diff --git a/vlib/v/ast/types.v b/vlib/v/ast/types.v
index 7e00250f8e..f190f09c6f 100644
--- a/vlib/v/ast/types.v
+++ b/vlib/v/ast/types.v
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ pub enum TypeFlag {
 	generic
 	shared_f
 	atomic_f
+	option_mut_param_t
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
index 80b6845a2a..836dcaad48 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
@@ -610,10 +610,16 @@ fn (mut g Gen) assign_stmt(node_ ast.AssignStmt) {
 					if op_overloaded {
 						g.op_arg(left, op_expected_left, var_type)
 					} else {
-						if !is_decl && left.is_auto_deref_var() {
+						if !is_decl && left.is_auto_deref_var() && !var_type.has_flag(.option) {
 							g.write('*')
 						}
-						g.expr(left)
+						if var_type.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+							g.write('memcpy(&')
+							g.expr(left)
+							g.write('->data, &')
+						} else {
+							g.expr(left)
+						}
 						if !is_decl && var_type.has_flag(.shared_f) {
 							g.write('->val') // don't reset the mutex, just change the value
 						}
@@ -630,7 +636,7 @@ fn (mut g Gen) assign_stmt(node_ ast.AssignStmt) {
 				if is_decl {
 					g.writeln(';')
 				}
-			} else if !g.is_arraymap_set && !str_add && !op_overloaded {
+			} else if !var_type.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) && !g.is_arraymap_set && !str_add && !op_overloaded {
 				g.write(' ${op} ')
 			} else if str_add || op_overloaded {
 				g.write(', ')
@@ -739,6 +745,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) assign_stmt(node_ ast.AssignStmt) {
 			if str_add || op_overloaded {
 				g.write(')')
 			}
+			if var_type.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+				g.write('.data, sizeof(${g.base_type(val_type)}))')		
+			}
 			if g.is_arraymap_set {
 				g.write(' })')
 				g.is_arraymap_set = false
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/auto_str_methods.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/auto_str_methods.v
index 9df74aff80..5d3c47adbe 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/auto_str_methods.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/auto_str_methods.v
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ fn (mut g Gen) final_gen_str(typ StrType) {
 	}
 	g.str_fn_names << str_fn_name
 	if typ.typ.has_flag(.option) {
-		g.gen_str_for_option(typ.typ, styp, str_fn_name)
+		opt_typ := if typ.typ.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) { styp.replace('*', '') } else { styp }
+		g.gen_str_for_option(typ.typ, opt_typ, str_fn_name)
 		return
 	}
 	if typ.typ.has_flag(.result) {
@@ -185,7 +186,7 @@ fn (mut g Gen) gen_str_for_option(typ ast.Type, styp string, str_fn_name string)
 	g.auto_str_funcs.writeln('string indent_${str_fn_name}(${styp} it, int indent_count) {')
 	g.auto_str_funcs.writeln('\tstring res;')
 	g.auto_str_funcs.writeln('\tif (it.state == 0) {')
-	deref := if typ.is_ptr() { '**(${sym.cname}**)&' } else { '*(${sym.cname}*)' }
+	deref := if typ.is_ptr() && !typ.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) { '**(${sym.cname}**)&' } else { '*(${sym.cname}*)' }
 	if sym.kind == .string {
 		if typ.nr_muls() > 1 {
 			g.auto_str_funcs.writeln('\t\tres = ptr_str(*(${sym.cname}**)&it.data);')
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v
index b34886a590..160f27b786 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v
@@ -1076,7 +1076,7 @@ fn (mut g Gen) option_type_name(t ast.Type) (string, string) {
 	} else {
 		styp = '${c.option_name}_${base}'
 	}
-	if t.is_ptr() {
+	if t.is_ptr() && !t.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
 		styp = styp.replace('*', '_ptr')
 	}
 	return styp, base
@@ -1160,7 +1160,7 @@ fn (mut g Gen) write_options() {
 		done = g.done_options.clone()
 	}
 	for base, styp in g.options {
-		if base in done {
+		if base in done || styp.ends_with('*') {
 			continue
 		}
 		done << base
@@ -1947,7 +1947,12 @@ fn (mut g Gen) expr_with_tmp_var(expr ast.Expr, expr_typ ast.Type, ret_typ ast.T
 			ret_styp := g.typ(g.unwrap_generic(ret_typ)).replace('*', '_ptr')
 			g.writeln('${ret_styp} ${tmp_var};')
 		} else {
-			g.writeln('${g.typ(ret_typ)} ${tmp_var};')
+			if ret_typ.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+				styp = styp.replace('*', '')
+				g.writeln('${g.typ(ret_typ).replace('*', '')} ${tmp_var};')
+			} else {
