Merge pull request #6716 from jwhonce/issues/6598

Fixes --remote flag issues

60 files changed, 401 insertions, 460 deletions

diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/attach.go b/cmd/podman/containers/attach.go
index 9ef9d79f0..cb3b1bd3c 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/attach.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/attach.go
@@ -44,10 +44,6 @@ func attachFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.StringVar(&attachOpts.DetachKeys, "detach-keys", containerConfig.DetachKeys(), "Select the key sequence for detaching a container. Format is a single character `[a-Z]` or a comma separated sequence of `ctrl-<value>`, where `<value>` is one of: `a-z`, `@`, `^`, `[`, `\\`, `]`, `^` or `_`")
 	flags.BoolVar(&attachOpts.NoStdin, "no-stdin", false, "Do not attach STDIN. The default is false")
 	flags.BoolVar(&attachOpts.SigProxy, "sig-proxy", true, "Proxy received signals to the process")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&attachOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -55,22 +51,24 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: attachCommand,
 	})
-	flags := attachCommand.Flags()
-	attachFlags(flags)
+	attachFlags(attachCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(attachCommand, &attachOpts.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerAttachCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-	containerAttachFlags := containerAttachCommand.Flags()
-	attachFlags(containerAttachFlags)
+	attachFlags(containerAttachCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerAttachCommand, &attachOpts.Latest)
+
 }
 
 func attach(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if len(args) > 1 || (len(args) == 0 && !attachOpts.Latest) {
 		return errors.Errorf("attach requires the name or id of one running container or the latest flag")
 	}
+
 	var name string
 	if len(args) > 0 {
 		name = args[0]
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/checkpoint.go b/cmd/podman/containers/checkpoint.go
index c4723af21..fa1bc899b 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/checkpoint.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/checkpoint.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/rootless"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  checkpointDescription,
 		RunE:  checkpoint,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman container checkpoint --keep ctrID
   podman container checkpoint --all
@@ -48,12 +48,9 @@ func init() {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&checkpointOptions.LeaveRunning, "leave-running", "R", false, "Leave the container running after writing checkpoint to disk")
 	flags.BoolVar(&checkpointOptions.TCPEstablished, "tcp-established", false, "Checkpoint a container with established TCP connections")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&checkpointOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Checkpoint all running containers")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&checkpointOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.StringVarP(&checkpointOptions.Export, "export", "e", "", "Export the checkpoint image to a tar.gz")
 	flags.BoolVar(&checkpointOptions.IgnoreRootFS, "ignore-rootfs", false, "Do not include root file-system changes when exporting")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(checkpointCommand, &checkpointOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func checkpoint(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/cleanup.go b/cmd/podman/containers/cleanup.go
index 619031208..7e9e7e9ef 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/cleanup.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/cleanup.go
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ package containers
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  cleanupDescription,
 		RunE:  cleanup,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman container cleanup --latest
   podman container cleanup ctrID1 ctrID2 ctrID3
@@ -44,11 +44,10 @@ func init() {
 	})
 	flags := cleanupCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&cleanupOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Cleans up all containers")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&cleanupOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.StringVar(&cleanupOptions.Exec, "exec", "", "Clean up the given exec session instead of the container")
 	flags.BoolVar(&cleanupOptions.Remove, "rm", false, "After cleanup, remove the container entirely")
 	flags.BoolVar(&cleanupOptions.RemoveImage, "rmi", false, "After cleanup, remove the image entirely")
-
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(cleanupCommand, &cleanupOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func cleanup(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/create.go b/cmd/podman/containers/create.go
index 804a23268..60e9aa815 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/create.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/create.go
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ func createFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.AddFlagSet(common.GetCreateFlags(&cliVals))
 	flags.AddFlagSet(common.GetNetFlags())
 	flags.SetNormalizeFunc(common.AliasFlags)
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("authfile")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("env-host")
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/diff.go b/cmd/podman/containers/diff.go
index 33b1c1126..812a61a78 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/diff.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/diff.go
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ var (
 	diffCmd = &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "diff [flags] CONTAINER",
 		Args:  validate.IDOrLatestArgs,
-		Short: "Inspect changes on container's file systems",
-		Long:  `Displays changes on a container filesystem.  The container will be compared to its parent layer.`,
+		Short: "Inspect changes to the container's file systems",
+		Long:  `Displays changes to the container filesystem's'.  The container will be compared to its parent layer.`,
 		RunE:  diff,
 		Example: `podman container diff myCtr
   podman container diff -l --format json myCtr`,
@@ -35,10 +35,7 @@ func init() {
 	flags.BoolVar(&diffOpts.Archive, "archive", true, "Save the diff as a tar archive")
 	_ = flags.MarkHidden("archive")
 	flags.StringVar(&diffOpts.Format, "format", "", "Change the output format")
-
-	if !registry.IsRemote() {
-		flags.BoolVarP(&diffOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(diffCmd, &diffOpts.Latest)
 }
 
