diff --git a/argv.go b/argv.go
index 52f1728..ca49bf1 100644
--- a/argv.go
+++ b/argv.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ type args struct {
 	Sort      []string `arg:"--sort"                    help:"how and what to sort on"`
 	Marshal   []string `arg:"--marshal"                 help:"what to marshal on"`
 	NoMarshal bool     `arg:"--no-marshal"              help:"do not make a marshal.pb.go file"`
+	NoSort    bool     `arg:"--no-sort"                 help:"do not make a sort.pb.go file"`
 	DryRun    bool     `arg:"--dry-run"                 help:"show what would be run"`
 }
 
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 61f671b..01e24fe 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import (
 var VERSION string
 var BUILDTIME string
 
+var sortmap map[string]string
+
 func main() {
 	pp := arg.MustParse(&argv)
 
@@ -52,7 +54,7 @@ func main() {
 
 	protobase := strings.TrimSuffix(argv.Proto, ".proto")
 
-	sortmap := make(map[string]string)
+	sortmap = make(map[string]string)
 	sortmap["package"] = packageName
 	sortmap["protobase"] = protobase
 	if argv.LoBase == "" {
@@ -80,50 +82,17 @@ func main() {
 	// add mutex
 	if err := addMutex(sortmap); err == nil {
 		log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file worked")
+		sortmap["mutex"] = "true"
 	} else {
 		log.Info("adding mutex to existing protoc-gen-go file did not work")
+		sortmap["mutex"] = "false"
 	}
 
-	f, _ := os.OpenFile(protobase+".sort.pb.go", os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0600)
-
-	header(f, sortmap)
-	syncLock(f, sortmap)
-	iterTop(f, sortmap)
-	iterNext(f, sortmap)
-
-	// setup Sort() functions
-	if len(argv.Sort) == 0 {
-		// don't do any sorting
-		// setup Append() functions
-		if argv.Append == "" {
-			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
-		} else {
-			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
-			sortmap["append"] = argv.Append
-			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
-		}
+	if argv.NoSort {
+		log.Info("not making sort.pb.go file (--no-sort == true)")
 	} else {
-		sortparts := strings.Split(argv.Sort[0], ",")
-		sortmap["sortBy"] = sortparts[0]
-		sortmap["sortKey"] = sortparts[1]
-
-		iterSort(f, sortmap)
-
-		if argv.Append == "" {
-			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
-		} else {
-			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
-			sortmap["append"] = argv.Append
-			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
-		}
-		sortmap["append"] = sortmap["sortKey"]
-		iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
-
-		// add ReplaceKey()
-		iterDelete(f, sortmap)
-		iterReplace(f, sortmap)
+		makeSortfile()
 	}
-	iterEnd(f, sortmap)
 
 	if argv.NoMarshal {
 		log.Info("not making marshal.pb.go file (--no-marshal == true)")
diff --git a/sort.go b/sort.go
index c7e5a07..871632b 100644
--- a/sort.go
+++ b/sort.go
@@ -3,8 +3,52 @@ package main
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
 )
 
+func makeSortfile() {
+	f, _ := os.OpenFile(sortmap["protobase"] + ".sort.pb.go", os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0600)
+
+	header(f, sortmap)
+	syncLock(f, sortmap)
+	iterTop(f, sortmap)
+	iterNext(f, sortmap)
+	// setup Sort() functions
+	if len(argv.Sort) == 0 {
+		// don't do any sorting
+		// setup Append() functions
+		if argv.Append == "" {
+			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
+		} else {
+			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
+			sortmap["append"] = argv.Append
+			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
+		}
+	} else {
+		sortparts := strings.Split(argv.Sort[0], ",")
+		sortmap["sortBy"] = sortparts[0]
+		sortmap["sortKey"] = sortparts[1]
+
+		iterSort(f, sortmap)
+
+		if argv.Append == "" {
+			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
+		} else {
+			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce no unique keys
+			sortmap["append"] = argv.Append
+			iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
+		}
+		sortmap["append"] = sortmap["sortKey"]
+		iterAppend(f, sortmap) // Append() enforce unique key argv.Append
+
+		// add ReplaceKey()
+		iterDelete(f, sortmap)
+		iterReplace(f, sortmap)
+	}
+	iterEnd(f, sortmap)
+}
+
 func headerComment(w io.Writer) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "")
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "// this file was autogenerated with autogenpb")