+				g.writeln('${g.typ(ret_typ)} ${tmp_var};')
+			}
 		}
 		if ret_typ.has_flag(.option) {
 			if expr_typ.has_flag(.option) && expr in [ast.StructInit, ast.ArrayInit, ast.MapInit] {
@@ -1969,7 +1974,7 @@ fn (mut g Gen) expr_with_tmp_var(expr ast.Expr, expr_typ ast.Type, ret_typ ast.T
 				} else {
 					g.write('_option_ok(&(${styp}[]) { ')
 				}
-				if !expr_typ.is_ptr() && ret_typ.is_ptr() {
+				if !expr_typ.is_ptr() && ret_typ.is_ptr() && !ret_typ.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
 					g.write('&/*ref*/')
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/dumpexpr.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/dumpexpr.v
index a49a5a5116..ec6cecd310 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/dumpexpr.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/dumpexpr.v
@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) dump_expr(node ast.DumpExpr) {
 	} else {
 		old_inside_opt_or_res := g.inside_opt_or_res
 		g.inside_opt_or_res = true
+		if expr_type.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+			g.write('*')
+		}
 		g.expr(node.expr)
 		g.inside_opt_or_res = old_inside_opt_or_res
 	}
@@ -106,7 +109,11 @@ fn (mut g Gen) dump_expr_definitions() {
 		} else {
 			if typ.has_flag(.option) {
 				str_dumparg_type += '_option_'
-				ptr_asterisk = ptr_asterisk.replace('*', '_ptr')
+				if typ.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+					ptr_asterisk = ptr_asterisk.replace('*', '')
+				} else {
+					ptr_asterisk = ptr_asterisk.replace('*', '_ptr')
+				}
 			}
 			str_dumparg_type += g.cc_type(dump_type, true) + ptr_asterisk
 		}
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/fn.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/fn.v
index 35b07e8149..52064a4e3a 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/fn.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/fn.v
@@ -2210,6 +2210,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) ref_or_deref_arg(arg ast.CallArg, expected_type ast.Type, lang as
 				&& lang != .c {
 				if arg.expr.is_lvalue() {
 					if expected_type.has_flag(.option) {
+						if expected_type.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+							g.write('&/*opt-mut*/')
+						}
 						g.expr_with_opt(arg.expr, arg_typ, expected_type)
 						return
 					} else {
@@ -2250,6 +2253,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) ref_or_deref_arg(arg ast.CallArg, expected_type ast.Type, lang as
 		g.write('->val')
 		return
 	} else if expected_type.has_flag(.option) {
+		if expected_type.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+			g.write('&/*opt-mut*/')
+		}
 		g.expr_with_opt(arg.expr, arg_typ, expected_type)
 		return
 	} else if arg.expr is ast.ArrayInit {
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/str.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/str.v
index e07b732be5..fd49e56248 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/str.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/str.v
@@ -127,7 +127,11 @@ fn (mut g Gen) gen_expr_to_string(expr ast.Expr, etype ast.Type) {
 		if str_method_expects_ptr && !is_ptr {
 			g.write('&')
 		} else if is_ptr && typ.has_flag(.option) {
-			g.write('*(${g.typ(typ)}*)&')
+			if typ.has_flag(.option_mut_param_t) {
+				g.write('*')
+			} else {
+				g.write('*(${g.typ(typ)}*)&')
+			}
 		} else if !str_method_expects_ptr && !is_shared && (is_ptr || is_var_mut) {
 			g.write('*'.repeat(typ.nr_muls()))
 		}
diff --git a/vlib/v/parser/fn.v b/vlib/v/parser/fn.v
index a16034b4d8..04edd00c2f 100644
--- a/vlib/v/parser/fn.v
+++ b/vlib/v/parser/fn.v
@@ -913,6 +913,9 @@ fn (mut p Parser) fn_params() ([]ast.Param, bool, bool) {
 				// p.error('cannot mut')
 				// }
 				// arg_type = arg_type.ref()
+				if param_type.has_flag(.option) && param_type.nr_muls() == 0 {
+					param_type = param_type.set_flag(.option_mut_param_t)
+				}
 				param_type = param_type.set_nr_muls(1)
 				if is_shared {
 					param_type = param_type.set_flag(.shared_f)
@@ -1025,6 +1028,9 @@ fn (mut p Parser) fn_params() ([]ast.Param, bool, bool) {
 						pos)
 					return []ast.Param{}, false, false
 				}
+				if typ.has_flag(.option) && typ.nr_muls() == 0 {
+					typ = typ.set_flag(.option_mut_param_t)
+				}
 				typ = typ.set_nr_muls(1)
 				if is_shared {
 					typ = typ.set_flag(.shared_f)