diff --git a/cmd.go b/cmd.go
index 26865c05..1441f3b5 100644
--- a/cmd.go
+++ b/cmd.go
@@ -296,6 +296,10 @@ func handleConfig(option, value string) bool {
 		config.SudoLoop = true
 	case "nosudoloop":
 		config.SudoLoop = false
+	case "provides":
+		config.Provides = true
+	case "noprovides":
+		config.Provides = false
 	default:
 		return false
 	}
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 00a9c8f4..105b397a 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ type Configuration struct {
 	Devel         bool   `json:"devel"`
 	CleanAfter    bool   `json:"cleanAfter"`
 	GitClone      bool   `json:"gitclone"`
+	Provides      bool   `json:"provides"`
 }
 
 var version = "5.688"
@@ -152,6 +153,7 @@ func defaultSettings(config *Configuration) {
 	config.AnswerEdit = ""
 	config.AnswerUpgrade = ""
 	config.GitClone = true
+	config.Provides = true
 }
 
 // Editor returns the preferred system editor.
diff --git a/depPool.go b/depPool.go
index ad899ee2..0e082e6b 100644
--- a/depPool.go
+++ b/depPool.go
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@ import (
 	rpc "github.com/mikkeloscar/aur"
 )
 
-const PROVIDES = true
-
 type target struct {
 	Db      string
 	Name    string
@@ -228,10 +226,7 @@ func (dp *depPool) cacheAURPackages(_pkgs stringSet) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	//TODO: config option, maybe --deepsearh but aurman uses that flag for
-	//something else already which might be confusing
-	//maybe --provides
-	if PROVIDES {
+	if config.Provides {
 		err := dp.findProvides(pkgs)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err