a/src/global.c b/src/global.c
index 256c7544..776dd1c2 100644
--- a/src/global.c
+++ b/src/global.c
@@ -260,7 +260,9 @@ int menusymbols[NUMBER_OF_MENUS] = { MMAIN, MWHEREIS, MREPLACE, MREPLACEWITH,
 									MEXTCMD, MHELP, MSPELL, MLINTER,
 									MBROWSER, MWHEREISFILE, MGOTODIR,
 									MMOST|MBROWSER|MHELP|MYESNO };
+#endif
 
+#if defined(ENABLE_NANORC) || defined(ENABLE_HISTORIES)
 char *startup_problem = NULL;
 		/* An error message (if any) about nanorc files or history files. */
 #endif
diff --git a/src/nano.c b/src/nano.c
index ef391256..734a528e 100644
--- a/src/nano.c
+++ b/src/nano.c
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ void finish(void)
 	/* Restore the old terminal settings. */
 	tcsetattr(0, TCSANOW, &original_state);
 
-#ifdef ENABLE_NANORC
+#if defined(ENABLE_NANORC) || defined(ENABLE_HISTORIES)
 	display_rcfile_errors();
 #endif
 
diff --git a/src/proto.h b/src/proto.h
index 29c496b5..8e5b4ec0 100644
--- a/src/proto.h
+++ b/src/proto.h
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ extern int interface_color_pair[NUMBER_OF_ELEMENTS];
 
 extern char *homedir;
 extern char *statedir;
-#ifdef ENABLE_NANORC
+#if defined(ENABLE_NANORC) || defined(ENABLE_HISTORIES)
 extern char *startup_problem;
 #endif
 
@@ -470,9 +470,11 @@ int do_prompt(bool allow_tabs, bool allow_files,
 int do_yesno_prompt(bool all, const char *msg);
 
 /* Most functions in rcfile.c. */
-#ifdef ENABLE_NANORC
+#if defined(ENABLE_NANORC) || defined(ENABLE_HISTORIES)
 void display_rcfile_errors(void);
 void jot_error(const char *msg, ...);
+#endif
+#ifdef ENABLE_NANORC
 #ifdef ENABLE_COLOR
 void parse_one_include(char *file, syntaxtype *syntax);
 void grab_and_store(const char *kind, char *ptr, regexlisttype **storage);
diff --git a/src/rcfile.c b/src/rcfile.c
index c7d97a1c..469c4ce2 100644
--- a/src/rcfile.c
+++ b/src/rcfile.c
@@ -146,7 +146,9 @@ static bool seen_color_command = FALSE;
 static colortype *lastcolor = NULL;
 		/* The end of the color list for the current syntax. */
 #endif
+#endif /* ENABLE_NANORC */
 
+#if defined(ENABLE_NANORC) || defined(ENABLE_HISTORIES)
 static linestruct *errors_head = NULL;
 static linestruct *errors_tail = NULL;
 		/* Beginning and end of a list of errors in rcfiles, if any. */
@@ -175,17 +177,19 @@ void jot_error(const char *msg, ...)
 	errors_tail = error;
 
 	if (startup_problem == NULL) {
+#ifdef ENABLE_NANORC
 		if (nanorc != NULL) {
 			snprintf(textbuf, MAXSIZE, _("Mistakes in '%s'"), nanorc);
 			startup_problem = copy_of(textbuf);
 		} else
+#endif
 			startup_problem = copy_of(_("Problems with history file"));
 	}
-
+#ifdef ENABLE_NANORC
 	if (lineno > 0)
 		length = snprintf(textbuf, MAXSIZE, _("Error in %s on line %zu: "),
 											nanorc, lineno);
-
+#endif
 	va_start(ap, msg);
 	length += vsnprintf(textbuf + length, MAXSIZE - length, _(msg), ap);
 	va_end(ap);
@@ -193,7 +197,9 @@ void jot_error(const char *msg, ...)
 	error->data = nmalloc(length + 1);
 	sprintf(error->data, "%s", textbuf);
 }
+#endif /* ENABLE_NANORC || ENABLE_HISTORIES */
 
+#ifdef ENABLE_NANORC
 /* Parse the next word from the string, null-terminate it, and return
  * a pointer to the first character after the null terminator.  The
  * returned pointer will point to '\0' if we hit the end of the line. */