 func diff(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/exec.go b/cmd/podman/containers/exec.go
index ce48af618..3c713a7c4 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/exec.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/exec.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/define"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	envLib "github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/env"
@@ -53,14 +54,13 @@ func execFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(&envInput, "env", "e", []string{}, "Set environment variables")
 	flags.StringSliceVar(&envFile, "env-file", []string{}, "Read in a file of environment variables")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&execOpts.Interactive, "interactive", "i", false, "Keep STDIN open even if not attached")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&execOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&execOpts.Privileged, "privileged", false, "Give the process extended Linux capabilities inside the container.  The default is false")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&execOpts.Tty, "tty", "t", false, "Allocate a pseudo-TTY. The default is false")
 	flags.StringVarP(&execOpts.User, "user", "u", "", "Sets the username or UID used and optionally the groupname or GID for the specified command")
 	flags.UintVar(&execOpts.PreserveFDs, "preserve-fds", 0, "Pass N additional file descriptors to the container")
 	flags.StringVarP(&execOpts.WorkDir, "workdir", "w", "", "Working directory inside the container")
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("preserve-fds")
 	}
 }
@@ -70,20 +70,19 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: execCommand,
 	})
-	flags := execCommand.Flags()
-	execFlags(flags)
+	execFlags(execCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(execCommand, &execOpts.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerExecCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerExecFlags := containerExecCommand.Flags()
-	execFlags(containerExecFlags)
+	execFlags(containerExecCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerExecCommand, &execOpts.Latest)
 }
 
-func exec(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func exec(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var nameOrID string
 
 	if len(args) == 0 && !execOpts.Latest {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/init.go b/cmd/podman/containers/init.go
index 417f170c3..6ae52986c 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/init.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/init.go
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ package containers
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  initDescription,
 		RunE:  initContainer,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman init --latest
   podman init 3c45ef19d893
@@ -45,10 +45,6 @@ var (
 
 func initFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&initOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Initialize all containers")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&initOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -58,15 +54,16 @@ func init() {
 	})
 	flags := initCommand.Flags()
 	initFlags(flags)
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(initCommand, &initOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 		Command: containerInitCommand,
 	})
-
 	containerInitFlags := containerInitCommand.Flags()
 	initFlags(containerInitFlags)
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerInitCommand, &initOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func initContainer(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/inspect.go b/cmd/podman/containers/inspect.go
index e49fcc2e0..1798fa99c 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/inspect.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/inspect.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package containers
 import (
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/inspect"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ func init() {
 	flags := inspectCmd.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&inspectOpts.Size, "size", "s", false, "Display total file size")
 	flags.StringVarP(&inspectOpts.Format, "format", "f", "json", "Format the output to a Go template or json")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&inspectOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container Podman is aware of")
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(inspectCmd, &inspectOpts.Latest)
 }
 
 func inspectExec(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/kill.go b/cmd/podman/containers/kill.go
index ef85aad7d..5289a2a0e 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/kill.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/kill.go
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/signal"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  killDescription,
 		RunE:  kill,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman kill mywebserver
   podman kill 860a4b23
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ var (
 
 	containerKillCommand = &cobra.Command{
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Use:   killCommand.Use,
 		Short: killCommand.Short,
@@ -50,10 +50,6 @@ var (
 func killFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&killOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Signal all running containers")
 	flags.StringVarP(&killOptions.Signal, "signal", "s", "KILL", "Signal to send to the container")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&killOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -61,20 +57,19 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: killCommand,
 	})
-	flags := killCommand.Flags()
-	killFlags(flags)
+	killFlags(killCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(killCommand, &killOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerKillCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerKillFlags := containerKillCommand.Flags()
-	killFlags(containerKillFlags)
+	killFlags(containerKillCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerKillCommand, &killOptions.Latest)
 }
 
