diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go b/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go
index ec5a979e16dc..7ac14f035986 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/daemon.go
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 
 	version "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs"
+	config "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-config"
+	cserial "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-config/serialize"
 	utilmain "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/cmd/ipfs/util"
 	oldcmds "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/commands"
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/core"
@@ -26,11 +28,11 @@ import (
 	migrate "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/repo/fsrepo/migrations"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-multierror"
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds"
+	cmds "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds"
 	mprome "github.com/ipfs/go-metrics-prometheus"
 	goprocess "github.com/jbenet/goprocess"
 	ma "github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr"
-	"github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr-net"
+	manet "github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr-net"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 )
 
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@ const (
 	adjustFDLimitKwd          = "manage-fdlimit"
 	enableGCKwd               = "enable-gc"
 	initOptionKwd             = "init"
+	initConfigOptionKwd       = "init-config"
 	initProfileOptionKwd      = "init-profile"
 	ipfsMountKwd              = "mount-ipfs"
 	ipnsMountKwd              = "mount-ipns"
@@ -154,6 +157,7 @@ Headers.
 
 	Options: []cmds.Option{
 		cmds.BoolOption(initOptionKwd, "Initialize ipfs with default settings if not already initialized"),
+		cmds.StringOption(initConfigOptionKwd, "Path to existing configuration file to be loaded during --init"),
 		cmds.StringOption(initProfileOptionKwd, "Configuration profiles to apply for --init. See ipfs init --help for more"),
 		cmds.StringOption(routingOptionKwd, "Overrides the routing option").WithDefault(routingOptionDefaultKwd),
 		cmds.BoolOption(mountKwd, "Mounts IPFS to the filesystem"),
@@ -229,17 +233,20 @@ func daemonFunc(req *cmds.Request, re cmds.ResponseEmitter, env cmds.Environment
 	// first, whether user has provided the initialization flag. we may be
 	// running in an uninitialized state.
 	initialize, _ := req.Options[initOptionKwd].(bool)
-	if initialize {
+	if initialize && !fsrepo.IsInitialized(cctx.ConfigRoot) {
+		cfgLocation, _ := req.Options[initConfigOptionKwd].(string)
+		profiles, _ := req.Options[initProfileOptionKwd].(string)
+		var conf *config.Config
 
-		cfg := cctx.ConfigRoot
-		if !fsrepo.IsInitialized(cfg) {
-			profiles, _ := req.Options[initProfileOptionKwd].(string)
-
-			err := initWithDefaults(os.Stdout, cfg, profiles)
-			if err != nil {
+		if cfgLocation != "" {
+			if conf, err = cserial.Load(cfgLocation); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 		}
+
+		if err = doInit(os.Stdout, cctx.ConfigRoot, false, nBitsForKeypairDefault, profiles, conf); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 
 	// acquire the repo lock _before_ constructing a node. we need to make
diff --git a/cmd/ipfs/init.go b/cmd/ipfs/init.go
index 4fa5087fa6e0..038514520878 100644
--- a/cmd/ipfs/init.go
+++ b/cmd/ipfs/init.go
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
-	"path"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
 	assets "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/assets"
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ import (
 	namesys "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/namesys"
 	fsrepo "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/repo/fsrepo"
 
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds"
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-config"
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-files"
+	cmds "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds"
+	config "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-config"
+	files "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-files"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ const (
 	profileOptionName      = "profile"
 )
 
+var errRepoExists = errors.New(`ipfs configuration file already exists!
+Reinitializing would overwrite your keys.
+`)
+
 var initCmd = &cmds.Command{
 	Helptext: cmds.HelpText{
 		Tagline: "Initializes ipfs config file.",
@@ -102,31 +106,30 @@ environment variable:
 			}
 		}
 
-		profile, _ := req.Options[profileOptionName].(string)
-
-		var profiles []string
-		if profile != "" {
-			profiles = strings.Split(profile, ",")
-		}
-
+		profiles, _ := req.Options[profileOptionName].(string)
 		return doInit(os.Stdout, cctx.ConfigRoot, empty, nBitsForKeypair, profiles, conf)
 	},
 }
 
-var errRepoExists = errors.New(`ipfs configuration file already exists!
-Reinitializing would overwrite your keys.
-`)
-
-func initWithDefaults(out io.Writer, repoRoot string, profile string) error {
-	var profiles []string
-	if profile != "" {
-		profiles = strings.Split(profile, ",")
+func applyProfiles(conf *config.Config, profiles string) error {
+	if profiles == "" {
+		return nil
 	}
 
-	return doInit(out, repoRoot, false, nBitsForKeypairDefault, profiles, nil)
+	for _, profile := range strings.Split(profiles, ",") {
+		transformer, ok := config.Profiles[profile]
+		if !ok {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid configuration profile: %s", profile)
+		}
+
+		if err := transformer.Transform(conf); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
-func doInit(out io.Writer, repoRoot string, empty bool, nBitsForKeypair int, confProfiles []string, conf *config.Config) error {
+func doInit(out io.Writer, repoRoot string, empty bool, nBitsForKeypair int, confProfiles string, conf *config.Config) error {
 	if _, err := fmt.Fprintf(out, "initializing IPFS node at %s\n", repoRoot); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -147,15 +150,8 @@ func doInit(out io.Writer, repoRoot string, empty bool, nBitsForKeypair int, con
 		}
 	}
 
-	for _, profile := range confProfiles {
-		transformer, ok := config.Profiles[profile]
-		if !ok {
-			return fmt.Errorf("invalid configuration profile: %s", profile)
-		}
-
-		if err := transformer.Transform(conf); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
+	if err := applyProfiles(conf, confProfiles); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}
 
 	if err := fsrepo.Init(repoRoot, conf); err != nil {
@@ -175,7 +171,7 @@ func checkWritable(dir string) error {
 	_, err := os.Stat(dir)
 	if err == nil {
 		// dir exists, make sure we can write to it
-		testfile := path.Join(dir, "test")
+		testfile := filepath.Join(dir, "test")
 		fi, err := os.Create(testfile)
 		if err != nil {
 			if os.IsPermission(err) {