diff --git a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
index bd57bf6a..c966e7ca 100644
--- a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
+++ b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.default
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 # default settings for repmgrd. This file is source by /bin/sh from
 # /etc/init.d/repmgrd
 
+# disable repmgrd by default so it won't get started upon installation
+# valid values: yes/no
+REPMGRD_ENABLED=no
+
 # Options for repmgrd
 REPMGRD_OPTS=""
 
diff --git a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
index 11bd2dee..3ee82e50 100644
--- a/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
+++ b/debian/repmgr.repmgrd.init
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ fi
 
 test -x $REPMGRD_BIN || exit 0
 
+case "$REPMGRD_ENABLE" in
+    [Nn]*)
+        exit 0
+        ;;
+esac
+
 case "$1" in
     start)
         start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --make-pidfile --pidfile $REPMGRD_PIDFILE --exec $REPMGRD_BIN $REPMGRD_OPTS