diff --git a/devel/notcurses/Makefile b/devel/notcurses/Makefile
index 31201d0c0b23..38c449f1497b 100644
--- a/devel/notcurses/Makefile
+++ b/devel/notcurses/Makefile
@@ -1,47 +1,50 @@
 PORTNAME=	notcurses
 DISTVERSIONPREFIX=	v
-DISTVERSION=	${ABIVERSION}.4.8
+DISTVERSION=	${ABIVERSION}.4.9
 CATEGORIES=	devel
 MASTER_SITES=	https://github.com/${GH_ACCOUNT}/${GH_PROJECT}/releases/download/v${DISTVERSION}/:docs
 DISTFILES=	${PORTNAME}-doc-${DISTVERSION}.tar.gz:docs
 
 MAINTAINER=	nickblack@linux.com
 COMMENT=	TUI library for modern terminal emulators
 
 LICENSE=	APACHE20 MIT
 LICENSE_COMB=	dual
 
 LIB_DEPENDS=	libavformat.so:multimedia/ffmpeg \
 		libqrcodegen.so:graphics/qr-code-generator \
 		libunistring.so:devel/libunistring
 
 USES=		cmake:noninja compiler:c++17-lang localbase ncurses:port \
 		pkgconfig
 USE_GITHUB=	yes
 GH_ACCOUNT=	dankamongmen
 USE_LDCONFIG=	yes
 
-CMAKE_OFF=	BUILD_TESTING USE_PANDOC
+CMAKE_ON=	USE_QRCODEGEN
+# we leave USE_POC=on (and BUILD_TESTING=on) so that we can run some basic
+# tests, if not the full notcurses-tester suite.
+CMAKE_OFF=	USE_DOCTEST USE_PANDOC
 
 TEST_TARGET=	test
 
 PLIST_SUB=	ABI_VER=${ABIVERSION} \
 		REL_VER=${DISTVERSION}
 
 OPTIONS_DEFINE=		DOCS MANPAGES
 OPTIONS_DEFAULT=	MANPAGES
 OPTIONS_SUB=		yes
 
 ABIVERSION=	2
 
 post-patch-DOCS-off:
 	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e 's|install(FILES $${MARKDOWN} DESTINATION $${CMAKE_INSTALL_DOCDIR})|#install(FILES $${MARKDOWN} DESTINATION $${CMAKE_INSTALL_DOCDIR})|' \
 		${WRKSRC}/CMakeLists.txt
 
 post-install-MANPAGES-on:
 	${MKDIR} ${STAGEDIR}${MANPREFIX}/man/man1 ${STAGEDIR}${MANPREFIX}/man/man3
 	# we don't want to install e.g. "notcurses-x.x.1"
 	${FIND} ${WRKDIR} -maxdepth 1 -type f -iname \*.1 -execdir ${INSTALL_MAN} {} ${STAGEDIR}${MANPREFIX}/man/man1 \;
 	${FIND} ${WRKDIR} -maxdepth 1 -type f -iname \*.3 -execdir ${INSTALL_MAN} {} ${STAGEDIR}${MANPREFIX}/man/man3 \;
 
 .include <bsd.port.mk>
diff --git a/devel/notcurses/distinfo b/devel/notcurses/distinfo
index 1aae90827cba..43e798dc8278 100644
--- a/devel/notcurses/distinfo
+++ b/devel/notcurses/distinfo
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-TIMESTAMP = 1635205353
-SHA256 (notcurses-doc-2.4.8.tar.gz) = 4740550f5a981c433c256b48072969b7111cae34d2add36d417e63b8d94c8641
-SIZE (notcurses-doc-2.4.8.tar.gz) = 134433
-SHA256 (dankamongmen-notcurses-v2.4.8_GH0.tar.gz) = d06971005e4cf637cc90a694323c580791d1450a77b1700ae8deb453678d3243
-SIZE (dankamongmen-notcurses-v2.4.8_GH0.tar.gz) = 10091053
+TIMESTAMP = 1637545015
+SHA256 (notcurses-doc-2.4.9.tar.gz) = 67685c9de6ab679bba75dd6d0e28b805522ccd20a38a74c999151657c45784a5
+SIZE (notcurses-doc-2.4.9.tar.gz) = 136681
+SHA256 (dankamongmen-notcurses-v2.4.9_GH0.tar.gz) = a2771ad1633e0158f8273fa8b30b5bce0f12e1205e863045f4ae186b6b52f537
+SIZE (dankamongmen-notcurses-v2.4.9_GH0.tar.gz) = 10097240