diff --git a/src/runtime/define.ts b/src/runtime/define.ts
index 89d07df..fdcac19 100644
--- a/src/runtime/define.ts
+++ b/src/runtime/define.ts
@@ -26,17 +26,25 @@ export type Definition = {
   autoview?: boolean;
   /** whether this cell’s singular output is a mutable */
   automutable?: boolean;
+  /** whether to define the display and view builtins; defaults to true */
+  display?: boolean;
   /** an asset mapping to apply to any autodisplayed assets (e.g., images and videos) */
   assets?: Map<string, string>;
 };
 
-export function define(main: Module, state: DefineState, definition: Definition, observer = observe): void {
-  const {id, body, inputs = [], outputs = [], output, autodisplay, autoview, automutable} = definition;
+export function define(
+  main: Module,
+  state: DefineState,
+  definition: Definition,
+  observer = observe
+): void {
+  const {id, body, inputs = [], outputs = [], output} = definition;
+  const {autodisplay, autoview, automutable, display: defineDisplay = true} = definition;
   const variables = state.variables;
   const v = main.variable(observer(state, definition), {shadow: {}});
   const vid = output ?? (outputs.length ? `cell ${id}` : null);
   state.autoclear = true;
-  if (inputs.includes("display") || inputs.includes("view")) {
+  if (defineDisplay && (inputs.includes("display") || inputs.includes("view"))) {
     let displayVersion = -1; // the variable._version of currently-displayed values
     const vd = new (v.constructor as typeof Variable)(2, v._module);
     vd.define(
diff --git a/src/vite/observable.ts b/src/vite/observable.ts
index 99038a6..a9d78b6 100644
--- a/src/vite/observable.ts
+++ b/src/vite/observable.ts
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ define(
     inputs: ${JSON.stringify(transpiled.inputs)},
     outputs: ${JSON.stringify(transpiled.outputs)},
     output: ${JSON.stringify(transpiled.output)},
+    display: ${cell.mode === "js" || cell.mode === "ts"},
     assets: ${assets.size > 0 ? "assets" : "undefined"},
     autodisplay: ${transpiled.autodisplay},
     autoview: ${transpiled.autoview},