diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index ea6fc5cac..092fa2e8f 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ Hugo van Kemenade
 Hui Wang (coldnight)
 Ian Bicking
 Ian Lesperance
+Ilya Konstantinov
 Ionuț Turturică
 Iwan Briquemont
 Jaap Broekhuizen
diff --git a/changelog/5139.bugfix.rst b/changelog/5139.bugfix.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1369d3b75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/5139.bugfix.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Eliminate core dependency on 'terminal' plugin.
diff --git a/src/_pytest/config/__init__.py b/src/_pytest/config/__init__.py
index 4ed9deac4..d14708f63 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/config/__init__.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/config/__init__.py
@@ -699,7 +699,7 @@ class Config(object):
         return self
 
     def notify_exception(self, excinfo, option=None):
-        if option and option.fulltrace:
+        if option and getattr(option, "fulltrace", False):
             style = "long"
         else:
             style = "native"
diff --git a/src/_pytest/nodes.py b/src/_pytest/nodes.py
index fcaf59312..4dd0e1785 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/nodes.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/nodes.py
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ class Node(object):
         if excinfo.errisinstance(fm.FixtureLookupError):
             return excinfo.value.formatrepr()
         tbfilter = True
-        if self.config.option.fulltrace:
+        if self.config.getoption("fulltrace", False):
             style = "long"
         else:
             tb = _pytest._code.Traceback([excinfo.traceback[-1]])
@@ -260,12 +260,12 @@ class Node(object):
                 style = "long"
         # XXX should excinfo.getrepr record all data and toterminal() process it?
         if style is None:
-            if self.config.option.tbstyle == "short":
+            if self.config.getoption("tbstyle", "auto") == "short":
                 style = "short"
             else:
                 style = "long"
 
-        if self.config.option.verbose > 1:
+        if self.config.getoption("verbose", 0) > 1:
             truncate_locals = False
         else:
             truncate_locals = True
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ class Node(object):
         return excinfo.getrepr(
             funcargs=True,
             abspath=abspath,
-            showlocals=self.config.option.showlocals,
+            showlocals=self.config.getoption("showlocals", False),
             style=style,
             tbfilter=tbfilter,
             truncate_locals=truncate_locals,
diff --git a/src/_pytest/python.py b/src/_pytest/python.py
index 9e4392264..135f5bff9 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/python.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/python.py
@@ -820,7 +820,7 @@ class FunctionMixin(PyobjMixin):
             self.obj = self._getobj()
 
     def _prunetraceback(self, excinfo):
-        if hasattr(self, "_obj") and not self.config.option.fulltrace:
+        if hasattr(self, "_obj") and not self.config.getoption("fulltrace", False):
             code = _pytest._code.Code(get_real_func(self.obj))
             path, firstlineno = code.path, code.firstlineno
             traceback = excinfo.traceback
@@ -835,14 +835,14 @@ class FunctionMixin(PyobjMixin):
             excinfo.traceback = ntraceback.filter()
             # issue364: mark all but first and last frames to
             # only show a single-line message for each frame
-            if self.config.option.tbstyle == "auto":
+            if self.config.getoption("tbstyle", "auto") == "auto":
                 if len(excinfo.traceback) > 2:
                     for entry in excinfo.traceback[1:-1]:
                         entry.set_repr_style("short")
 
     def repr_failure(self, excinfo, outerr=None):
         assert outerr is None, "XXX outerr usage is deprecated"
-        style = self.config.option.tbstyle
+        style = self.config.getoption("tbstyle", "auto")
         if style == "auto":
             style = "long"
         return self._repr_failure_py(excinfo, style=style)
diff --git a/src/_pytest/reports.py b/src/_pytest/reports.py
index d2df4d21f..739af0783 100644
--- a/src/_pytest/reports.py
+++ b/src/_pytest/reports.py
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ class TestReport(BaseReport):
                     longrepr = item.repr_failure(excinfo)
                 else:  # exception in setup or teardown
                     longrepr = item._repr_failure_py(
-                        excinfo, style=item.config.option.tbstyle
+                        excinfo, style=item.config.getoption("tbstyle", "auto")
                     )
         for rwhen, key, content in item._report_sections:
             sections.append(("Captured %s %s" % (key, rwhen), content))
diff --git a/testing/test_config.py b/testing/test_config.py
index 68c948a41..07d0fbac5 100644
--- a/testing/test_config.py
+++ b/testing/test_config.py
@@ -770,7 +770,7 @@ def test_notify_exception(testdir, capfd):
     config = testdir.parseconfig()
     with pytest.raises(ValueError) as excinfo:
         raise ValueError(1)
-    config.notify_exception(excinfo)
+    config.notify_exception(excinfo, config.option)
     out, err = capfd.readouterr()
     assert "ValueError" in err
 
@@ -779,10 +779,17 @@ def test_notify_exception(testdir, capfd):
             return True
 
     config.pluginmanager.register(A())
-    config.notify_exception(excinfo)
+    config.notify_exception(excinfo, config.option)
     out, err = capfd.readouterr()
     assert not err
 
+    config = testdir.parseconfig("-p", "no:terminal")
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError) as excinfo:
+        raise ValueError(1)
+    config.notify_exception(excinfo, config.option)
+    out, err = capfd.readouterr()
+    assert "ValueError" in err
+
 
 def test_load_initial_conftest_last_ordering(testdir, _config_for_test):
     pm = _config_for_test.pluginmanager