diff --git a/common/content/buffer.js b/common/content/buffer.js
index f8f11316..888e8521 100644
--- a/common/content/buffer.js
+++ b/common/content/buffer.js
@@ -292,10 +292,10 @@ const Buffer = Module("buffer", {
         setOverLink: function setOverLink(link, b) {
             setOverLink.superapply(this, arguments);
             switch (options["showstatuslinks"]) {
-            case 1:
+            case "status":
                 statusline.updateUrl(link ? "Link: " + link : null);
                 break;
-            case 2:
+            case "command":
                 if (link)
                     dactyl.echo("Link: " + link, commandline.DISALLOW_MULTILINE);
                 else
@@ -1754,12 +1754,12 @@ const Buffer = Module("buffer", {
 
         options.add(["showstatuslinks", "ssli"],
             "Show the destination of the link under the cursor in the status bar",
-            "number", 1,
+            "string", "status",
             {
                 completer: function (context) [
-                    ["0", "Don't show link destination"],
-                    ["1", "Show the link in the status line"],
-                    ["2", "Show the link in the command line"]
+                    ["", "Don't show link destination"],
+                    ["status", "Show the link in the status line"],
+                    ["command", "Show the link in the command line"]
                 ]
             });
 
diff --git a/common/locale/en-US/options.xml b/common/locale/en-US/options.xml
index 6fe5322c..a18c5840 100644
--- a/common/locale/en-US/options.xml
+++ b/common/locale/en-US/options.xml
@@ -1307,8 +1307,8 @@
     <tags>'ssli' 'showstatuslinks'</tags>
     <spec>'showstatuslinks' 'ssli'</spec>
     <strut/>
-    <type>number</type>
-    <default>1</default>
+    <type>string</type>
+    <default>status</default>
     <description>
         <p>
             When the mouse hovers over a link, or a link is otherwise focused,
@@ -1318,9 +1318,9 @@
         <p>Possible values are:</p>
 
         <dl dt="width: 6em;">
-            <dt>0</dt> <dd>Don't show link destination</dd>
-            <dt>1</dt> <dd>Show the link's destination in the &tag.status-line;</dd>
-            <dt>2</dt> <dd>Show the link's destination in the &tag.command-line;</dd>
+            <dt></dt> <dd>Don't show link destination</dd>
+            <dt>status</dt> <dd>Show the link's destination in the &tag.status-line;</dd>
+            <dt>command</dt> <dd>Show the link's destination in the &tag.command-line;</dd>
         </dl>
     </description>
 </item>
diff --git a/pentadactyl/NEWS b/pentadactyl/NEWS
index d944535f..a73613bf 100644
--- a/pentadactyl/NEWS
+++ b/pentadactyl/NEWS
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@
       (see :h :contexts), allowing for powerful and fine-grained
       completion system customization.
     * IMPORTANT: 'laststatus' has been replaced with the ‘s’ flag in
-      'guioptions'
+      'guioptions'.
+    * IMPORTANT: 'showstatuslinks' is not a string option.
     * IMPORTANT: Command script files now use the *.penta file extension.
     * IMPORTANT: Plugins are now loaded from the 'plugins/'
       directory in 'runtimepath' rather than 'plugin/'.