diff --git a/WHATS_NEW b/WHATS_NEW
index b67dad9d7..fbfe4ac0d 100644
--- a/WHATS_NEW
+++ b/WHATS_NEW
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 Version 2.02.18 -
 ====================================
+  dumpconfig accepts a list of configuration variables to display.
+  Change dumpconfig to use --file to redirect output to a file.
   Avoid vgreduce error when mirror code removes the log LV.
   Remove 3 redundant AC_MSG_RESULTs from configure.in.
   Free memory in _raw_read_mda_header() error paths.
diff --git a/lib/config/config.c b/lib/config/config.c
index dd1513371..2efa9c679 100644
--- a/lib/config/config.c
+++ b/lib/config/config.c
@@ -373,7 +373,8 @@ static void _write_value(FILE *fp, struct config_value *v)
 	}
 }
 
-static int _write_config(struct config_node *n, FILE *fp, int level)
+static int _write_config(struct config_node *n, int only_one, FILE *fp,
+			 int level)
 {
 	char space[MAX_INDENT + 1];
 	int l = (level < MAX_INDENT) ? level : MAX_INDENT;
@@ -386,12 +387,12 @@ static int _write_config(struct config_node *n, FILE *fp, int level)
 		space[i] = '\t';
 	space[i] = '\0';
 
-	while (n) {
+	do {
 		fprintf(fp, "%s%s", space, n->key);
 		if (!n->v) {
 			/* it's a sub section */
 			fprintf(fp, " {\n");
-			_write_config(n->child, fp, level + 1);
+			_write_config(n->child, 0, fp, level + 1);
 			fprintf(fp, "%s}", space);
 		} else {
 			/* it's a value */
@@ -411,13 +412,15 @@ static int _write_config(struct config_node *n, FILE *fp, int level)
 		}
 		fprintf(fp, "\n");
 		n = n->sib;
-	}
+	} while (n && !only_one);
 	/* FIXME: add error checking */
 	return 1;
 }
 
-int write_config_file(struct config_tree *cft, const char *file)
+int write_config_file(struct config_tree *cft, const char *file,
+		      int argc, char **argv)
 {
+	struct config_node *cn;
 	int r = 1;
 	FILE *fp;
 
@@ -430,9 +433,22 @@ int write_config_file(struct config_tree *cft, const char *file)
 	}
 
 	log_verbose("Dumping configuration to %s", file);
-	if (!_write_config(cft->root, fp, 0)) {
-		log_error("Failure while writing configuration");
-		r = 0;
+	if (!argc) {
+		if (!_write_config(cft->root, 0, fp, 0)) {
+			log_error("Failure while writing configuration");
+			r = 0;
+		}
+	} else while (argc--) {
+		if ((cn = find_config_node(cft->root, *argv))) {
+			if (!_write_config(cn, 1, fp, 0)) {
+				log_error("Failure while writing configuration");
+				r = 0;
+			}
+		} else {
+			log_error("Configuration node %s not found", *argv);
+			r = 0;
+		}
+		argv++;
 	}
 
 	if (fp != stdout)
diff --git a/lib/config/config.h b/lib/config/config.h
index 55b0907f6..f51190fff 100644
--- a/lib/config/config.h
+++ b/lib/config/config.h
@@ -65,7 +65,8 @@ int read_config_fd(struct config_tree *cft, struct device *dev,
 		   checksum_fn_t checksum_fn, uint32_t checksum);
 
 int read_config_file(struct config_tree *cft);
-int write_config_file(struct config_tree *cft, const char *file);
+int write_config_file(struct config_tree *cft, const char *file,
+		      int argc, char **argv);
 time_t config_file_timestamp(struct config_tree *cft);
 int config_file_changed(struct config_tree *cft);
 int merge_config_tree(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct config_tree *cft,
diff --git a/tools/commands.h b/tools/commands.h
index 0daa19f4c..26885b723 100644
--- a/tools/commands.h
+++ b/tools/commands.h
@@ -30,7 +30,10 @@ xx(e2fsadm,
 
 xx(dumpconfig,
    "Dump active configuration",
-   "dumpconfig <filename>\n")
+   "dumpconfig "
+   "\t[-f|--file filename] " "\n"
+   "[ConfigurationVariable...]\n",
+   file_ARG)
 
 xx(formats,
    "List available metadata formats",
diff --git a/tools/dumpconfig.c b/tools/dumpconfig.c
index fdf49cb2f..d5b7a78c3 100644
--- a/tools/dumpconfig.c
+++ b/tools/dumpconfig.c
@@ -19,15 +19,10 @@ int dumpconfig(struct cmd_context *cmd, int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	const char *file = NULL;
 
-	if (argc == 1)
-		file = argv[0];
+	if (arg_count(cmd, file_ARG))
+		file = arg_str_value(cmd, file_ARG, "");
 
-	if (argc > 1) {
-		log_error("Please specify one file for output");
-		return EINVALID_CMD_LINE;
-	}
-
-	if (!write_config_file(cmd->cft, file))
+	if (!write_config_file(cmd->cft, file, argc, argv))
 		return ECMD_FAILED;
 
 	return ECMD_PROCESSED;