diff --git a/extmod/modure.c b/extmod/modure.c
index e9aff9b270..0238c196b6 100644
--- a/extmod/modure.c
+++ b/extmod/modure.c
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@
 
 #include "re1.5/re1.5.h"
 
+#if CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG
 #define FLAG_DEBUG 0x1000
+#endif
 
 typedef struct _mp_obj_re_t {
     mp_obj_base_t base;
@@ -401,18 +403,24 @@ STATIC mp_obj_t mod_re_compile(size_t n_args, const mp_obj_t *args) {
     }
     mp_obj_re_t *o = m_new_obj_var(mp_obj_re_t, char, size);
     o->base.type = &re_type;
+    #if CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG
     int flags = 0;
     if (n_args > 1) {
         flags = mp_obj_get_int(args[1]);
     }
+    #else
+    (void)n_args;
+    #endif
     int error = re1_5_compilecode(&o->re, re_str);
     if (error != 0) {
     error:
         mp_raise_ValueError(translate("Error in regex"));
     }
+    #if CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG
     if (flags & FLAG_DEBUG) {
         re1_5_dumpcode(&o->re);
     }
+    #endif
     return MP_OBJ_FROM_PTR(o);
 }
 MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_VAR_BETWEEN(mod_re_compile_obj, 1, 2, mod_re_compile);
@@ -456,7 +464,9 @@ STATIC const mp_rom_map_elem_t mp_module_re_globals_table[] = {
     #if MICROPY_PY_URE_SUB
     { MP_ROM_QSTR(MP_QSTR_sub), MP_ROM_PTR(&mod_re_sub_obj) },
     #endif
+    #if CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG
     { MP_ROM_QSTR(MP_QSTR_DEBUG), MP_ROM_INT(FLAG_DEBUG) },
+    #endif
 };
 
 STATIC MP_DEFINE_CONST_DICT(mp_module_re_globals, mp_module_re_globals_table);
@@ -471,7 +481,9 @@ const mp_obj_module_t mp_module_ure = {
 
 #define re1_5_fatal(x) assert(!x)
 #include "re1.5/compilecode.c"
+#if CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG
 #include "re1.5/dumpcode.c"
+#endif
 #include "re1.5/recursiveloop.c"
 #include "re1.5/charclass.c"
 
diff --git a/ports/unix/mpconfigport.h b/ports/unix/mpconfigport.h
index 464c4ce119..bae0245d05 100644
--- a/ports/unix/mpconfigport.h
+++ b/ports/unix/mpconfigport.h
@@ -325,3 +325,4 @@ void mp_unix_mark_exec(void);
 
 #define MICROPY_PY_BUILTINS_HELP (1)
 #define MICROPY_PY_BUILTINS_HELP_MODULES (1)
+#define CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG (1)
diff --git a/py/circuitpy_mpconfig.mk b/py/circuitpy_mpconfig.mk
index fea1f937ec..2a4467d493 100644
--- a/py/circuitpy_mpconfig.mk
+++ b/py/circuitpy_mpconfig.mk
@@ -242,6 +242,9 @@ CFLAGS += -DCIRCUITPY_RANDOM=$(CIRCUITPY_RANDOM)
 CIRCUITPY_RE ?= $(CIRCUITPY_FULL_BUILD)
 CFLAGS += -DCIRCUITPY_RE=$(CIRCUITPY_RE)
 
+CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG ?= 0
+CFLAGS += -DCIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG=$(CIRCUITPY_RE_DEBUG)
+
 CIRCUITPY_REPL_BLE ?= 0
 CFLAGS += -DCIRCUITPY_REPL_BLE=$(CIRCUITPY_REPL_BLE)