diff --git a/src/nvim/main.c b/src/nvim/main.c
index ba15dcedad..e0a1e60fc0 100644
--- a/src/nvim/main.c
+++ b/src/nvim/main.c
@@ -957,6 +957,7 @@ static void command_line_scan(mparm_T *parmp)
         case 'r':    // "-r" recovery mode
         case 'L': {  // "-L" recovery mode
           recoverymode = 1;
+          headless_mode = true;
           break;
         }
         case 's': {