-func kill(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func kill(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var (
 		err  error
 		errs utils.OutputErrors
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/list.go b/cmd/podman/containers/list.go
index c200a49aa..6aadbcc75 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/list.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/list.go
@@ -29,4 +29,5 @@ func init() {
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
 	listFlagSet(listCmd.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(listCmd, &listOpts.Latest)
 }
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/logs.go b/cmd/podman/containers/logs.go
index de5234044..351a055df 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/logs.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/logs.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/util"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -68,9 +69,8 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: logsCommand,
 	})
-
-	flags := logsCommand.Flags()
-	logsFlags(flags)
+	logsFlags(logsCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(logsCommand, &logsOptions.Latest)
 
 	// container logs
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
@@ -78,15 +78,13 @@ func init() {
 		Command: containerLogsCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerLogsFlags := containerLogsCommand.Flags()
-	logsFlags(containerLogsFlags)
+	logsFlags(containerLogsCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerLogsCommand, &logsOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func logsFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVar(&logsOptions.Details, "details", false, "Show extra details provided to the logs")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&logsOptions.Follow, "follow", "f", false, "Follow log output.  The default is false")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&logsOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.StringVar(&logsOptions.SinceRaw, "since", "", "Show logs since TIMESTAMP")
 	flags.Int64Var(&logsOptions.Tail, "tail", -1, "Output the specified number of LINES at the end of the logs.  Defaults to -1, which prints all lines")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&logsOptions.Timestamps, "timestamps", "t", false, "Output the timestamps in the log")
@@ -95,7 +93,7 @@ func logsFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	_ = flags.MarkHidden("details")
 }
 
-func logs(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func logs(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if logsOptions.SinceRaw != "" {
 		// parse time, error out if something is wrong
 		since, err := util.ParseInputTime(logsOptions.SinceRaw)
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/mount.go b/cmd/podman/containers/mount.go
index 5c73cceaa..ddde0cc9f 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/mount.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/mount.go
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ import (
 	"text/tabwriter"
 	"text/template"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  mountDescription,
 		RunE:  mount,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ var (
 func mountFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&mountOpts.All, "all", "a", false, "Mount all containers")
 	flags.StringVar(&mountOpts.Format, "format", "", "Change the output format to Go template")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&mountOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&mountOpts.NoTruncate, "notruncate", false, "Do not truncate output")
 }
 
@@ -56,19 +55,19 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode},
 		Command: mountCommand,
 	})
-	flags := mountCommand.Flags()
-	mountFlags(flags)
+	mountFlags(mountCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(mountCommand, &mountOpts.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode},
 		Command: containerMountCommmand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-	containerMountFlags := containerMountCommmand.Flags()
-	mountFlags(containerMountFlags)
+	mountFlags(containerMountCommmand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerMountCommmand, &mountOpts.Latest)
 }
 
-func mount(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func mount(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var (
 		errs utils.OutputErrors
 	)
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/pause.go b/cmd/podman/containers/pause.go
index b932c4539..19d97f196 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/pause.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/pause.go
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ func pause(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if rootless.IsRootless() && !registry.IsRemote() {
 		return errors.New("pause is not supported for rootless containers")
 	}
+
 	if len(args) < 1 && !pauseOpts.All {
 		return errors.Errorf("you must provide at least one container name or id")
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/port.go b/cmd/podman/containers/port.go
index 115adc2a7..3ad6c507b 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/port.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/port.go
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/cri-o/ocicni/pkg/ocicni"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  portDescription,
 		RunE:  port,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman port --all
   podman port ctrID 80/tcp
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  portDescription,
 		RunE:  portCommand.RunE,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman container port --all
   podman container port --latest 80`,
@@ -49,10 +49,6 @@ var (
 
 func portFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&portOpts.All, "all", "a", false, "Display port information for all containers")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&portOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -60,22 +56,19 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: portCommand,
 	})
-
-	flags := portCommand.Flags()
-	portFlags(flags)
+	portFlags(portCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(portCommand, &portOpts.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerPortCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerPortflags := containerPortCommand.Flags()
-	portFlags(containerPortflags)
-
+	portFlags(containerPortCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerPortCommand, &portOpts.Latest)
 }
 
