--- a/doc/Makefile.local
+++ b/doc/Makefile.local
@@ -25,8 +25,6 @@ MAN5_ROFF := $(patsubst $(srcdir)/doc/%,$(DOCBUILDDIR)/man/%,$(MAN5_RST:.rst=.5)
 MAN7_ROFF := $(patsubst $(srcdir)/doc/%,$(DOCBUILDDIR)/man/%,$(MAN7_RST:.rst=.7))
 MAN_ROFF_FILES := $(MAN1_ROFF) $(MAN5_ROFF) $(MAN7_ROFF)
 
-MAN_GZIP_FILES := $(addsuffix .gz,${MAN_ROFF_FILES})
-
 MAN1_TEXI := $(patsubst $(srcdir)/doc/man1/%.rst,$(DOCBUILDDIR)/texinfo/%.texi,$(MAN1_RST))
 MAN5_TEXI := $(patsubst $(srcdir)/doc/man5/%.rst,$(DOCBUILDDIR)/texinfo/%.texi,$(MAN5_RST))
 MAN7_TEXI := $(patsubst $(srcdir)/doc/man7/%.rst,$(DOCBUILDDIR)/texinfo/%.texi,$(MAN7_RST))
@@ -42,9 +40,6 @@ INFO_INFO_FILES := $(INFO_TEXI_FILES:.texi=.info) $(COPY_INFO1)
 
 .PHONY: install-man build-man apidocs install-apidocs
 
-%.gz: %
-	rm -f $@ && gzip --no-name --stdout $^ > $@
-
 ifeq ($(WITH_EMACS),1)
 $(DOCBUILDDIR)/.roff.stamp $(DOCBUILDDIR)/.html.stamp $(DOCBUILDDIR)/.texi.stamp : docstring.stamp
 endif
@@ -97,11 +92,11 @@ endif
 install-man: install-apidocs
 
 ifeq ($(HAVE_DOXYGEN),1)
-MAN_GZIP_FILES += ${APIMAN}.gz
+MAN_ROFF_FILES += ${APIMAN}
 apidocs: $(APIMAN)
-install-apidocs: ${APIMAN}.gz
+install-apidocs: ${APIMAN}
 	mkdir -p "$(DESTDIR)$(mandir)/man3"
-	install -m0644 $(filter %.3.gz,$(MAN_GZIP_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man3
+	install -m0644 $(filter %.3,$(MAN_ROFF_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man3
 
 $(APIMAN): $(dir)/config.dox $(srcdir)/$(dir)/doxygen.cfg $(srcdir)/lib/notmuch.h
 	mkdir -p $(DOCBUILDDIR)/man/man3
@@ -123,16 +118,16 @@ else
 
 # it should be safe to depend on the stamp file, because it is created
 # after all roff files are moved into place.
-${MAN_GZIP_FILES}: ${DOCBUILDDIR}/.roff.stamp
+${MAN_ROFF_FILES}: ${DOCBUILDDIR}/.roff.stamp
 
-build-man: ${MAN_GZIP_FILES}
-install-man: ${MAN_GZIP_FILES}
+build-man: ${MAN_ROFF_FILES}
+install-man: ${MAN_ROFF_FILES}
 	mkdir -m0755 -p "$(DESTDIR)$(mandir)/man1"
 	mkdir -m0755 -p "$(DESTDIR)$(mandir)/man5"
 	mkdir -m0755 -p "$(DESTDIR)$(mandir)/man7"
-	install -m0644 $(filter %.1.gz,$(MAN_GZIP_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man1
-	install -m0644 $(filter %.5.gz,$(MAN_GZIP_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man5
-	install -m0644 $(filter %.7.gz,$(MAN_GZIP_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man7
+	install -m0644 $(filter %.1,$(MAN_ROFF_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man1
+	install -m0644 $(filter %.5,$(MAN_ROFF_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man5
+	install -m0644 $(filter %.7,$(MAN_ROFF_FILES)) $(DESTDIR)/$(mandir)/man7
 endif
 
 ifneq ($(HAVE_SPHINX)$(HAVE_MAKEINFO),11)
@@ -158,6 +153,6 @@ $(dir)/config.dox: version.stamp
 
 CLEAN := $(CLEAN) $(DOCBUILDDIR) $(DOCBUILDDIR)/.roff.stamp $(DOCBUILDDIR)/.texi.stamp
 CLEAN := $(CLEAN) $(DOCBUILDDIR)/.html.stamp $(DOCBUILDDIR)/.info.stamp
-CLEAN := $(CLEAN) $(MAN_GZIP_FILES) $(MAN_ROFF_FILES) $(dir)/conf.pyc $(dir)/config.dox
+CLEAN := $(CLEAN) $(MAN_ROFF_FILES) $(MAN_ROFF_FILES) $(dir)/conf.pyc $(dir)/config.dox
 
 CLEAN := $(CLEAN) $(dir)/__pycache__