diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/go.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/go.go
index 72127b052f..b3edb0ed22 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/go.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/go.go
@@ -201,6 +201,8 @@ var flag_race bool
 
 var flag_msan bool
 
+var flagDWARF bool
+
 // Whether we are adding any sort of code instrumentation, such as
 // when the race detector is enabled.
 var instrumenting bool
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/main.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/main.go
index 36ec651245..79e95958ef 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/main.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/main.go
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ func Main(archInit func(*Arch)) {
 	archInit(&thearch)
 
 	Ctxt = obj.Linknew(thearch.LinkArch)
-	Ctxt.DebugInfo = debuginfo
 	Ctxt.DiagFunc = yyerror
 	Ctxt.Bso = bufio.NewWriter(os.Stdout)
 
@@ -181,6 +180,7 @@ func Main(archInit func(*Arch)) {
 	flag.StringVar(&buildid, "buildid", "", "record `id` as the build id in the export metadata")
 	flag.BoolVar(&pure_go, "complete", false, "compiling complete package (no C or assembly)")
 	flag.StringVar(&debugstr, "d", "", "print debug information about items in `list`")
+	flag.BoolVar(&flagDWARF, "dwarf", true, "generate DWARF symbols")
 	obj.Flagcount("e", "no limit on number of errors reported", &Debug['e'])
 	obj.Flagcount("f", "debug stack frames", &Debug['f'])
 	obj.Flagcount("h", "halt on error", &Debug['h'])
@@ -227,6 +227,9 @@ func Main(archInit func(*Arch)) {
 
 	Ctxt.Debugasm = Debug_asm
 	Ctxt.Debugvlog = Debug_vlog
+	if flagDWARF {
+		Ctxt.DebugInfo = debuginfo
+	}
 
 	if flag.NArg() < 1 {
 		usage()