-func port(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func port(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var (
 		container string
 		err       error
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/ps.go b/cmd/podman/containers/ps.go
index 5d3c9263e..d10cda609 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/ps.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/ps.go
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ func init() {
 		Command: psCommand,
 	})
 	listFlagSet(psCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(psCommand, &listOpts.Latest)
 }
 
 func listFlagSet(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
@@ -57,7 +58,6 @@ func listFlagSet(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.StringSliceVarP(&filters, "filter", "f", []string{}, "Filter output based on conditions given")
 	flags.StringVar(&listOpts.Format, "format", "", "Pretty-print containers to JSON or using a Go template")
 	flags.IntVarP(&listOpts.Last, "last", "n", -1, "Print the n last created containers (all states)")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&listOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Show the latest container created (all states)")
 	flags.BoolVar(&listOpts.Namespace, "namespace", false, "Display namespace information")
 	flags.BoolVar(&listOpts.Namespace, "ns", false, "Display namespace information")
 	flags.BoolVar(&noTrunc, "no-trunc", false, "Display the extended information")
@@ -69,10 +69,6 @@ func listFlagSet(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 
 	sort := validate.Value(&listOpts.Sort, "command", "created", "id", "image", "names", "runningfor", "size", "status")
 	flags.Var(sort, "sort", "Sort output by: "+sort.Choices())
-
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
 }
 func checkFlags(c *cobra.Command) error {
 	// latest, and last are mutually exclusive.
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/restart.go b/cmd/podman/containers/restart.go
index 1a9d7f6c7..83d6a13ca 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/restart.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/restart.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/define"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  restartDescription,
 		RunE:  restart,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman restart ctrID
   podman restart --latest
@@ -50,12 +50,9 @@ var (
 
 func restartFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&restartOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Restart all non-running containers")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&restartOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&restartOptions.Running, "running", false, "Restart only running containers when --all is used")
 	flags.UintVarP(&restartTimeout, "time", "t", containerConfig.Engine.StopTimeout, "Seconds to wait for stop before killing the container")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+
 	flags.SetNormalizeFunc(utils.AliasFlags)
 }
 
@@ -64,17 +61,16 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: restartCommand,
 	})
-	flags := restartCommand.Flags()
-	restartFlags(flags)
+	restartFlags(restartCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(restartCommand, &restartOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerRestartCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerRestartFlags := containerRestartCommand.Flags()
-	restartFlags(containerRestartFlags)
+	restartFlags(containerRestartCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerRestartCommand, &restartOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func restart(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/restore.go b/cmd/podman/containers/restore.go
index 3bc17206a..a5e328e8e 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/restore.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/restore.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/rootless"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  restoreDescription,
 		RunE:  restore,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, true, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman container restore ctrID
   podman container restore --latest
@@ -46,19 +46,16 @@ func init() {
 	flags := restoreCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&restoreOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Restore all checkpointed containers")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&restoreOptions.Keep, "keep", "k", false, "Keep all temporary checkpoint files")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&restoreOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&restoreOptions.TCPEstablished, "tcp-established", false, "Restore a container with established TCP connections")
 	flags.StringVarP(&restoreOptions.Import, "import", "i", "", "Restore from exported checkpoint archive (tar.gz)")
 	flags.StringVarP(&restoreOptions.Name, "name", "n", "", "Specify new name for container restored from exported checkpoint (only works with --import)")
 	flags.BoolVar(&restoreOptions.IgnoreRootFS, "ignore-rootfs", false, "Do not apply root file-system changes when importing from exported checkpoint")
 	flags.BoolVar(&restoreOptions.IgnoreStaticIP, "ignore-static-ip", false, "Ignore IP address set via --static-ip")
 	flags.BoolVar(&restoreOptions.IgnoreStaticMAC, "ignore-static-mac", false, "Ignore MAC address set via --mac-address")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(restoreCommand, &restoreOptions.Latest)
 }
 
-func restore(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func restore(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var errs utils.OutputErrors
 	if rootless.IsRootless() {
 		return errors.New("restoring a container requires root")
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/rm.go b/cmd/podman/containers/rm.go
index 22d6d59b4..bb7bca081 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/rm.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/rm.go
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/define"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  rmDescription,
 		RunE:  rm,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
 		},
 		Example: `podman rm imageID
   podman rm mywebserver myflaskserver 860a4b23
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  rmCommand.Long,
 		RunE:  rmCommand.RunE,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
 		},
 		Example: `podman container rm imageID
   podman container rm mywebserver myflaskserver 860a4b23
@@ -57,12 +57,11 @@ func rmFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Remove all containers")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.Ignore, "ignore", "i", false, "Ignore errors when a specified container is missing")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.Force, "force", "f", false, "Force removal of a running or unusable container.  The default is false")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&rmOptions.Storage, "storage", false, "Remove container from storage library")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.Volumes, "volumes", "v", false, "Remove anonymous volumes associated with the container")
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(&rmOptions.CIDFiles, "cidfile", "", nil, "Read the container ID from the file")
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("ignore")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("cidfile")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("storage")
@@ -75,18 +74,18 @@ func init() {
 		Command: rmCommand,
 	})
 	rmFlags(rmCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(rmCommand, &rmOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerRmCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerRmFlags := containerRmCommand.Flags()
-	rmFlags(containerRmFlags)
+	rmFlags(containerRmCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerRmCommand, &rmOptions.Latest)
 }
 
