diff --git a/bfps/DNS.py b/bfps/DNS.py
index 8e72593e5c2dedeeccc60077918838c511490972..940818508fbb320855ea6a584269873693ab4d18 100644
--- a/bfps/DNS.py
+++ b/bfps/DNS.py
@@ -530,6 +530,10 @@ class DNS(_code):
                 metavar = 'NTHREADS_PER_PROCESS',
                 help = 'number of threads to use per MPI process',
                 default = 1)
+        parser.add_argument(
+                '--no-debug',
+                action = 'store_true',
+                dest = 'no_debug')
         parser.add_argument(
                 '--no-submit',
                 action = 'store_true',
@@ -1051,6 +1055,7 @@ class DNS(_code):
                 njobs = opt.njobs,
                 hours = opt.minutes // 60,
                 minutes = opt.minutes % 60,
-                no_submit = opt.no_submit)
+                no_submit = opt.no_submit,
+                no_debug = opt.no_debug)
         return None
 
diff --git a/bfps/_code.py b/bfps/_code.py
index c29dda63895a3a0907b7d98593c3af79945b8639..b3aa9ff9c7ede48cebc33680ac0e7c328126a593 100644
--- a/bfps/_code.py
+++ b/bfps/_code.py
@@ -194,7 +194,9 @@ class _code(_base):
             outfile.write(self.main)
             outfile.write(self.main_end)
         return None
-    def compile_code(self):
+    def compile_code(
+            self,
+            no_debug = False):
         # compile code
         if not os.path.isfile(os.path.join(bfps.header_dir, 'base.hpp')):
             raise IOError('header not there:\n' +
@@ -206,6 +208,8 @@ class _code(_base):
         command_strings = [bfps.install_info['compiler']]
         command_strings += [self.name + '.cpp', '-o', self.name]
         command_strings += bfps.install_info['extra_compile_args']
+        if no_debug:
+            command_strings += ['-DNDEBUG']
         command_strings += ['-I' + idir for idir in bfps.install_info['include_dirs']]
         command_strings.append('-I' + bfps.header_dir)
         command_strings += ['-L' + ldir for ldir in bfps.install_info['library_dirs']]
@@ -237,7 +241,8 @@ class _code(_base):
             hours = 0,
             minutes = 10,
             njobs = 1,
-            no_submit = False):
+            no_submit = False,
+            no_debug = False):
         self.read_parameters()
         with h5py.File(os.path.join(self.work_dir, self.simname + '.h5'), 'r') as data_file:
             iter0 = data_file['iteration'].value
@@ -249,7 +254,7 @@ class _code(_base):
             need_to_compile = (datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getctime(os.path.join(self.work_dir, self.name))) <
                                bfps.install_info['install_date'])
         if need_to_compile:
-            assert self.compile_code() == 0
+            assert self.compile_code(no_debug = no_debug) == 0
             if self.work_dir != os.path.realpath(os.getcwd()):
                 shutil.copy(self.name, self.work_dir)
         if 'niter_todo' not in self.parameters.keys():