diff --git a/src/broxygen/Document.cc b/src/broxygen/Document.cc
index ab8aca08aa..6b3a7309ce 100644
--- a/src/broxygen/Document.cc
+++ b/src/broxygen/Document.cc
@@ -15,19 +15,22 @@ PackageDocument::PackageDocument(const string& arg_name)
 
 IdentifierDocument::IdentifierDocument(ID* arg_id)
     : Document(),
-      comments(), id(arg_id), initial_val(), redefs(), fields(),
+      comments(), id(arg_id), initial_val_desc(), redefs(), fields(),
       last_field_seen()
 	{
 	Ref(id);
 
 	if ( id->ID_Val() )
-		initial_val = id->ID_Val()->Clone();
+		{
+		ODesc d;
+		id->ID_Val()->Describe(&d);
+		initial_val_desc = d.Description();
+		}
 	}
 
 IdentifierDocument::~IdentifierDocument()
 	{
 	Unref(id);
-	//Unref(initial_val); // TODO: problematic w/ PatternVals
 
 	for ( RedefList::const_iterator it = redefs.begin(); it != redefs.end();
 	      ++it )
@@ -42,7 +45,14 @@ void IdentifierDocument::AddRedef(const string& script,
 	{
 	Redefinition* redef = new Redefinition();
 	redef->from_script = script;
-	redef->new_val = id->ID_Val() ? id->ID_Val()->Clone() : 0;
+
+	if ( id->ID_Val() )
+		{
+		ODesc d;
+		id->ID_Val()->Describe(&d);
+		redef->new_val_desc = d.Description();
+		}
+
 	redef->comments = comments;
 	redefs.push_back(redef);
 	}
diff --git a/src/broxygen/Document.h b/src/broxygen/Document.h
index 34742f8069..9010dd0a38 100644
--- a/src/broxygen/Document.h
+++ b/src/broxygen/Document.h
@@ -81,11 +81,8 @@ public:
 private:
 
 	struct Redefinition {
-		~Redefinition()
-			{ Unref(new_val); }
-
 		std::string from_script;
-		Val* new_val;
+		string new_val_desc;
 		std::vector<std::string> comments;
 	};
 
@@ -106,7 +103,7 @@ private:
 
 	std::vector<std::string> comments;
 	ID* id;
-	Val* initial_val;
+	string initial_val_desc;
 	RedefList redefs;
 	std::vector<RecordField*> fields;
 	RecordField* last_field_seen;
diff --git a/src/broxygen/Manager.cc b/src/broxygen/Manager.cc
index 8d01c51224..c886973269 100644
--- a/src/broxygen/Manager.cc
+++ b/src/broxygen/Manager.cc
@@ -84,9 +84,11 @@ static string PrettifyParams(const string& s)
 	}
 
 Manager::Manager(const string& config)
-    : comment_buffer(), packages(), scripts(), identifiers(), all_docs(),
-      last_doc_seen(), incomplete_type()
+    : disabled(), comment_buffer(), packages(), scripts(), identifiers(),
+      all_docs(), last_doc_seen(), incomplete_type()
 	{
+	if ( getenv("BRO_DISABLE_BROXYGEN") )
+		disabled = true;
 	// TODO config file stuff
 	}
 
@@ -99,16 +101,22 @@ Manager::~Manager()
 
 void Manager::InitPreScript()
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
 	// TODO: create file/proto analyzer doc
 	}
 
 void Manager::InitPostScript()
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
 	// TODO: dependency resolution stuff?
 	}
 
 void Manager::GenerateDocs() const
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
 	// TODO
 
 	// may be a no-op if no config file
@@ -116,6 +124,9 @@ void Manager::GenerateDocs() const
 
 void Manager::File(const string& path)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	string name = without_bropath_component(path);
 
 	if ( scripts.find(name) != scripts.end() )
@@ -144,6 +155,9 @@ void Manager::File(const string& path)
 
 void Manager::ScriptDependency(const string& path, const string& dep)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	if ( dep.empty() )
 		{
 		DbgAndWarn(fmt("Empty script doc dependency: %s", path.c_str()));
@@ -173,6 +187,9 @@ void Manager::ScriptDependency(const string& path, const string& dep)
 
 void Manager::ModuleUsage(const string& path, const string& module)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	string name = without_bropath_component(path);
 	ScriptMap::const_iterator it = scripts.find(name);
 