-func rm(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func rm(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	return removeContainers(args, rmOptions, true)
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/run.go b/cmd/podman/containers/run.go
index 4b287838e..dda22e539 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/run.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/run.go
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ func runFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVar(&runOpts.SigProxy, "sig-proxy", true, "Proxy received signals to the process")
 	flags.BoolVar(&runRmi, "rmi", false, "Remove container image unless used by other containers")
 	flags.UintVar(&runOpts.PreserveFDs, "preserve-fds", 0, "Pass a number of additional file descriptors into the container")
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("authfile")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("env-host")
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/start.go b/cmd/podman/containers/start.go
index 751fec65f..05e1c38ef 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/start.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/start.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/define"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -44,10 +45,9 @@ func startFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&startOptions.Attach, "attach", "a", false, "Attach container's STDOUT and STDERR")
 	flags.StringVar(&startOptions.DetachKeys, "detach-keys", containerConfig.DetachKeys(), "Select the key sequence for detaching a container. Format is a single character `[a-Z]` or a comma separated sequence of `ctrl-<value>`, where `<value>` is one of: `a-z`, `@`, `^`, `[`, `\\`, `]`, `^` or `_`")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&startOptions.Interactive, "interactive", "i", false, "Keep STDIN open even if not attached")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&startOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&startOptions.SigProxy, "sig-proxy", false, "Proxy received signals to the process (default true if attaching, false otherwise)")
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("sig-proxy")
 	}
 }
@@ -56,17 +56,17 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: startCommand,
 	})
-	flags := startCommand.Flags()
-	startFlags(flags)
+	startFlags(startCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(startCommand, &startOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerStartCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
+	startFlags(containerStartCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerStartCommand, &startOptions.Latest)
 
-	containerStartFlags := containerStartCommand.Flags()
-	startFlags(containerStartFlags)
 }
 
 func start(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/stats.go b/cmd/podman/containers/stats.go
index 260cbd25d..3da68949a 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/stats.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/stats.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 
 	tm "github.com/buger/goterm"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/libpod/define"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/cgroups"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
@@ -56,12 +57,8 @@ var (
 func statFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&statsOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Show all containers. Only running containers are shown by default. The default is false")
 	flags.StringVar(&statsOptions.Format, "format", "", "Pretty-print container statistics to JSON or using a Go template")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&statsOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container Podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&statsOptions.NoReset, "no-reset", false, "Disable resetting the screen between intervals")
 	flags.BoolVar(&statsOptions.NoStream, "no-stream", false, "Disable streaming stats and only pull the first result, default setting is false")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -69,17 +66,16 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: statsCommand,
 	})
-	flags := statsCommand.Flags()
-	statFlags(flags)
+	statFlags(statsCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(statsCommand, &statsOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerStatsCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerStatsFlags := containerStatsCommand.Flags()
-	statFlags(containerStatsFlags)
+	statFlags(containerStatsCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerStatsCommand, &statsOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 // stats is different in that it will assume running containers if
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/stop.go b/cmd/podman/containers/stop.go
index 0f2a91af0..b525fc97a 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/stop.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/stop.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  stopDescription,
 		RunE:  stop,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
 		},
 		Example: `podman stop ctrID
   podman stop --latest
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  stopCommand.Long,
 		RunE:  stopCommand.RunE,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
 		},
 		Example: `podman container stop ctrID
   podman container stop --latest
@@ -52,11 +52,9 @@ func stopFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&stopOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Stop all running containers")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&stopOptions.Ignore, "ignore", "i", false, "Ignore errors when a specified container is missing")
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(&stopOptions.CIDFiles, "cidfile", "", nil, "Read the container ID from the file")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&stopOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	flags.UintVarP(&stopTimeout, "time", "t", containerConfig.Engine.StopTimeout, "Seconds to wait for stop before killing the container")
 
