diff --git a/api/client/commands.go b/api/client/commands.go
index 1d6ff1668..e4c1808f1 100644
--- a/api/client/commands.go
+++ b/api/client/commands.go
@@ -1254,7 +1254,7 @@ func (cli *DockerCli) CmdImages(args ...string) error {
 	flViz := cmd.Bool([]string{"#v", "#viz", "#-viz"}, false, "Output graph in graphviz format")
 	flTree := cmd.Bool([]string{"#t", "#tree", "#-tree"}, false, "Output graph in tree format")
 
-	var flFilter opts.ListOpts
+	flFilter := opts.NewListOpts(nil)
 	cmd.Var(&flFilter, []string{"f", "-filter"}, "Provide filter values (i.e. 'dangling=true')")
 
 	if err := cmd.Parse(args); err != nil {
@@ -1487,7 +1487,7 @@ func (cli *DockerCli) CmdPs(args ...string) error {
 	before := cmd.String([]string{"#beforeId", "#-before-id", "-before"}, "", "Show only container created before Id or Name, include non-running ones.")
 	last := cmd.Int([]string{"n"}, -1, "Show n last created containers, include non-running ones.")
 
-	var flFilter opts.ListOpts
+	flFilter := opts.NewListOpts(nil)
 	cmd.Var(&flFilter, []string{"f", "-filter"}, "Provide filter values. Valid filters:\nexited=<int> - containers with exit code of <int>")
 
 	if err := cmd.Parse(args); err != nil {
diff --git a/docker/flags.go b/docker/flags.go
index 6740db5ce..533f48aa9 100644
--- a/docker/flags.go
+++ b/docker/flags.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func init() {
 var (
 	flVersion            = flag.Bool([]string{"v", "-version"}, false, "Print version information and quit")
 	flDaemon             = flag.Bool([]string{"d", "-daemon"}, false, "Enable daemon mode")
-	flGraphOpts          opts.ListOpts
+	flGraphOpts          = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
 	flDebug              = flag.Bool([]string{"D", "-debug"}, false, "Enable debug mode")
 	flAutoRestart        = flag.Bool([]string{"r", "-restart"}, true, "Restart previously running containers")
 	bridgeName           = flag.String([]string{"b", "-bridge"}, "", "Attach containers to a pre-existing network bridge\nuse 'none' to disable container networking")
diff --git a/opts/opts.go b/opts/opts.go
index bfee2ad21..65806f369 100644
--- a/opts/opts.go
+++ b/opts/opts.go
@@ -8,23 +8,51 @@ import (
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api"
+	flag "github.com/docker/docker/pkg/mflag"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/parsers"
 )
 
+func ListVar(values *[]string, names []string, usage string) {
+	flag.Var(newListOptsRef(values, nil), names, usage)
+}
+
+func HostListVar(values *[]string, names []string, usage string) {
+	flag.Var(newListOptsRef(values, api.ValidateHost), names, usage)
+}
+
+func IPListVar(values *[]string, names []string, usage string) {
+	flag.Var(newListOptsRef(values, ValidateIPAddress), names, usage)
+}
+
+func DnsSearchListVar(values *[]string, names []string, usage string) {
+	flag.Var(newListOptsRef(values, ValidateDnsSearch), names, usage)
+}
+
+func IPVar(value *net.IP, names []string, defaultValue, usage string) {
+	flag.Var(NewIpOpt(value, defaultValue), names, usage)
+}
+
 // ListOpts type
 type ListOpts struct {
-	values    []string
+	values    *[]string
 	validator ValidatorFctType
 }
 
 func NewListOpts(validator ValidatorFctType) ListOpts {
-	return ListOpts{
+	var values []string
+	return *newListOptsRef(&values, validator)
+}
+
+func newListOptsRef(values *[]string, validator ValidatorFctType) *ListOpts {
+	return &ListOpts{
+		values:    values,
 		validator: validator,
 	}
 }
 
 func (opts *ListOpts) String() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%v", []string(opts.values))
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%v", []string((*opts.values)))
 }
 
