diff --git a/src/tool_main.c b/src/tool_main.c
index fe0768747..5e58aff1d 100644
--- a/src/tool_main.c
+++ b/src/tool_main.c
@@ -82,6 +82,38 @@ static void main_checkfds(void)
 #endif
 }
 
+#ifdef CURLDEBUG
+void memory_tracking_init(void)
+{
+  char *env;
+  /* if CURL_MEMDEBUG is set, this starts memory tracking message logging */
+  env = curlx_getenv("CURL_MEMDEBUG");
+  if(env) {
+    /* use the value as file name */
+    char fname[CURL_MT_LOGFNAME_BUFSIZE];
+    if(strlen(env) >= CURL_MT_LOGFNAME_BUFSIZE)
+      env[CURL_MT_LOGFNAME_BUFSIZE-1] = '\0';
+    strcpy(fname, env);
+    curl_free(env);
+    curl_memdebug(fname);
+    /* this weird stuff here is to make curl_free() get called
+       before curl_memdebug() as otherwise memory tracking will
+       log a free() without an alloc! */
+  }
+  /* if CURL_MEMLIMIT is set, this enables fail-on-alloc-number-N feature */
+  env = curlx_getenv("CURL_MEMLIMIT");
+  if(env) {
+    char *endptr;
+    long num = strtol(env, &endptr, 10);
+    if((endptr != env) && (endptr == env + strlen(env)) && (num > 0))
+      curl_memlimit(num);
+    curl_free(env);
+  }
+}
+#else
+#  define memory_tracking_init() Curl_nop_stmt
+#endif
+
 /*
 ** curl tool main function.
 */
@@ -99,6 +131,10 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
   (void)signal(SIGPIPE, SIG_IGN);
 #endif
 
+  /* Initialize memory tracking */
+  memory_tracking_init();
+
+  /* Start our curl operation */
   res = operate(&config, argc, argv);
 
 #ifdef __SYMBIAN32__
diff --git a/src/tool_operate.c b/src/tool_operate.c
index dd6d37f29..c3ccfe7f1 100644
--- a/src/tool_operate.c
+++ b/src/tool_operate.c
@@ -214,12 +214,9 @@ int operate(struct Configurable *config, int argc, argv_item_t argv[])
   heads.stream = stdout;
   heads.config = config;
 
-  memory_tracking_init();
-
   /*
   ** Initialize curl library - do not call any libcurl functions before
-  ** this point. Note that the memory_tracking_init() magic above is an
-  ** exception, but then that's not part of the official public API.
+  ** this point.
   */
   if(main_init() != CURLE_OK) {
     helpf(config->errors, "error initializing curl library\n");
diff --git a/src/tool_operhlp.c b/src/tool_operhlp.c
index c33ca507d..b8c0a2971 100644
--- a/src/tool_operhlp.c
+++ b/src/tool_operhlp.c
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  *                            | (__| |_| |  _ <| |___
  *                             \___|\___/|_| \_\_____|
  *
- * Copyright (C) 1998 - 2013, Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
+ * Copyright (C) 1998 - 2014, Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
  *
  * This software is licensed as described in the file COPYING, which
  * you should have received as part of this distribution. The terms
@@ -219,33 +219,3 @@ void main_free(void)
   metalink_cleanup();
 }
 
-#ifdef CURLDEBUG
-void memory_tracking_init(void)
-{
-  char *env;
-  /* if CURL_MEMDEBUG is set, this starts memory tracking message logging */
-  env = curlx_getenv("CURL_MEMDEBUG");
-  if(env) {
-    /* use the value as file name */
-    char fname[CURL_MT_LOGFNAME_BUFSIZE];
-    if(strlen(env) >= CURL_MT_LOGFNAME_BUFSIZE)
-      env[CURL_MT_LOGFNAME_BUFSIZE-1] = '\0';
-    strcpy(fname, env);
-    curl_free(env);
-    curl_memdebug(fname);
-    /* this weird stuff here is to make curl_free() get called
-       before curl_memdebug() as otherwise memory tracking will
-       log a free() without an alloc! */
-  }
-  /* if CURL_MEMLIMIT is set, this enables fail-on-alloc-number-N feature */
-  env = curlx_getenv("CURL_MEMLIMIT");
-  if(env) {
-    char *endptr;
-    long num = strtol(env, &endptr, 10);
-    if((endptr != env) && (endptr == env + strlen(env)) && (num > 0))
-      curl_memlimit(num);
-    curl_free(env);
-  }
-}
-#endif
-
diff --git a/src/tool_operhlp.h b/src/tool_operhlp.h
index 806717ee0..c2365c88f 100644
--- a/src/tool_operhlp.h
+++ b/src/tool_operhlp.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  *                            | (__| |_| |  _ <| |___
  *                             \___|\___/|_| \_\_____|
  *
- * Copyright (C) 1998 - 2012, Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
+ * Copyright (C) 1998 - 2014, Daniel Stenberg, <daniel@haxx.se>, et al.
  *
  * This software is licensed as described in the file COPYING, which
  * you should have received as part of this distribution. The terms
@@ -41,11 +41,5 @@ CURLcode main_init(void);
 
 void main_free(void);
 
-#ifdef CURLDEBUG
-void memory_tracking_init(void);
-#else
-#  define memory_tracking_init() Curl_nop_stmt
-#endif
-
 #endif /* HEADER_CURL_TOOL_OPERHLP_H */