diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e37f2a7..2b0bd41 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -149,6 +149,9 @@ video the first time you hover, in a single quick ffmpeg pass, and keeps it in
 memory so nothing is written to disk. If you already have your own sprite, point
 the `/scrub` route at it instead.
 
+Hover previews are on by default. If you would rather not build them at all, start
+the server with `--no-thumbnails` and the rest of the player keeps working.
+
 ### 4. Run directly in Terminal (Standalone)
 If you prefer to bypass the web interface, you can render the video directly inside an ANSI-supported terminal (zero-flicker, true color):
 ```bash
diff --git a/stream_server.py b/stream_server.py
index 83d7a23..0ddb5c3 100644
--- a/stream_server.py
+++ b/stream_server.py
@@ -310,6 +310,9 @@ async def scrub_meta(v: int | None = None):
     loop) the first time it's asked for, then reuses it from memory."""
     from fastapi import Response
     import json as _json
+    # Thumbnails are on by default; --no-thumbnails turns the whole thing off.
+    if not getattr(app.state, "thumbnails", True):
+        return Response(content='{"available": false}', media_type="application/json")
     video_path = _scrub_video_path(v)
     if not video_path or not os.path.exists(video_path):
         return Response(content='{"available": false}', media_type="application/json")
@@ -757,6 +760,12 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
         help="Adaptive-codec colour fidelity (lossless = bit-exact; lower = "
              "smaller stream via lossy temporal delta). Chars always exact."
     )
+    playback.add_argument(
+        "--no-thumbnails",
+        action="store_true", default=False,
+        help="Turn off the hover thumbnails on the seek bar (skips building the "
+             "preview sprite). The rest of the player still works."
+    )
 
     # ── Server ──
     srv = parser.add_argument_group('\033[33mServer\033[0m')
@@ -784,6 +793,7 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     app.state.loop          = args.loop
     app.state.tolerance     = {"lossless": 0, "high": 4, "balanced": 8, "low": 16}[args.quality]
     app.state.debug         = args.debug
+    app.state.thumbnails    = not args.no_thumbnails
     global_default_cols     = args.cols if args.cols is not None else (450 if args.pixel else 200)
     app.state.cols          = global_default_cols
     app.state.rows          = args.rows
diff --git a/test/test_scrub.py b/test/test_scrub.py
index 345b1a3..b2851dd 100644
--- a/test/test_scrub.py
+++ b/test/test_scrub.py
@@ -78,6 +78,14 @@ class ScrubTests(unittest.TestCase):
         finally:
             ss.app.state.queue = [_entry(self.video)]
 
+    def test_thumbnails_can_be_disabled(self):
+        ss.app.state.thumbnails = False
+        try:
+            body = json.loads(asyncio.run(ss.scrub_meta(0)).body)
+            self.assertFalse(body["available"])
+        finally:
+            ss.app.state.thumbnails = True
+
     def test_sprite_404_before_it_is_built(self):
         from fastapi import HTTPException
         ss._scrub_cache.clear()