diff --git a/src/cli/commands/help.ts b/src/cli/commands/help.ts
index 2cd48c781d..27b6697dac 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/help.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/help.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,17 @@
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as path from 'path';
+import stripAnsi from 'strip-ansi';
 
 const DEFAULT_HELP = 'snyk';
 
+const readHelpFile = (filename: string): string => {
+  const file = fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8');
+  if (typeof process.env.NO_COLOR !== 'undefined' || !process.stdout.isTTY) {
+    return stripAnsi(file);
+  }
+  return file;
+};
+
 export = async function help(item: string | boolean) {
   if (!item || item === true || typeof item !== 'string' || item === 'help') {
     item = DEFAULT_HELP;
@@ -18,13 +27,13 @@ export = async function help(item: string | boolean) {
       '../../../help/commands-txt',
       item === DEFAULT_HELP ? DEFAULT_HELP + '.txt' : `snyk-${item}.txt`,
     );
-    return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8');
+    return readHelpFile(filename);
   } catch (error) {
     const filename = path.resolve(
       __dirname,
       '../../../help/commands-txt',
       DEFAULT_HELP + '.txt',
     );
-    return fs.readFileSync(filename, 'utf8');
+    return readHelpFile(filename);
   }
 };
diff --git a/test/smoke/spec/snyk_basic_spec.sh b/test/smoke/spec/snyk_basic_spec.sh
index fbe918e717..39874d1cfb 100644
--- a/test/smoke/spec/snyk_basic_spec.sh
+++ b/test/smoke/spec/snyk_basic_spec.sh
@@ -87,6 +87,30 @@ Describe "Snyk CLI basics"
       # TODO: unusable with our current docker issues
       The stderr should equal ""
     End
+
+    Describe "prints help info without ascii escape sequences"
+      It "has NO_COLOR set"
+        snyk_help_no_color() {
+          NO_COLOR='' snyk help
+        }
+
+        When run snyk_help_no_color
+        The output should not include "[1mN"
+        The output should not include "[0m"
+        The output should not include "[4mC"
+      End
+
+      It "is not tty"
+        snyk_help_no_tty() {
+          snyk help | cat
+        }
+
+        When run snyk_help_no_tty
+        The output should not include "[1mN"
+        The output should not include "[0m"
+        The output should not include "[4mC"
+      End
+    End
   End
 
   Describe "snyk config"