diff --git a/ui/terminal/simple_status.go b/ui/terminal/simple_status.go
index 4e8c568..936b275 100644
--- a/ui/terminal/simple_status.go
+++ b/ui/terminal/simple_status.go
@@ -24,15 +24,17 @@
 type simpleStatusOutput struct {
 	writer    io.Writer
 	formatter formatter
+	keepANSI  bool
 }
 
 // NewSimpleStatusOutput returns a StatusOutput that represents the
 // current build status similarly to Ninja's built-in terminal
 // output.
-func NewSimpleStatusOutput(w io.Writer, formatter formatter) status.StatusOutput {
+func NewSimpleStatusOutput(w io.Writer, formatter formatter, keepANSI bool) status.StatusOutput {
 	return &simpleStatusOutput{
 		writer:    w,
 		formatter: formatter,
+		keepANSI:  keepANSI,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -54,7 +56,9 @@
 	progress := s.formatter.progress(counts) + str
 
 	output := s.formatter.result(result)
-	output = string(stripAnsiEscapes([]byte(output)))
+	if !s.keepANSI {
+		output = string(stripAnsiEscapes([]byte(output)))
+	}
 
 	if output != "" {
 		fmt.Fprint(s.writer, progress, "\n", output)