 // Set validates if needed the input value and add it to the
@@ -37,15 +65,15 @@ func (opts *ListOpts) Set(value string) error {
 		}
 		value = v
 	}
-	opts.values = append(opts.values, value)
+	(*opts.values) = append((*opts.values), value)
 	return nil
 }
 
 // Delete remove the given element from the slice.
 func (opts *ListOpts) Delete(key string) {
-	for i, k := range opts.values {
+	for i, k := range *opts.values {
 		if k == key {
-			opts.values = append(opts.values[:i], opts.values[i+1:]...)
+			(*opts.values) = append((*opts.values)[:i], (*opts.values)[i+1:]...)
 			return
 		}
 	}
@@ -56,7 +84,7 @@ func (opts *ListOpts) Delete(key string) {
 // FIXME: can we remove this?
 func (opts *ListOpts) GetMap() map[string]struct{} {
 	ret := make(map[string]struct{})
-	for _, k := range opts.values {
+	for _, k := range *opts.values {
 		ret[k] = struct{}{}
 	}
 	return ret
@@ -65,12 +93,12 @@ func (opts *ListOpts) GetMap() map[string]struct{} {
 // GetAll returns the values' slice.
 // FIXME: Can we remove this?
 func (opts *ListOpts) GetAll() []string {
-	return opts.values
+	return (*opts.values)
 }
 
 // Get checks the existence of the given key.
 func (opts *ListOpts) Get(key string) bool {
-	for _, k := range opts.values {
+	for _, k := range *opts.values {
 		if k == key {
 			return true
 		}
@@ -80,7 +108,7 @@ func (opts *ListOpts) Get(key string) bool {
 
 // Len returns the amount of element in the slice.
 func (opts *ListOpts) Len() int {
-	return len(opts.values)
+	return len((*opts.values))
 }
 
 // Validators
diff --git a/opts/opts_test.go b/opts/opts_test.go
index 9494e27a7..09b5aa780 100644
--- a/opts/opts_test.go
+++ b/opts/opts_test.go
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ func TestValidateIPAddress(t *testing.T) {
 
 }
 
+func TestListOpts(t *testing.T) {
+	o := NewListOpts(nil)
+	o.Set("foo")
+	o.String()
+}
+
 func TestValidateDnsSearch(t *testing.T) {
 	valid := []string{
 		`.`,
diff --git a/runconfig/parse.go b/runconfig/parse.go
index 741c7469c..96c36dd39 100644
--- a/runconfig/parse.go
+++ b/runconfig/parse.go
@@ -45,15 +45,15 @@ func parseRun(cmd *flag.FlagSet, args []string, sysInfo *sysinfo.SysInfo) (*Conf
 		flEnv     = opts.NewListOpts(opts.ValidateEnv)
 		flDevices = opts.NewListOpts(opts.ValidatePath)
 
-		flPublish     opts.ListOpts
-		flExpose      opts.ListOpts
+		flPublish     = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
+		flExpose      = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
 		flDns         = opts.NewListOpts(opts.ValidateIPAddress)
 		flDnsSearch   = opts.NewListOpts(opts.ValidateDnsSearch)
-		flVolumesFrom opts.ListOpts
-		flLxcOpts     opts.ListOpts
-		flEnvFile     opts.ListOpts
-		flCapAdd      opts.ListOpts
-		flCapDrop     opts.ListOpts
+		flVolumesFrom = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
+		flLxcOpts     = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
+		flEnvFile     = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
+		flCapAdd      = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
+		flCapDrop     = opts.NewListOpts(nil)
 
 		flAutoRemove      = cmd.Bool([]string{"#rm", "-rm"}, false, "Automatically remove the container when it exits (incompatible with -d)")
 		flDetach          = cmd.Bool([]string{"d", "-detach"}, false, "Detached mode: run container in the background and print new container ID")