diff --git a/stand/i386/libi386/bootinfo.c b/stand/i386/libi386/bootinfo.c
--- a/stand/i386/libi386/bootinfo.c
+++ b/stand/i386/libi386/bootinfo.c
@@ -36,25 +36,6 @@
 #include "vbe.h"
 #include "btxv86.h"
 
-void
-bi_load_vbe_data(struct preloaded_file *kfp)
-{
-	if (!kfp->f_tg_kernel_support) {
-		/*
-		 * Loaded kernel does not have vt/vbe backend,
-		 * switch console to text mode.
-		 */
-		if (vbe_available())
-			bios_set_text_mode(VGA_TEXT_MODE);
-		return;
-	}
-
-	if (vbe_available()) {
-		file_addmetadata(kfp, MODINFOMD_VBE_FB,
-		    sizeof(gfx_state.tg_fb), &gfx_state.tg_fb);
-	}
-}
-
 int
 bi_getboothowto(char *kargs)
 {
diff --git a/stand/i386/loader/Makefile b/stand/i386/loader/Makefile
--- a/stand/i386/loader/Makefile
+++ b/stand/i386/loader/Makefile
@@ -37,13 +37,27 @@
 .PATH:		${BOOTSRC}/i386/loader
 
 # architecture-specific loader code
-SRCS=		main.c conf.c vers.c chain.c gfx_fb.c 8x16.c
+SRCS+=		chain.c
+SRCS+=		conf.c
+SRCS+=		gfx_bios.c
+SRCS+=		main.c
+SRCS+=		vers.c
+
+.if ${MK_LOADER_BIOS_TEXTONLY} == "no"
+SRCS+=		gfx_fb.c
+SRCS+=		8x16.c
 
 CFLAGS.gfx_fb.c += -I${.CURDIR}/../libi386
 CFLAGS.gfx_fb.c += -I$(SRCTOP)/sys/teken
 CFLAGS.gfx_fb.c += -I${SRCTOP}/sys/cddl/contrib/opensolaris/common/lz4
 CFLAGS.gfx_fb.c += -I${SRCTOP}/contrib/pnglite
 CFLAGS.gfx_fb.c += -DHAVE_MEMCPY -I${SRCTOP}/sys/contrib/zlib
+CFLAGS.gfx_bios.c += -I$(SRCTOP)/sys/teken
+CFLAGS.gfx_bios.c += -I${SRCTOP}/contrib/pnglite
+.else
+CFLAGS.gfx_bios.c += -DBIOS_TEXT_ONLY
+CFLAGS.conf.c	+= -DBIOS_TEXT_ONLY
+.endif
 
 # Include bcache code.
 HAVE_BCACHE=	yes
diff --git a/stand/i386/loader/conf.c b/stand/i386/loader/conf.c
--- a/stand/i386/loader/conf.c
+++ b/stand/i386/loader/conf.c
@@ -128,13 +128,18 @@
  * We don't prototype these in libi386.h because they require
  * data structures from bootstrap.h as well.
  */
+extern struct console textvidc;
 extern struct console vidconsole;
 extern struct console comconsole;
 extern struct console nullconsole;
 extern struct console spinconsole;
 
 struct console *consoles[] = {
+#ifdef BIOS_TEXT_ONLY
+    &textvidc,
+#else
     &vidconsole,
+#endif
     &comconsole,
     &nullconsole,
     &spinconsole,
diff --git a/stand/i386/loader/gfx_bios.c b/stand/i386/loader/gfx_bios.c
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stand/i386/loader/gfx_bios.c
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 Netflix, Inc.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause
+ */
+
+/*
+ * This file provides all the gfx glue, or stubs, so that we can build, if we
+ * want, two versions of the bios loader: one with graphics support and one
+ * without. This allows us to keep the calls in other places, like libraries
+ * that are tricky to compile twice. It also reduces the number of ifdefs we
+ * need to support the old text-only video console. This could also be two
+ * separate files, but it is short and having it all here helps to constrain
+ * dependency creap somewhat.
+ */
+
+#include <stand.h>
+#ifndef BIOS_TEXT_ONLY
+#include "bootstrap.h"
+#include "libi386/libi386.h"
+#include "libi386/vbe.h"
+#include <gfx_fb.h>
+#endif
+
+#ifdef BIOS_TEXT_ONLY
+void autoload_font(bool bios);
+
+void
+autoload_font(bool bios)
+{
+}
+
+vm_offset_t build_font_module(vm_offset_t addr);
+
+vm_offset_t
+build_font_module(vm_offset_t addr)
+{
+	return addr;
+}
+
+struct preloaded_file;
+void bi_load_vbe_data(struct preloaded_file *kfp);
+
+void bi_load_vbe_data(struct preloaded_file *kfp)
+{
+}
+
+#else
+
+void
+bi_load_vbe_data(struct preloaded_file *kfp)
+{
+	if (!kfp->f_tg_kernel_support) {
+		/*
+		 * Loaded kernel does not have vt/vbe backend,
+		 * switch console to text mode.
+		 */
+		if (vbe_available())
+			bios_set_text_mode(VGA_TEXT_MODE);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (vbe_available()) {
+		file_addmetadata(kfp, MODINFOMD_VBE_FB,
+		    sizeof(gfx_state.tg_fb), &gfx_state.tg_fb);
+	}
+}
+#endif