diff --git a/hgext3rd/progressfile.py b/hgext3rd/progressfile.py
--- a/hgext3rd/progressfile.py
+++ b/hgext3rd/progressfile.py
@@ -1,9 +1,3 @@
-from __future__ import absolute_import
-import json
-import time
-
-from mercurial import progress, util
-
 """allows users to have JSON progress bar information written to a path
 
 Controlled by the `ui.progressfile` config. Mercurial will overwrite this file
@@ -33,8 +27,25 @@
     # Where to write progress information
     statefile = /some/path/to/file
 """
+
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+
+import json
+import time
+
+from mercurial import (
+    progress,
+    registrar,
+    util,
+)
+
 testedwith = 'ships-with-fb-hgext'
 
+configtable = {}
+configitem = registrar.configitem(configtable)
+
+configitem('progress', 'statefile', default='')
+
 class progbarwithfile(progress.progbar):
     def progress(self, topic, pos, item='', unit='', total=None):
         super(progbarwithfile, self).progress(topic, pos, item, unit, total)
@@ -101,13 +112,14 @@
         return int(delta / elapsed)
 
 def uisetup(ui):
-    progbar = progbarwithfile(ui)
     class progressfileui(ui.__class__):
         """Redirects _progbar to our version, which always outputs if the config
         is set, and calls the default progbar if plain mode is off.
         """
         @util.propertycache
         def _progbar(self):
-            if self.config('progress', 'statefile', None):
-                return progbar
+            if self.config('progress', 'statefile'):
+                return  progbarwithfile(self)
+            else:
+                return super(progressfileui, self)._progbar
     ui.__class__ = progressfileui
diff --git a/tests/test-progressfile.t b/tests/test-progressfile.t
--- a/tests/test-progressfile.t
+++ b/tests/test-progressfile.t
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   > def uisetup(ui):
   >     def progress(orig, *args, **kwargs):
   >         orig(*args, **kwargs)
-  >         if ui.config("progress", "statefile") is not None:
+  >         if ui.config("progress", "statefile"):
   >             try:
   >                 with open(ui.config("progress", "statefile"), 'r') as f:
   >                     print(f.read())
@@ -102,3 +102,15 @@
   {"state": {"loop": {"active": false, "estimate_sec": null, "estimate_str": null, "item": "item #0", "pos": 0, "speed_str": null, "topic": "loop", "total": 2, "unit": "loopnum", "units_per_sec": null}}, "topics": ["loop"]}
   {"state": {"loop": {"active": true, "estimate_sec": 12, "estimate_str": "12s", "item": "item #1", "pos": 1, "speed_str": "0 loopnum/sec", "topic": "loop", "total": 2, "unit": "loopnum", "units_per_sec": null}}, "topics": ["loop"]}
   {"state": {}, "topics": []}
+
+Do not hide the progress if statefile is not set
+
+  $ hg -y loop 5 --config progress.statefile=
+  \r (no-eol) (esc)
+  loop [                                                ] 0/5\r (no-eol) (esc)
+  loop [=======>                                    ] 1/5 05s\r (no-eol) (esc)
+  loop [================>                           ] 2/5 04s\r (no-eol) (esc)
+  loop [=========================>                  ] 3/5 03s\r (no-eol) (esc)
+  loop [==================================>         ] 4/5 02s\r (no-eol) (esc)
+                                                              \r (no-eol) (esc)
+