diff --git a/cmd/cmd.go b/cmd/cmd.go
index c86c55d2b..b174f3fa4 100644
--- a/cmd/cmd.go
+++ b/cmd/cmd.go
@@ -341,8 +341,7 @@ func initConfig() {
 	configflags.SetFlags()
 
 	// Load filters
-	var err error
-	filter.Active, err = filter.NewFilter(&filterflags.Opt)
+	err := filterflags.Reload()
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Failed to load filters: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/fs/filter/filterflags/filterflags.go b/fs/filter/filterflags/filterflags.go
index 22c4ad271..26b0aa5be 100644
--- a/fs/filter/filterflags/filterflags.go
+++ b/fs/filter/filterflags/filterflags.go
@@ -13,9 +13,15 @@ var (
 	Opt = filter.DefaultOpt
 )
 
+// Reload the filters from the flags
+func Reload() (err error) {
+	filter.Active, err = filter.NewFilter(&Opt)
+	return err
+}
+
 // AddFlags adds the non filing system specific flags to the command
 func AddFlags(flagSet *pflag.FlagSet) {
-	rc.AddOption("filter", &Opt)
+	rc.AddOptionReload("filter", &Opt, Reload)
 	flags.BoolVarP(flagSet, &Opt.DeleteExcluded, "delete-excluded", "", false, "Delete files on dest excluded from sync")
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(flagSet, &Opt.FilterRule, "filter", "f", nil, "Add a file-filtering rule")
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(flagSet, &Opt.FilterFrom, "filter-from", "", nil, "Read filtering patterns from a file")