@@ -189,6 +206,9 @@ void Manager::ModuleUsage(const string& path, const string& module)
 
 void Manager::StartType(ID* id)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	if ( id->GetLocationInfo() == &no_location )
 		{
 		DbgAndWarn(fmt("Can't document %s, no location available", id->Name()));
@@ -218,6 +238,9 @@ void Manager::StartType(ID* id)
 
 void Manager::Identifier(ID* id)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	if ( incomplete_type && incomplete_type->Name() == id->Name() )
 		{
 		DBG_LOG(DBG_BROXYGEN, "Finished document for type %s", id->Name());
@@ -273,6 +296,9 @@ void Manager::Identifier(ID* id)
 void Manager::RecordField(const ID* id, const TypeDecl* field,
                           const string& path)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	IdentifierDocument* idd = 0;
 
 	if ( incomplete_type )
@@ -311,6 +337,9 @@ void Manager::RecordField(const ID* id, const TypeDecl* field,
 
 void Manager::Redef(const ID* id, const string& path)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	if ( path == "<params>" )
 		// This is a redef defined on the command line.
 		return;
@@ -342,6 +371,9 @@ void Manager::Redef(const ID* id, const string& path)
 
 void Manager::SummaryComment(const string& script, const string& comment)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	string name = without_bropath_component(script);
 	ScriptMap::const_iterator it = scripts.find(name);
 
@@ -357,11 +389,17 @@ void Manager::SummaryComment(const string& script, const string& comment)
 
 void Manager::PreComment(const string& comment)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	comment_buffer.push_back(PrettifyParams(RemoveLeadingSpace(comment)));
 	}
 
 void Manager::PostComment(const string& comment)
 	{
+	if ( disabled )
+		return;
+
 	IdentifierDocument* doc = dynamic_cast<IdentifierDocument*>(last_doc_seen);
 
 	if ( ! doc )
diff --git a/src/broxygen/Manager.h b/src/broxygen/Manager.h
index 10b63af945..94ba2dec8e 100644
--- a/src/broxygen/Manager.h
+++ b/src/broxygen/Manager.h
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 namespace broxygen {
 
 // TODO: documentation...
-// TODO: optimize parse time... maybe an env. option to disable doc collection?
 
 class Manager {
 
@@ -60,6 +59,7 @@ private:
 
 	void RegisterDoc(Document* d);
 
+	bool disabled;
 	CommentBuffer comment_buffer;
 	PackageMap packages;
 	ScriptMap scripts;
diff --git a/src/main.cc b/src/main.cc
index 764b508749..2ab25460d4 100644
--- a/src/main.cc
+++ b/src/main.cc
@@ -227,6 +227,7 @@ void usage()
 	fprintf(stderr, "    $BRO_SEED_FILE                 | file to load seeds from (not set)\n");
 	fprintf(stderr, "    $BRO_LOG_SUFFIX                | ASCII log file extension (.%s)\n", logging::writer::Ascii::LogExt().c_str());
 	fprintf(stderr, "    $BRO_PROFILER_FILE             | Output file for script execution statistics (not set)\n");
+	fprintf(stderr, "    $BRO_DISABLE_BROXYGEN          | Disable Broxygen documentation support (%s)\n", getenv("BRO_DISABLE_BROXYGEN") ? "set" : "not set");
 
 	fprintf(stderr, "\n");
 	fprintf(stderr, "    Supported log formats: ");
diff --git a/src/parse.y b/src/parse.y
index 75be472853..5dc43a8476 100644
--- a/src/parse.y
+++ b/src/parse.y
@@ -963,7 +963,7 @@ type_decl:
 			set_location(@1, @4);
 			$$ = new TypeDecl($3, $1, $4, (in_record > 0));
 
-			if ( in_record > 0 )
+			if ( in_record > 0 && cur_decl_type_id )
 				broxygen_mgr->RecordField(cur_decl_type_id, $$, ::filename);
 			}
 	;