diff --git a/usr.bin/xinstall/xinstall.c b/usr.bin/xinstall/xinstall.c
index 072351817d01..bf103d4836e8 100644
--- a/usr.bin/xinstall/xinstall.c
+++ b/usr.bin/xinstall/xinstall.c
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ main(argc, argv)
 	argv += optind;
 
 	/* some options make no sense when creating directories */
-	if ((safecopy || docompare || dostrip) && dodir)
+	if (dostrip && dodir)
 		usage();
 
 	/* must have at least two arguments, except when creating directories */