diff --git a/programs/zstdcli.c b/programs/zstdcli.c
index 7a8ca4ee07..a9de95e2a2 100644
--- a/programs/zstdcli.c
+++ b/programs/zstdcli.c
@@ -760,7 +760,7 @@ static int init_cLevel(void) {
 }
 
 #ifdef ZSTD_MULTITHREAD
-static unsigned init_nbThreads(void) {
+static unsigned default_nbThreads(void) {
     const char* const env = getenv(ENV_NBTHREADS);
     if (env != NULL) {
         const char* ptr = env;
@@ -855,7 +855,7 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
     ZSTD_paramSwitch_e mmapDict=ZSTD_ps_auto;
     ZSTD_paramSwitch_e useRowMatchFinder = ZSTD_ps_auto;
     FIO_compressionType_t cType = FIO_zstdCompression;
-    unsigned nbWorkers = 0;
+    int nbWorkers = -1; /* -1 means unset */
     double compressibility = -1.0;  /* lorem ipsum generator */
     unsigned bench_nbSeconds = 3;   /* would be better if this value was synchronized from bench */
     size_t blockSize = 0;
@@ -896,7 +896,6 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
 #endif
     ZSTD_paramSwitch_e literalCompressionMode = ZSTD_ps_auto;
 
-
     /* init */
     checkLibVersion();
     (void)recursive; (void)cLevelLast;    /* not used when ZSTD_NOBENCH set */
@@ -904,9 +903,6 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
     assert(argCount >= 1);
     if ((filenames==NULL) || (file_of_names==NULL)) { DISPLAYLEVEL(1, "zstd: allocation error \n"); exit(1); }
     programName = lastNameFromPath(programName);
-#ifdef ZSTD_MULTITHREAD
-    nbWorkers = init_nbThreads();
-#endif
 
     /* preset behaviors */
     if (exeNameMatch(programName, ZSTD_ZSTDMT)) nbWorkers=0, singleThread=0;
@@ -1298,7 +1294,7 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
     DISPLAYLEVEL(3, WELCOME_MESSAGE);
 
 #ifdef ZSTD_MULTITHREAD
-    if ((operation==zom_decompress) && (!singleThread) && (nbWorkers > 1)) {
+    if ((operation==zom_decompress) && (nbWorkers > 1)) {
         DISPLAYLEVEL(2, "Warning : decompression does not support multi-threading\n");
     }
     if ((nbWorkers==0) && (!singleThread)) {
@@ -1311,7 +1307,15 @@ int main(int argCount, const char* argv[])
             DISPLAYLEVEL(3, "Note: %d physical core(s) detected \n", nbWorkers);
         }
     }
-    DISPLAYLEVEL(3, "Compressing with %u worker threads \n", nbWorkers);
+    // Resolve to default if nbWorkers is still unset
+    if (nbWorkers == -1) {
+      if (operation == zom_decompress) {
+        nbWorkers = 1;
+      } else {
+        nbWorkers = default_nbThreads();
+      }
+    }
+    DISPLAYLEVEL(4, "Compressing with %u worker threads \n", nbWorkers);
 #else
     (void)singleThread; (void)nbWorkers; (void)defaultLogicalCores;
 #endif