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("cidfile")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("ignore")
 	}
@@ -68,8 +66,8 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: stopCommand,
 	})
-	flags := stopCommand.Flags()
-	stopFlags(flags)
+	stopFlags(stopCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(stopCommand, &stopOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
@@ -77,8 +75,8 @@ func init() {
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
 
-	containerStopFlags := containerStopCommand.Flags()
-	stopFlags(containerStopFlags)
+	stopFlags(containerStopCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerStopCommand, &stopOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func stop(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/top.go b/cmd/podman/containers/top.go
index afab12a14..cd01046cc 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/top.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/top.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"text/tabwriter"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/util"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -51,11 +52,7 @@ podman container top ctrID -eo user,pid,comm`,
 func topFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.SetInterspersed(false)
 	flags.BoolVar(&topOptions.ListDescriptors, "list-descriptors", false, "")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&topOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 	_ = flags.MarkHidden("list-descriptors") // meant only for bash completion
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -63,8 +60,8 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: topCommand,
 	})
-	flags := topCommand.Flags()
-	topFlags(flags)
+	topFlags(topCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(topCommand, &topOptions.Latest)
 
 	descriptors, err := util.GetContainerPidInformationDescriptors()
 	if err == nil {
@@ -77,8 +74,8 @@ func init() {
 		Command: containerTopCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-	containerTopFlags := containerTopCommand.Flags()
-	topFlags(containerTopFlags)
+	topFlags(containerTopCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerTopCommand, &topOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func top(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/unmount.go b/cmd/podman/containers/unmount.go
index c8e551e28..c061a6df3 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/unmount.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/unmount.go
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ package containers
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ var (
 		Long:    description,
 		RunE:    unmount,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman umount ctrID
   podman umount ctrID1 ctrID2 ctrID3
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  umountCommand.Long,
 		RunE:  umountCommand.RunE,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman container umount ctrID
   podman container umount ctrID1 ctrID2 ctrID3
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ var (
 func umountFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&unmountOpts.All, "all", "a", false, "Umount all of the currently mounted containers")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&unmountOpts.Force, "force", "f", false, "Force the complete umount all of the currently mounted containers")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&unmountOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -61,17 +60,16 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode},
 		Command: umountCommand,
 	})
-	flags := umountCommand.Flags()
-	umountFlags(flags)
+	umountFlags(umountCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(umountCommand, &unmountOpts.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode},
 		Command: containerUnmountCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
-
-	containerUmountFlags := containerUnmountCommand.Flags()
-	umountFlags(containerUmountFlags)
+	umountFlags(containerUnmountCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerUnmountCommand, &unmountOpts.Latest)
 }
 
 func unmount(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/containers/wait.go b/cmd/podman/containers/wait.go
index 115bb3eea..be5cfce9a 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/containers/wait.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/containers/wait.go
@@ -47,9 +47,6 @@ var (
 func waitFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.DurationVarP(&waitOptions.Interval, "interval", "i", time.Duration(250), "Milliseconds to wait before polling for completion")
 	flags.StringVar(&waitCondition, "condition", "stopped", "Condition to wait on")
-	if !registry.IsRemote() {
-		flags.BoolVarP(&waitOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-	}
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -57,17 +54,17 @@ func init() {
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: waitCommand,
 	})
-	flags := waitCommand.Flags()
-	waitFlags(flags)
+	waitFlags(waitCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(waitCommand, &waitOptions.Latest)
 
 	registry.Commands = append(registry.Commands, registry.CliCommand{
 		Mode:    []entities.EngineMode{entities.ABIMode, entities.TunnelMode},
 		Command: containerWaitCommand,
 		Parent:  containerCmd,
 	})
+	waitFlags(containerWaitCommand.Flags())
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(containerWaitCommand, &waitOptions.Latest)
 
-	containerWaitFlags := containerWaitCommand.Flags()
-	waitFlags(containerWaitFlags)
 }
 
