diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index 0a918a611..7b3293e63 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ Changelog
   extended scrollback to use when viewing the scrollback buffer in a pager
   (:iss:`970`)
 
+- Modify the kittens sub-system to allow creating custom kittens without any
+  user interface. This is useful for creating more complex actions that can
+  be bound to key presses in :file:`kitty.conf`. See
+  `https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/kittens/custom.html`_. (:iss:`870`)
+
 - Fix the ``*_with_cwd`` actions using the cwd of the overlay window rather
   than the underlying window's cwd (:iss:`1045`)
 
diff --git a/docs/kittens/custom.rst b/docs/kittens/custom.rst
index b7732e63e..5b777602f 100644
--- a/docs/kittens/custom.rst
+++ b/docs/kittens/custom.rst
@@ -78,3 +78,45 @@ This will send the plain text of the active window to the kitten's
 instead. If you want line wrap markers as well, use ``screen-ansi``
 or just ``screen``. For the scrollback buffer as well, use
 ``history``, ``ansi-history`` or ``screen-history``.
+
+
+Using kittens to script kitty, without any terminal UI
+-----------------------------------------------------------
+
+If you would like your kitten to script kitty, without bothering to write a
+terminal program, you can tell the kittens system to run the
+``handle_result()`` function without first running the ``main()`` function.
+
+For example, here is a kitten that "zooms/unzooms" the current terminal window
+by switching to the stack layout or back to the previous layout.
+
+Create a file in the kitty config folder, :file:`~/.config/kitty/zoom_toggle.py`
+
+.. code-block:: py
+
+   def main(args):
+      pass
+
+   def handle_result(args, answer, target_window_id, boss):
+      tab = boss.active_tab
+      if tab is not None:
+         if tab.current_layout.name == 'stack':
+            tab.last_used_layout()
+         else:
+            tab.goto_layout('stack')
+
+   handle_result.no_ui = True
+
+
+Now in kitty.conf add::
+
+   map f11 kitten zoom_toggle.py
+
+Pressing :kbd:`F11` will now act as a zoom toggle function. You can get even
+more fancy, switching the kitty OS window to fullscreen as well as changing the
+layout, by simply adding the line::
+
+    boss.toggle_fullscreen()
+
+
+to the handle_result() function, above.
diff --git a/kittens/runner.py b/kittens/runner.py
index 867a2d2f5..0176718cc 100644
--- a/kittens/runner.py
+++ b/kittens/runner.py
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ def create_kitten_handler(kitten, orig_args):
     m = import_kitten_main_module(config_dir, kitten)
     ans = partial(m['end'], [kitten] + orig_args)
     ans.type_of_input = getattr(m['end'], 'type_of_input', None)
+    ans.no_ui = getattr(m['end'], 'no_ui', False)
     return ans
 
 
diff --git a/kitty/boss.py b/kitty/boss.py
index 091be2c4a..891c150c4 100644
--- a/kitty/boss.py
+++ b/kitty/boss.py
@@ -642,17 +642,20 @@ class Boss:
         return output
 
     def _run_kitten(self, kitten, args=(), input_data=None, window=None):
+        orig_args, args = list(args), list(args)
+        from kittens.runner import create_kitten_handler
+        end_kitten = create_kitten_handler(kitten, orig_args)
         if window is None:
             w = self.active_window
             tab = self.active_tab
         else:
             w = window
             tab = w.tabref()
+        if end_kitten.no_ui:
+            end_kitten(None, getattr(w, 'id', None), self)
+            return
 
         if w is not None and tab is not None and w.overlay_for is None:
-            orig_args, args = list(args), list(args)
-            from kittens.runner import create_kitten_handler
-            end_kitten = create_kitten_handler(kitten, orig_args)
             args[0:0] = [config_dir, kitten]
             if input_data is None:
                 type_of_input = end_kitten.type_of_input