diff --git a/src/detect.c b/src/detect.c
index fd729ed39c..d30b7905c9 100644
--- a/src/detect.c
+++ b/src/detect.c
@@ -2284,6 +2284,15 @@ static int SignatureCreateMask(Signature *s)
     SCReturnInt(0);
 }
 
+/** \brief disable file features we don't need
+ *  Called if we have no detection engine.
+ */
+void DisableDetectFlowFileFlags(Flow *f)
+{
+    DetectPostInspectFileFlagsUpdate(f, NULL /* no sgh */, STREAM_TOSERVER);
+    DetectPostInspectFileFlagsUpdate(f, NULL /* no sgh */, STREAM_TOCLIENT);
+}
+
 static void SigInitStandardMpmFactoryContexts(DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx)
 {
     DetectMpmInitializeBuiltinMpms(de_ctx);
diff --git a/src/detect.h b/src/detect.h
index e603d6f356..93b52bd3c5 100644
--- a/src/detect.h
+++ b/src/detect.h
@@ -1334,6 +1334,7 @@ int SigGroupBuild(DetectEngineCtx *);
 int SigGroupCleanup (DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx);
 void SigAddressPrepareBidirectionals (DetectEngineCtx *);
 
+void DisableDetectFlowFileFlags(Flow *f);
 char *DetectLoadCompleteSigPath(const DetectEngineCtx *, char *sig_file);
 int SigLoadSignatures (DetectEngineCtx *, char *, int);
 void SigTableList(const char *keyword);
diff --git a/src/flow-worker.c b/src/flow-worker.c
index ac0bd484dd..b29486e335 100644
--- a/src/flow-worker.c
+++ b/src/flow-worker.c
@@ -201,6 +201,15 @@ TmEcode FlowWorker(ThreadVars *tv, Packet *p, void *data, PacketQueue *preq, Pac
         SCLogDebug("packet %"PRIu64" is TCP", p->pcap_cnt);
         DEBUG_ASSERT_FLOW_LOCKED(p->flow);
 
+        /* if detect is disabled, we need to apply file flags to the flow
+         * here on the first packet. */
+        if (detect_thread == NULL &&
+                ((PKT_IS_TOSERVER(p) && (p->flowflags & FLOW_PKT_TOSERVER_FIRST)) ||
+                 (PKT_IS_TOCLIENT(p) && (p->flowflags & FLOW_PKT_TOCLIENT_FIRST))))
+        {
+            DisableDetectFlowFileFlags(p->flow);
+        }
+
         FLOWWORKER_PROFILING_START(p, PROFILE_FLOWWORKER_STREAM);
         StreamTcp(tv, p, fw->stream_thread, &fw->pq, NULL);
         FLOWWORKER_PROFILING_END(p, PROFILE_FLOWWORKER_STREAM);