diff --git a/lib/decoders/decoders.proto b/lib/decoders/decoders.proto
index a8a94007..74c3f928 100644
--- a/lib/decoders/decoders.proto
+++ b/lib/decoders/decoders.proto
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import "arch/zilogmcz/zilogmcz.proto";
 import "lib/fluxsink/fluxsink.proto";
 import "lib/common.proto";
 
-//NEXT: 29
+//NEXT: 30
 message DecoderProto {
 	optional double pulse_debounce_threshold = 1 [default = 0.30,
 		(help) = "ignore pulses with intervals shorter than this, in fractions of a clock"];
@@ -61,5 +61,7 @@ message DecoderProto {
 		(help) = "how many times to retry each track in the event of a read failure"];
 	optional string write_csv_to = 23
 		[(help) = "if set, write a CSV report of the disk state"];
+	optional bool skip_unnecessary_tracks = 29 [default = true,
+		(help) = "don't read tracks if we already have all necessary sectors"];
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/readerwriter.cc b/lib/readerwriter.cc
index 3db6d015..ad469af7 100644
--- a/lib/readerwriter.cc
+++ b/lib/readerwriter.cc
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ enum ReadResult
     BAD_AND_CAN_NOT_RETRY
 };
 
+enum BadSectorsState
+{
+	HAS_NO_BAD_SECTORS,
+	HAS_BAD_SECTORS
+};
+
 /* In order to allow rereads in file-based flux sources, we need to persist the
  * FluxSourceIterator (as that's where the state for which read to return is
  * held). This class handles that. */
@@ -108,8 +114,7 @@ static std::set<std::shared_ptr<const Sector>> collectSectors(
     return sector_set;
 }
 
-/* Returns true if the result contains bad sectors. */
-bool combineRecordAndSectors(
+BadSectorsState combineRecordAndSectors(
     TrackFlux& trackFlux, AbstractDecoder& decoder, const Location& location)
 {
     std::set<std::shared_ptr<const Sector>> track_sectors;
@@ -128,12 +133,12 @@ bool combineRecordAndSectors(
 
     trackFlux.sectors = collectSectors(track_sectors);
     if (trackFlux.sectors.empty())
-        return true;
+        return HAS_BAD_SECTORS;
     for (const auto& sector : trackFlux.sectors)
         if (sector->status != Sector::OK)
-            return true;
+            return HAS_BAD_SECTORS;
 
-    return false;
+    return HAS_NO_BAD_SECTORS;
 }
 
 ReadResult readGroup(FluxSourceIteratorHolder& fluxSourceIteratorHolder,
@@ -163,9 +168,13 @@ ReadResult readGroup(FluxSourceIteratorHolder& fluxSourceIteratorHolder,
 
         auto trackdataflux = decoder.decodeToSectors(fluxmap, location);
         trackFlux.trackDatas.push_back(trackdataflux);
-        if (!combineRecordAndSectors(trackFlux, decoder, location))
-            return GOOD_READ;
-        if (fluxSourceIterator.hasNext())
+        if (combineRecordAndSectors(trackFlux, decoder, location) == HAS_NO_BAD_SECTORS)
+		{
+			result = GOOD_READ;
+			if (config.decoder().skip_unnecessary_tracks())
+				return result;
+		}
+        else if (fluxSourceIterator.hasNext())
             result = BAD_AND_CAN_RETRY;
     }