diff --git a/http/client.go b/http/client.go
index ca4fa93a1f4e0e6cea667a36c1a26df9395a63e8..a450025852aedc1171c28709b1312c9cb36774b4 100644
--- a/http/client.go
+++ b/http/client.go
@@ -230,6 +230,15 @@ func getQuery(req *cmds.Request) (string, error) {
 		if OptionSkipMap[k] {
 			continue
 		}
+
+		optArr, ok := v.([]string)
+		if ok {
+			for _, o := range optArr {
+				query.Add(k, o)
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
 		str := fmt.Sprintf("%v", v)
 		query.Set(k, str)
 	}
diff --git a/http/parse.go b/http/parse.go
index a7bfa67bab5def148fcc391c8fb1d7336d56e99f..0915ddf0ff8a58a32b458c868fe16d69eb5c7289 100644
--- a/http/parse.go
+++ b/http/parse.go
@@ -61,22 +61,28 @@ func parseRequest(r *http.Request, root *cmds.Command) (*cmds.Request, error) {
 	}
 
 	opts, stringArgs2 := parseOptions(r)
+	iopts := make(map[string]interface{}, len(opts))
 	optDefs, err := root.GetOptions(pth)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	for k, v := range opts {
+		iopts[k] = v
 		if optDef, ok := optDefs[k]; ok {
 			name := optDef.Names()[0]
 			if k != name {
-				opts[name] = v
-				delete(opts, k)
+				iopts[name] = v
+				delete(iopts, k)
+			}
+
+			if optDef.Type() != cmds.Strings && len(v) > 0 {
+				iopts[name] = v[0]
 			}
 		}
 	}
 	// default to setting encoding to JSON
-	if _, ok := opts[cmds.EncLong]; !ok {
-		opts[cmds.EncLong] = cmds.JSON
+	if _, ok := iopts[cmds.EncLong]; !ok {
+		iopts[cmds.EncLong] = cmds.JSON
 	}
 
 	stringArgs = append(stringArgs, stringArgs2...)
@@ -148,7 +154,7 @@ func parseRequest(r *http.Request, root *cmds.Command) (*cmds.Request, error) {
 	}
 
 	ctx := logging.ContextWithLoggable(r.Context(), uuidLoggable())
-	req, err := cmds.NewRequest(ctx, pth, opts, args, f, root)
+	req, err := cmds.NewRequest(ctx, pth, iopts, args, f, root)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -162,8 +168,8 @@ func parseRequest(r *http.Request, root *cmds.Command) (*cmds.Request, error) {
 	return req, err
 }
 
-func parseOptions(r *http.Request) (map[string]interface{}, []string) {
-	opts := make(map[string]interface{})
+func parseOptions(r *http.Request) (map[string][]string, []string) {
+	opts := make(map[string][]string)
 	var args []string
 
 	query := r.URL.Query()
@@ -171,8 +177,7 @@ func parseOptions(r *http.Request) (map[string]interface{}, []string) {
 		if k == "arg" {
 			args = v
 		} else {
-
-			opts[k] = v[0]
+			opts[k] = v
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/request.go b/request.go
index 4eca412a5c9a209e9df739df72da3f446b20f619..ea747254c60f8ff2c8a0934e066244972bc4b83c 100644
--- a/request.go
+++ b/request.go
@@ -118,21 +118,28 @@ func checkAndConvertOptions(root *Command, opts OptMap, path []string) (OptMap,
 
 		kind := reflect.TypeOf(v).Kind()
 		if kind != opt.Type() {
-			if str, ok := v.(string); ok {
-				val, err := opt.Parse(str)
-				if err != nil {
-					value := fmt.Sprintf("value %q", v)
-					if len(str) == 0 {
-						value = "empty value"
-					}
-					return options, fmt.Errorf("could not convert %s to type %q (for option %q)",
-						value, opt.Type().String(), "-"+k)
+			if opt.Type() == Strings {
+				if _, ok := v.([]string); !ok {
+					return options, fmt.Errorf("option %q should be type %q, but got type %q",
+						k, opt.Type().String(), kind.String())
 				}
-				options[k] = val
-
 			} else {
-				return options, fmt.Errorf("option %q should be type %q, but got type %q",
-					k, opt.Type().String(), kind.String())
+				if str, ok := v.(string); ok {
+					val, err := opt.Parse(str)
+					if err != nil {
+						value := fmt.Sprintf("value %q", v)
+						if len(str) == 0 {
+							value = "empty value"
+						}
+						return options, fmt.Errorf("could not convert %s to type %q (for option %q)",
+							value, opt.Type().String(), "-"+k)
+					}
+					options[k] = val
+
+				} else {
+					return options, fmt.Errorf("option %q should be type %q, but got type %q",
+						k, opt.Type().String(), kind.String())
+				}
 			}
 		}