diff --git a/lpf.1 b/lpf.1
index 7f240ef..70d7573 100644
--- a/lpf.1
+++ b/lpf.1
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 lpf \- Build non-redistributable rpms
 
 .SH SYNOPSIS
-.B lpf <command> [options]
+.B lpf [-n] <command> [options]
 
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 Builds and installs non-redistributable rpms by downloading binaries,
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ below.
 .PP
 If DISPLAY is defined in the environment, lpf uses GUI dialogs for user
 interaction even when invoked from command line. To force CLI only
-operation, unset DISPLAY.
+operation, use the -n flag or unset DISPLAY.
 .PP
 lpf has a notification system for packages needing to be updated. See
 NOTIFICATIONS below.
@@ -157,4 +157,3 @@ sudo(8)
 .TP
 pkexec(1)
     Used to add user to pkg-build group at initial run.
-
diff --git a/scripts/lpf b/scripts/lpf
index 14df048..00af10f 100755
--- a/scripts/lpf
+++ b/scripts/lpf
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ source $scriptdir/lpf-defs.bash
 function usage()
 {
     cat << EOF
-Usage: lpf <command> [args]
+Usage: lpf [-n] <command> [args]
 
 commands:
     list        List all packages.
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ commands:
                 Re-enable notification messages for a possibly muted package.
 
 
-Unset \$DISPLAY to disable GUI dialogs. See the manpage for more commands
-and other info.
+Use the -n flag or unset \$DISPLAY to disable GUI dialogs. See the manpage for
+more commands and other info.
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -230,6 +230,17 @@ export NO_AT_BRIDGE=0
 
 export SUDO_ASKPASS=$scriptdir/sudo_askpass
 
+# parse basic flags with getopts
+while getopts "hn" opt; do
+  # shellcheck disable=2220
+  case $opt in
+    h) usage; exit;;
+    n) unset DISPLAY;;
+  esac
+done
+shift "$((OPTIND-1))"
+
+# now fall through to command parsing
 command=$1
 shift
 case $command in