 func wait(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/diff.go b/cmd/podman/diff.go
index d635ea57a..eaf6abf02 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/diff.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/diff.go
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@ var (
 	// Command: podman _diff_ Object_ID
 	diffDescription = `Displays changes on a container or image's filesystem.  The container or image will be compared to its parent layer.`
 	diffCmd         = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "diff [flags] {CONTAINER_ID | IMAGE_ID}",
-		Args:             validate.IDOrLatestArgs,
-		Short:            "Display the changes of object's file system",
-		Long:             diffDescription,
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             diff,
+		Use:   "diff [flags] {CONTAINER_ID | IMAGE_ID}",
+		Args:  validate.IDOrLatestArgs,
+		Short: "Display the changes to the object's file system",
+		Long:  diffDescription,
+		RunE:  diff,
 		Example: `podman diff imageID
   podman diff ctrID
   podman diff --format json redis:alpine`,
@@ -40,10 +39,7 @@ func init() {
 	flags.BoolVar(&diffOpts.Archive, "archive", true, "Save the diff as a tar archive")
 	_ = flags.MarkHidden("archive")
 	flags.StringVar(&diffOpts.Format, "format", "", "Change the output format")
-
-	if !registry.IsRemote() {
-		flags.BoolVarP(&diffOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(diffCmd, &diffOpts.Latest)
 }
 
 func diff(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/generate/generate.go b/cmd/podman/generate/generate.go
index 7803c0c78..a13e50903 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/generate/generate.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/generate/generate.go
@@ -11,11 +11,10 @@ import (
 var (
 	// Command: podman _generate_
 	generateCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "generate",
-		Short:            "Generate structured data based on containers and pods.",
-		Long:             "Generate structured data (e.g., Kubernetes yaml or systemd units) based on containers and pods.",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "generate",
+		Short: "Generate structured data based on containers and pods.",
+		Long:  "Generate structured data (e.g., Kubernetes yaml or systemd units) based on containers and pods.",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 	containerConfig = util.DefaultContainerConfig()
 )
diff --git a/cmd/podman/healthcheck/healthcheck.go b/cmd/podman/healthcheck/healthcheck.go
index f48701624..15ed47d39 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/healthcheck/healthcheck.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/healthcheck/healthcheck.go
@@ -10,11 +10,10 @@ import (
 var (
 	// Command: healthcheck
 	healthCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "healthcheck",
-		Short:            "Manage health checks on containers",
-		Long:             "Run health checks on containers",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "healthcheck",
+		Short: "Manage health checks on containers",
+		Long:  "Run health checks on containers",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 )
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/images/build.go b/cmd/podman/images/build.go
index dfde896a1..eefc488d3 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/images/build.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/images/build.go
@@ -40,12 +40,11 @@ var (
 	// Command: podman _diff_ Object_ID
 	buildDescription = "Builds an OCI or Docker image using instructions from one or more Containerfiles and a specified build context directory."
 	buildCmd         = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "build [flags] [CONTEXT]",
-		Short:            "Build an image using instructions from Containerfiles",
-		Long:             buildDescription,
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             build,
-		Args:             cobra.MaximumNArgs(1),
+		Use:   "build [flags] [CONTEXT]",
+		Short: "Build an image using instructions from Containerfiles",
+		Long:  buildDescription,
+		Args:  cobra.MaximumNArgs(1),
+		RunE:  build,
 		Example: `podman build .
   podman build --creds=username:password -t imageName -f Containerfile.simple .
   podman build --layers --force-rm --tag imageName .`,
diff --git a/cmd/podman/images/diff.go b/cmd/podman/images/diff.go
index c24f98369..53165543c 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/images/diff.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/images/diff.go
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ var (
 	diffCmd = &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "diff [flags] IMAGE",
 		Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
-		Short: "Inspect changes on image's file systems",
-		Long:  `Displays changes on a image's filesystem.  The image will be compared to its parent layer.`,
+		Short: "Inspect changes to the image's file systems",
+		Long:  `Displays changes to the image's filesystem.  The image will be compared to its parent layer.`,
 		RunE:  diff,
 		Example: `podman image diff myImage
   podman image diff --format json redis:alpine`,
diff --git a/cmd/podman/images/image.go b/cmd/podman/images/image.go
index ebef126c0..2d1974d5c 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/images/image.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/images/image.go
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@ var (
 
