diff --git a/HISTORY.md b/HISTORY.md
index 21ad7a17..6922110e 100644
--- a/HISTORY.md
+++ b/HISTORY.md
@@ -5,14 +5,16 @@ Work in progress
     (PR [#133](../../pull/133))
   - new package xspace: macro \\xspace; **thanks to @blipp**
     (PR [#134](../../pull/134), issue [#140](../../issues/140))
+- yalafi.shell
+  - added option --no-specials (issue [#131](../../issues/131))
+  - fixed problem with --add-modules (issue [#144](../../issues/144))
 - yalafi core
   - **changed interface** to macro handler functions: added argument 'delim'
     (issue [#136](../../issues/136))
   - added approximation of macro \\def (issue [#125](../../issues/125))
+  - added option --nosp (issue [#131](../../issues/131))
   - fixed bug: macro could consume a closing \} as argument token
     (issue [#135](../../issues/135))
-- yalafi.shell
-  - fixed problem with --add-modules (issue [#144](../../issues/144))
 - README.md: updated (issue [#137](../../issues/137))
 - CI tests: moved to GitHub Actions
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3b7ddbce..8ddcdd51 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -260,6 +260,9 @@ Default option values are set at the Python script beginning.
   Replace a displayed equation only with a single placeholder from collection
   'math\_repl\_display' in file yalafi/parameters;
   append trailing interpunction, if present.
+- `--no-specials`<br>
+  Revert changes from special macros and magic comments described in section
+  [Modification of LaTeX text](#Modification-of-latex-text).
 - `--disable rules`<br>
   Comma-separated list of ignored LT rules, is passed as --disable to LT
   (default: 'WHITESPACE\_RULE').
@@ -834,6 +837,11 @@ You can do that in the LaTeX code, or after filtering in the plain text.
 
 ### Modification of LaTeX text
 
+The following operations can be deactivated with options --nosp and
+--no-specials of yalafi and yalafi.shell, respectively.
+For instance, macro \\LTadd will be defined, but it will *not* add its
+argument to the plain text.
+
 **Special macros.**
 Small modifications, for instance concerning interpunction, can be made
 with the predefined macros \\LTadd, \\LTalter and \\LTskip.
@@ -1384,7 +1392,7 @@ The LaTeX filter can be integrated in shell scripts, compare the examples in
 ```
 python -m yalafi [--nums file] [--repl file] [--defs file] [--dcls class]
                  [--pack modules] [--extr macros] [--lang xy] [--ienc enc]
-                 [--seqs] [--unkn] [--mula base] [latexfile]
+                 [--seqs] [--unkn] [--nosp] [--mula base] [latexfile]
 ```
 Without positional argument `latexfile`, standard input is read.
 
@@ -1414,6 +1422,9 @@ Without positional argument `latexfile`, standard input is read.
 - `--unkn`<br>
   As option --list-unknown in section
   [Example application](#example-application).
+- `--nosp`<br>
+  As option --no-specials in section
+  [Example application](#example-application).
 - `--mula base`<br>
   Turn on multi-language processing.
   The different text parts are stored in files `<base>.<part>.<language>`.
@@ -1438,6 +1449,7 @@ Invocation of `python -m yalafi ...` differs as follows from
 - Added options --dcls and --pack allow modification of predefined LaTeX
   macros and environments at Python level.
 - Added option --seqs.
+- Added option --nosp.
 - Added option --mula.
 - Option --defs expects a file containing macro definitions as LaTeX code.
 - Option --ienc is also effective for file from --defs.
diff --git a/tests/test_shell_cmd/test_lt_options.py b/tests/test_shell_cmd/test_lt_options.py
index ebb324b1..ab761ec0 100644
--- a/tests/test_shell_cmd/test_lt_options.py
+++ b/tests/test_shell_cmd/test_lt_options.py
@@ -178,3 +178,25 @@ def test_5():
                                 + test_dir + 'modules.tex', latex_5, 'utf-8')
     assert lt_in == lt_in_5
 
+#   test --no-specials
+#
+latex_6 = r"""
+\LTadd{A}
+\LTskip{B}
+\LTalter CD
+%%% LT-SKIP-BEGIN
+X
+%%% LT-SKIP-END
+"""
+lt_in_6 = """
+--json --encoding utf-8 --language en-GB --disable WHITESPACE_RULE -
+
+B
+C
+X
+
+"""
+def test_6():
+    lt_in = run_shell.get_lt_in('--no-specials', latex_6, 'utf-8')
+    assert lt_in == lt_in_6
+
diff --git a/tests/test_special.py b/tests/test_special.py
index d92baabd..fb2dfed8 100644
--- a/tests/test_special.py
+++ b/tests/test_special.py
@@ -121,3 +121,27 @@ def test_5():
     plain, pos = utils.get_txt_pos(toks)
     assert plain_5 == plain
 
