diff --git a/c/Makefile.am b/c/Makefile.am
index 69c7e3930..8c6f5c61b 100644
--- a/c/Makefile.am
+++ b/c/Makefile.am
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 SUBDIRS=		lib cli stream input mapping output containers dsls experimental tools . unit_test reg_test
 
 AM_CPPFLAGS=		-I${srcdir}
-AM_CFLAGS=		-Wall -Werror -std=gnu99 -O3
+AM_CFLAGS=		-Wall -std=gnu99
 bin_PROGRAMS=		mlr
 noinst_PROGRAMS=	mlrg \
 			mlrp
diff --git a/c/todo.txt b/c/todo.txt
index 6d6c2edc7..d930bcda5 100644
--- a/c/todo.txt
+++ b/c/todo.txt
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@ MINOR:
 
 * remove -Werror and -O3 from c/Makefile.am; make sure -O2 -g is the default; emphasize @mlrdoc
 
-* mlrg_CFLAGS and mlrp_CFLAGS need ${AM_CFLAGS} at the end or they will just be ignored
-
 * valgrind & UT cline/sline
 
 * UTx4xN the format-parsers
diff --git a/c/unit_test/Makefile.am b/c/unit_test/Makefile.am
index bcbf51bd6..5ba1e560a 100644
--- a/c/unit_test/Makefile.am
+++ b/c/unit_test/Makefile.am
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ check_PROGRAMS = 	test_mlrutil \
 			test_join_bucket_keeper
 
 AM_CPPFLAGS=		-I${srcdir}/..
-AM_CFLAGS=		-Wall -Werror -std=gnu99 -O3
+AM_CFLAGS=		-Wall -std=gnu99
 
 all_ldadd=		\
 			../cli/libcli.la \
diff --git a/doc/build.html b/doc/build.html
index b43d001c2..ba535698d 100644
--- a/doc/build.html
+++ b/doc/build.html
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ linked).
 <tt>brew update &amp;&amp; brew install miller</tt>.
 
 <p/> You may already have <tt>mlr</tt> available in your platform&rsquo;s
-package manager on NetBSD, Arch Linux, or perhaps other distributions.
+package manager on NetBSD, Debian Linux, Arch Linux, or perhaps other distributions.
 
 <a id="Building_from_source"/><h1>Building from source</h1>
 
@@ -144,6 +144,7 @@ package manager on NetBSD, Arch Linux, or perhaps other distributions.
   <li/> <tt>./configure --prefix=$HOME/pkgs</tt>
   <li/> <tt>./configure CC=clang</tt>
   <li/> <tt>./configure --disable-shared</tt> (to make a statically linked executable)
+  <li/> <tt>./configure 'CFLAGS=-Wall -std=gnu99 -O3'</tt>
   <li/> etc.
   </ul>
 <li/> <tt>make</tt> creates the <tt>c/mlr</tt> executable
diff --git a/doc/content-for-build.html b/doc/content-for-build.html
index cb23712d8..2daa3a92d 100644
--- a/doc/content-for-build.html
+++ b/doc/content-for-build.html
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ package manager on NetBSD, Debian Linux, Arch Linux, or perhaps other distributi
   <li/> <tt>./configure --prefix=$HOME/pkgs</tt>
   <li/> <tt>./configure CC=clang</tt>
   <li/> <tt>./configure --disable-shared</tt> (to make a statically linked executable)
+  <li/> <tt>./configure 'CFLAGS=-Wall -std=gnu99 -O3'</tt>
   <li/> etc.
   </ul>
 <li/> <tt>make</tt> creates the <tt>c/mlr</tt> executable