diff --git a/src/create-transformer.ts b/src/create-transformer.ts
index 7b6dccb..6e8b1cb 100644
--- a/src/create-transformer.ts
+++ b/src/create-transformer.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
-import { computed, onBecomeUnobserved, IComputedValue } from "mobx"
+import { computed, onBecomeUnobserved, IComputedValue, _isComputingDerivation } from "mobx"
 import { invariant, addHiddenProp } from "./utils"
 
 export type ITransformer<A, B> = (object: A) => B
 
 export interface ITransformerParams<A, B> {
     onCleanup?: (resultObject: B | undefined, sourceObject?: A) => void
+    keepAlive?: boolean
     debugNameGenerator?: (sourceObject?: A) => string
 }
 
@@ -36,19 +37,18 @@ export function createTransformer<A, B>(
     // Memoizes: object id -> reactive view that applies transformer to the object
     let views: { [id: number]: IComputedValue<B> } = {}
     let onCleanup: Function = undefined
+    let keepAlive: boolean = false
     let debugNameGenerator: Function = undefined
+    if (typeof arg2 === "object") {
+        onCleanup = arg2.onCleanup
+        keepAlive = arg2.keepAlive !== undefined ? arg2.keepAlive : false
+        debugNameGenerator = arg2.debugNameGenerator
+    } else if (typeof arg2 === "function") {
+        onCleanup = arg2
+    }
 
     function createView(sourceIdentifier: number, sourceObject: A) {
         let latestValue: B
-        if (typeof arg2 === "object") {
-            onCleanup = arg2.onCleanup
-            debugNameGenerator = arg2.debugNameGenerator
-        } else if (typeof arg2 === "function") {
-            onCleanup = arg2
-        } else {
-            onCleanup = undefined
-            debugNameGenerator = undefined
-        }
         const prettifiedName = debugNameGenerator
             ? debugNameGenerator(sourceObject)
             : `Transformer-${(<any>transformer).name}-${sourceIdentifier}`
@@ -60,18 +60,33 @@ export function createTransformer<A, B>(
                 name: prettifiedName
             }
         )
-        const disposer = onBecomeUnobserved(expr, () => {
-            delete views[sourceIdentifier]
-            disposer()
-            if (onCleanup) onCleanup(latestValue, sourceObject)
-        })
+        if (!keepAlive) {
+            const disposer = onBecomeUnobserved(expr, () => {
+                delete views[sourceIdentifier]
+                disposer()
+                if (onCleanup) onCleanup(latestValue, sourceObject)
+            })
+        }
         return expr
     }
 
+    let memoWarned = false
     return (object: A) => {
         const identifier = getMemoizationId(object)
         let reactiveView = views[identifier]
         if (reactiveView) return reactiveView.get()
+        if (!keepAlive && !_isComputingDerivation()) {
+            if (!memoWarned) {
+                console.warn(
+                    "invoking a transformer from outside a reactive context won't memorized " +
+                        "and is cleaned up immediately, unless keepAlive is set"
+                )
+                memoWarned = true
+            }
+            const value = transformer(object)
+            if (onCleanup) onCleanup(value, object)
+            return value
+        }
         // Not in cache; create a reactive view
         reactiveView = views[identifier] = createView(identifier, object)
         return reactiveView.get()
diff --git a/test/create-transformer.ts b/test/create-transformer.ts
index b50c835..23f0740 100644
--- a/test/create-transformer.ts
+++ b/test/create-transformer.ts
@@ -1354,3 +1354,21 @@ test("should respect debugNameGenerator argument", () => {
     objectName = m.getObserverTree(state, "title").observers[0].name
     expect(objectName).toBe("COFFEE-DEBUG")
 })
+
+test("should not memorize outside reactive context", () => {
+    let transformer = jest.fn((input: string) => input.toLowerCase())
+    let onCleanup = jest.fn()
+    let stubTransformer = createTransformer(transformer, onCleanup)
+
+    stubTransformer("HELLO")
+    expect(transformer).toHaveBeenCalledWith("HELLO")
+    expect(onCleanup).toHaveBeenCalledWith("hello", "HELLO")
+    transformer.mockClear()
+    onCleanup.mockClear()
+
+    stubTransformer("HELLO")
+    expect(transformer).toHaveBeenCalledWith("HELLO")
+    expect(onCleanup).toHaveBeenCalledWith("hello", "HELLO")
+    transformer.mockClear()
+    onCleanup.mockClear()
+})