+#   test option --nosp
+#
+latex_6 = r"""
+\LTadd{A}
+\LTskip{B}
+\LTalter CD
+%%% LT-SKIP-BEGIN
+X
+%%% LT-SKIP-END
+"""
+plain_6 = """
+B
+C
+X
+"""
+
+def test_6():
+    parms =parameters.Parameters()
+    parms.no_specials()
+    p = parser.Parser(parms)
+    toks = p.parse(latex_6)
+    plain, pos = utils.get_txt_pos(toks)
+    assert plain_6 == plain
+
diff --git a/yalafi/parameters.py b/yalafi/parameters.py
index 562227e4..e68a2454 100644
--- a/yalafi/parameters.py
+++ b/yalafi/parameters.py
@@ -441,6 +441,17 @@ def change_parser_lang(self, tok):
     def lang_context_lang(self):
         return self.parser_lang_stack[-1][1]
 
+    #   deactivate special macros and magic comments
+    #
+    def no_specials(self):
+        self.comment_skip_begin = 'x'
+        self.comment_skip_end = 'x'
+        self.macro_defs_python += [
+            Macro(self, self.macro_filter_add, args='A', repl=''),
+            Macro(self, self.macro_filter_alter, args='AA', repl='#1'),
+            Macro(self, self.macro_filter_skip, args='A', repl='#1'),
+        ]
+
     def __init__(self, language='en'):
         self.init_collections()
         self.init_math_collections()
diff --git a/yalafi/shell/proofreader.py b/yalafi/shell/proofreader.py
index a8249d8e..5132c0e4 100644
--- a/yalafi/shell/proofreader.py
+++ b/yalafi/shell/proofreader.py
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ def run_proofreader_options(tex, language, disable, enable,
                             defs=cmdline.define, lang=language,
                             extr=cmdline.extract, unkn=cmdline.list_unknown,
                             seqs=cmdline.simple_equations,
-                            dcls=cmdline.documentclass, pack=cmdline.packages)
+                            dcls=cmdline.documentclass, pack=cmdline.packages,
+                            nosp=cmdline.no_specials)
 
     if cmdline.plain_input:
         plain_map = {language: [(tex, list(range(1, len(tex) + 1)))]}
diff --git a/yalafi/shell/shell.py b/yalafi/shell/shell.py
index 9299709f..dc75aacd 100644
--- a/yalafi/shell/shell.py
+++ b/yalafi/shell/shell.py
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@
 parser.add_argument('--ml-disablecategories',
                         default=default_option_ml_disablecategories)
 parser.add_argument('--no-config', action='store_true')
+parser.add_argument('--no-specials', action='store_true')
 parser.add_argument('file', nargs='*')
 
 cmdline = parser.parse_args(sys.argv[1:])
@@ -263,7 +264,8 @@
     sys.stderr.flush()
     opts = tex2txt.Options(extr=inclusion_macros, repl=cmdline.replace,
                             defs=cmdline.define, lang=cmdline.language[:2],
-                            dcls=cmdline.documentclass, pack=cmdline.packages)
+                            dcls=cmdline.documentclass, pack=cmdline.packages,
+                            nosp=cmdline.no_specials)
 
 def skip_file(fn):
     # does file name match regex from option --skip?
diff --git a/yalafi/tex2txt.py b/yalafi/tex2txt.py
index 77092a60..a3ff6c2d 100644
--- a/yalafi/tex2txt.py
+++ b/yalafi/tex2txt.py
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ def read(file):
         extr = []
     if opts.seqs:
         parms.math_displayed_simple = True
+    if opts.nosp:
+        parms.no_specials()
 
     if modify_parms:
         modify_parms(parms)
@@ -221,6 +223,7 @@ def __init__(self,
             extr=None,      # or string: comma-separated macro list
             lang=None,      # or set to language code
             seqs=False,     # True: simple replacements for displayed equations
+            nosp=False,     # True: deactivate special macros and comments
             unkn=False):    # True: print unknowns
         self.ienc = ienc
         self.repl = repl
@@ -234,6 +237,7 @@ def __init__(self,
         self.extr = extr
         self.lang = lang
         self.seqs = seqs
+        self.nosp = nosp
         self.unkn = unkn
 
 #   function to be called for stand-alone script
@@ -252,6 +256,7 @@ def main():
     parser.add_argument('--ienc')
     parser.add_argument('--seqs', action='store_true')
     parser.add_argument('--unkn', action='store_true')
+    parser.add_argument('--nosp', action='store_true')
     parser.add_argument('--mula')
     cmdline = parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -268,7 +273,8 @@ def main():
                 extr=cmdline.extr,
                 lang=cmdline.lang,
                 seqs=cmdline.seqs,
-                unkn=cmdline.unkn)
+                unkn=cmdline.unkn,
+                nosp=cmdline.nosp)
 
     if cmdline.file:
         f = myopen(cmdline.file, encoding=cmdline.ienc)