diff --git a/bin/deploy-on b/bin/deploy-on
index cbf5d4a..b59772b 100755
--- a/bin/deploy-on
+++ b/bin/deploy-on
@@ -1,49 +1,68 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e
 
 # trigger a puppet deployment on a given SWH machine
 # see https://intranet.softwareheritage.org/index.php?title=Puppet_setup
 
 info () {
     echo "*** swh-deploy: $1"
 }
 
 prompt () {
     echo -n "*** swh-deploy: $1"
 }
 
+die_usage () {
+    echo "Usage: bin/deploy-on [OPTION] HOST"
+    echo "E.g.:  bin/deploy-on worker01"
+    echo "       bin/deploy-on --no-master worker02"
+    exit 1
+}
+
 DOMAIN="internal.softwareheritage.org"
 MASTER="pergamon.${DOMAIN}"
-ssh="ssh -t"
+SSH="ssh -t"
+
+# command line parsing
+
+deploy_on_master="yes"
+
+if [ "$1" = "-h" -o "$1" = "--help" ] ; then
+    die_usage
+fi
+if [ "$1" = "--no-master" ] ; then
+    deploy_on_master="no"
+    shift
+fi
 
 if [ -z "$1" ] ; then
-    echo "Usage: bin/deploy-on HOST"
-    echo "E.g.:  bin/deploy-on worker01"
-    exit 1
+    die_usage
 fi
 host="$1"
 shift
 
-info "deploying recipes on ${MASTER}..."
-$ssh "$MASTER" "sudo /usr/local/sbin/swh-puppet-master-deploy"
-info "master ok."
+if [ "$deploy_on_master" = "yes" ] ; then
+    info "deploying recipes on ${MASTER}..."
+    $SSH "$MASTER" "sudo /usr/local/sbin/swh-puppet-master-deploy"
+    info "master ok."
+fi
 
 info "starting test run on ${host}..."
-$ssh "$host" "sudo /usr/local/sbin/swh-puppet-test"
+$SSH "$host" "sudo /usr/local/sbin/swh-puppet-test"
 info "test run ok."
 
 while true ; do
     prompt "does the above diff look good? [y/n] "
     read yn
     case $yn in
 	[yY] ) break ;;
 	[nN] )
 	    info "deployment aborted, as requested."
 	    exit 2 ;;
 	* ) continue ;;
     esac
 done
 
 info "deploying on ${host}..."
-$ssh "$host" "sudo /usr/local/sbin/swh-puppet-apply"
+$SSH "$host" "sudo /usr/local/sbin/swh-puppet-apply"
 info "deployment ok. Bye."