diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 9d803d9..0eaa4e5 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 option('docs', description: 'Build manpages with scdoc', type: 'feature', value: 'auto')
-option('help', description: 'Build help into apk binaries, needs lua and lua-zlib', type: 'feature', value: 'auto')
+option('help', description: 'Build help into apk binaries, needs lua', type: 'feature', value: 'auto')
+option('compressed-help', description: 'Compress help database, needs lua-zlib', type: 'boolean', value: true)
 option('lua', description: 'Build luaapk (lua bindings)', type: 'feature', value: 'auto')
 option('lua_version', description: 'Lua version to build against', type: 'string', value: '5.3')
 option('static_apk', description: 'Also build apk.static', type: 'boolean', value: false)
diff --git a/src/applet.c b/src/applet.c
index 3b274d7..70dbf47 100644
--- a/src/applet.c
+++ b/src/applet.c
@@ -46,12 +46,19 @@ static inline int is_group(struct apk_applet *applet, const char *topic)
 void apk_applet_help(struct apk_applet *applet, struct apk_out *out)
 {
 #ifndef NO_HELP
-	char buf[uncompressed_help_size], *ptr, *msg;
-	unsigned long len = sizeof buf;
+#ifdef COMPRESSED_HELP
+	unsigned char buf[payload_help_size];
+#endif
+	const char *ptr = (const char *) payload_help, *base = ptr, *msg;
+	unsigned long len = payload_help_size;
 	int num = 0;
 
-	uncompress((unsigned char*) buf, &len, compressed_help, sizeof compressed_help);
-	for (ptr = buf; *ptr && ptr < &buf[len]; ptr = msg + strlen(msg) + 1) {
+#ifdef COMPRESSED_HELP
+	uncompress(buf, &len, payload_help, sizeof payload_help);
+	ptr = base = (const char *) buf;
+	len = sizeof buf;
+#endif
+	for (; *ptr && ptr < &base[len]; ptr = msg + strlen(msg) + 1) {
 		msg = ptr + strlen(ptr) + 1;
 		if (is_group(applet, ptr)) {
 			fputc('\n', stdout);
diff --git a/src/genhelp.lua b/src/genhelp.lua
index 217ec1b..51f5b73 100644
--- a/src/genhelp.lua
+++ b/src/genhelp.lua
@@ -242,7 +242,11 @@ function scdoc:render(out)
 	table.insert(out, "\0")
 end
 
+local do_compress = true
 local function compress(data)
+	if not do_compress then
+		return data
+	end
 	local zlib = require 'zlib'
 	local level = 9
 	if type(zlib.version()) == "string" then
@@ -258,8 +262,9 @@ local function dump_compressed_vars(name, data, header)
 	local width = 16
 	local cout = compress(data)
 	if header then print(header) end
-	print(("static const unsigned int uncompressed_%s_size = %d;"):format(name, #data))
-	print(("static const unsigned char compressed_%s[] = { /* %d bytes */"):format(name, #cout))
+	if do_compress then print("#define COMPRESSED_HELP") end
+	print(("static const unsigned int payload_%s_size = %d;"):format(name, #data))
+	print(("static const unsigned char payload_%s[] = { /* %d bytes */"):format(name, #cout))
 	for i = 1, #cout do
 		if i % width == 1 then
 			io.write("\t")
@@ -275,17 +280,21 @@ end
 
 local f = {}
 for _, fn in ipairs(arg) do
-	doc = setmetatable({
-		width = 78,
-		section = "HEADER",
-		usage = {},
-		description = {},
-		commands = {},
-		notes = {},
-		optgroup = {},
-	}, scdoc)
-	doc:parse(fn)
-	table.insert(f, doc)
+	if fn == '--no-zlib' then
+		do_compress = false
+	else
+		doc = setmetatable({
+			width = 78,
+			section = "HEADER",
+			usage = {},
+			description = {},
+			commands = {},
+			notes = {},
+			optgroup = {},
+		}, scdoc)
+		doc:parse(fn)
+		table.insert(f, doc)
+	end
 end
 table.sort(f, function(a, b) return a.applet < b.applet end)
 
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index 14a4749..f83ad62 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -86,13 +86,18 @@ apk_src = [
 
 if lua_bin.found()
 	genhelp_script = files('genhelp.lua')
+	genhelp_args = [lua_bin, genhelp_script, '@INPUT@']
+
+	if not get_option('compressed-help')
+		genhelp_args += ['--no-zlib']
+	endif
 
 	generated_help = custom_target(
 		'help.h',
 		capture: true,
 		output: 'help.h',
 		input: man_files,
-		command: [lua_bin, genhelp_script, '@INPUT@'],
+		command: genhelp_args,
 	)
 else
 	generated_help = custom_target(