misc/auto-completion/bash/nnn-completion.bash |  1 +
 misc/auto-completion/fish/nnn.fish            |  1 +
 misc/auto-completion/zsh/_nnn                 |  1 +
 nnn.1                                         |  4 ++++
 src/nnn.c                                     | 25 ++++++++++++++++++++-----

diff --git a/misc/auto-completion/bash/nnn-completion.bash b/misc/auto-completion/bash/nnn-completion.bash
index df37a847855f4af4a8be143e368dca2c710070db..fa5cab3e81ca495afab89b55b03aac650c690893 100644
--- a/misc/auto-completion/bash/nnn-completion.bash
+++ b/misc/auto-completion/bash/nnn-completion.bash
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@         -c
         -d
         -e
         -E
+        -f
         -g
         -H
         -K
diff --git a/misc/auto-completion/fish/nnn.fish b/misc/auto-completion/fish/nnn.fish
index 5cb31715aa7ee775e6d8594e477e95645efd36e3..3a7f10c9909b4c5f6e084dbce3a30621fc69838a 100644
--- a/misc/auto-completion/fish/nnn.fish
+++ b/misc/auto-completion/fish/nnn.fish
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ complete -c nnn -s c    -d 'cli-only opener'
 complete -c nnn -s d    -d 'start in detail mode'
 complete -c nnn -s e    -d 'open text files in $VISUAL/$EDITOR/vi'
 complete -c nnn -s E    -d 'use EDITOR for undetached edits'
+complete -c nnn -s f    -d 'use readline history file'
 complete -c nnn -s g    -d 'regex filters'
 complete -c nnn -s H    -d 'show hidden files'
 complete -c nnn -s K    -d 'detect key collision'
diff --git a/misc/auto-completion/zsh/_nnn b/misc/auto-completion/zsh/_nnn
index 2a486bed0545cd5da741595feb2643969657ad30..bdbd555b4d13adeb0a188bde5687052ef48af35c 100644
--- a/misc/auto-completion/zsh/_nnn
+++ b/misc/auto-completion/zsh/_nnn
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@     '(-c)-c[cli-only opener]'
     '(-d)-d[start in detail mode]'
     '(-e)-e[open text files in $VISUAL/$EDITOR/vi]'
     '(-E)-E[use EDITOR for undetached edits]'
+    '(-f)-f[use readline history file]'
     '(-g)-g[regex filters]'
     '(-H)-H[show hidden files]'
     '(-K)-K[detect key collision]'
diff --git a/nnn.1 b/nnn.1
index f843d7a070abd394b87dde653445b628550b79c8..84b184cb5e89a31ce862d09ec8da1e0778c379ce 100644
--- a/nnn.1
+++ b/nnn.1
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ .Op Ar -c
 .Op Ar -d
 .Op Ar -e
 .Op Ar -E
+.Op Ar -f
 .Op Ar -g
 .Op Ar -H
 .Op Ar -K
@@ -72,6 +73,9 @@         open text files in $VISUAL (else $EDITOR, fallback vi) [preferably CLI]
 .Pp
 .Fl E
         use $EDITOR for internal undetached edits
+.Pp
+.Fl f
+        use readline history file
 .Pp
 .Fl g
         use regex filters instead of substring match
diff --git a/src/nnn.c b/src/nnn.c
index 8ca8757c655ca6e35133fb98f8f772296c25383c..c47c0c559538947f6e0547c21dd3cb06ef119c89 100644
--- a/src/nnn.c
+++ b/src/nnn.c
@@ -6477,6 +6477,9 @@ 		" -c      cli-only opener (overrides -e)\n"
 		" -d      detail mode\n"
 		" -e      text in $VISUAL ($EDITOR/vi)\n"
 		" -E      use EDITOR for undetached edits\n"
+#ifndef NORL
+		" -f      use readline history file\n"
+#endif
 		" -g      regex filters [default: string]\n"
 		" -H      show hidden files\n"
 		" -K      detect key collision\n"
@@ -6635,10 +6638,13 @@ 		middle_click_key = middle_click_env[0];
 #endif
 	const char* const env_opts = xgetenv(env_cfg[NNN_OPTS], NULL);
 	int env_opts_id = env_opts ? (int)strlen(env_opts) : -1;
+#ifndef NORL
+	bool rlhist = FALSE;
+#endif
 
 	while ((opt = (env_opts_id > 0
 		       ? env_opts[--env_opts_id]
-		       : getopt(argc, argv, "aAb:cdeEgHKnop:QrRs:St:T:Vxh"))) != -1) {
+		       : getopt(argc, argv, "aAb:cdeEfgHKnop:QrRs:St:T:Vxh"))) != -1) {
 		switch (opt) {
 		case 'a':
 			cfg.mtime = 0;
@@ -6665,6 +6671,11 @@ 			cfg.useeditor = 1;
 			break;
 		case 'E':
 			cfg.waitedit = 1;
+			break;
+		case 'f':
+#ifndef NORL
+			rlhist = TRUE;
+#endif
 			break;
 		case 'g':
 			cfg.regex = 1;
@@ -6926,8 +6937,10 @@ 	rl_bind_key('\t', rl_menu_complete);
 #else
 	rl_bind_key('\t', rl_complete);
 #endif
-	mkpath(cfgdir, ".history", g_buf);
-	read_history(g_buf);
+	if (rlhist) {
+		mkpath(cfgdir, ".history", g_buf);
+		read_history(g_buf);
+	}
 #endif
 
 #ifndef NOMOUSE
@@ -6952,8 +6965,10 @@
 	exitcurses();
 
 #ifndef NORL
-	mkpath(cfgdir, ".history", g_buf);
-	write_history(g_buf);
+	if (rlhist) {
+		mkpath(cfgdir, ".history", g_buf);
+		write_history(g_buf);
+	}
 #endif
 
 	if (cfg.pickraw) {