diff --git a/build-coatjava.sh b/build-coatjava.sh
index 1586b1fa05..8b301be2be 100755
--- a/build-coatjava.sh
+++ b/build-coatjava.sh
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ do
     --https) auxRetrieval=https ;;
     --wipe)  auxRetrieval=wipe  ;;
     --no-aux|--noaux)
+      auxRetrieval=noaux
       auxDownloadMaps=false
       auxDownloadNets=false
       auxDownloadSqlites=false
@@ -206,6 +207,8 @@ case $auxRetrieval in
     ;;
   https)
     ;;
+  noaux)
+    ;;
   *)
     echo "ERROR: data retrieval option \`--$auxRetrieval\` is not supported" >&2
     exit 1