 	// Command: podman _image_
 	imageCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "image",
-		Short:            "Manage images",
-		Long:             "Manage images",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "image",
+		Short: "Manage images",
+		Long:  "Manage images",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 )
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/images/search.go b/cmd/podman/images/search.go
index ccac7e3fe..d7756433b 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/images/search.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/images/search.go
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ func searchFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.BoolVar(&searchOptions.NoTrunc, "no-trunc", false, "Do not truncate the output")
 	flags.StringVar(&searchOptions.Authfile, "authfile", auth.GetDefaultAuthFile(), "Path of the authentication file. Use REGISTRY_AUTH_FILE environment variable to override")
 	flags.BoolVar(&searchOptions.TLSVerifyCLI, "tls-verify", true, "Require HTTPS and verify certificates when contacting registries")
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("authfile")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("tls-verify")
diff --git a/cmd/podman/inspect.go b/cmd/podman/inspect.go
index 6c4607d88..12e11d0f5 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/inspect.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/inspect.go
@@ -10,11 +10,10 @@ import (
 var (
 	// Command: podman _inspect_ Object_ID
 	inspectCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "inspect [flags] {CONTAINER_ID | IMAGE_ID} [...]",
-		Short:            "Display the configuration of object denoted by ID",
-		Long:             "Displays the low-level information on an object identified by name or ID",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             inspectExec,
+		Use:   "inspect [flags] {CONTAINER_ID | IMAGE_ID} [...]",
+		Short: "Display the configuration of object denoted by ID",
+		Long:  "Displays the low-level information on an object identified by name or ID",
+		RunE:  inspectExec,
 		Example: `podman inspect fedora
   podman inspect --type image fedora
   podman inspect CtrID ImgID
diff --git a/cmd/podman/inspect/inspect.go b/cmd/podman/inspect/inspect.go
index d80bbffdd..1c1e68d6f 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/inspect/inspect.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/inspect/inspect.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/formats"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
@@ -32,8 +33,8 @@ func AddInspectFlagSet(cmd *cobra.Command) *entities.InspectOptions {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&opts.Size, "size", "s", false, "Display total file size")
 	flags.StringVarP(&opts.Format, "format", "f", "json", "Format the output to a Go template or json")
 	flags.StringVarP(&opts.Type, "type", "t", AllType, fmt.Sprintf("Specify inspect-oject type (%q, %q or %q)", ImageType, ContainerType, AllType))
-	flags.BoolVarP(&opts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container Podman is aware of")
 
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(cmd, &opts.Latest)
 	return &opts
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/manifest/manifest.go b/cmd/podman/manifest/manifest.go
index d7f042a56..26a516ec8 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/manifest/manifest.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/manifest/manifest.go
@@ -10,11 +10,10 @@ import (
 var (
 	manifestDescription = "Creates, modifies, and pushes manifest lists and image indexes."
 	manifestCmd         = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "manifest",
-		Short:            "Manipulate manifest lists and image indexes",
-		Long:             manifestDescription,
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "manifest",
+		Short: "Manipulate manifest lists and image indexes",
+		Long:  manifestDescription,
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 		Example: `podman manifest add mylist:v1.11 image:v1.11-amd64
   podman manifest create localhost/list
   podman manifest inspect localhost/list
diff --git a/cmd/podman/manifest/push.go b/cmd/podman/manifest/push.go
index a2e68aff1..e3073faea 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/manifest/push.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/manifest/push.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ func init() {
 	flags.StringVar(&manifestPushOpts.SignBy, "sign-by", "", "sign the image using a GPG key with the specified `FINGERPRINT`")
 	flags.BoolVar(&manifestPushOpts.TLSVerifyCLI, "tls-verify", true, "require HTTPS and verify certificates when accessing the registry")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&manifestPushOpts.Quiet, "quiet", "q", false, "don't output progress information when pushing lists")
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("authfile")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("cert-dir")
diff --git a/cmd/podman/networks/network.go b/cmd/podman/networks/network.go
index 7f38cd2cd..8f605f995 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/networks/network.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/networks/network.go
@@ -10,11 +10,10 @@ import (
 var (
 	// Command: podman _network_
 	networkCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "network",
-		Short:            "Manage networks",
-		Long:             "Manage networks",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "network",
+		Short: "Manage networks",
+		Long:  "Manage networks",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 )
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/parse/common.go b/cmd/podman/parse/common.go
deleted file mode 100644
index b3aa88da2..000000000
--- a/cmd/podman/parse/common.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,112 +0,0 @@
-package parse
-
-import (
-	"github.com/pkg/errors"
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
-)
-
-// TODO: the two functions here are almost identical. It may be worth looking
-// into generalizing the two a bit more and share code but time is scarce and
-// we only live once.
-
-// CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile checks that --all and --latest are used correctly.
-// If cidfile is set, also check for the --cidfile flag.
-func CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(c *cobra.Command, args []string, ignoreArgLen bool, cidfile bool) error {
-	argLen := len(args)
-	if c.Flags().Lookup("all") == nil || c.Flags().Lookup("latest") == nil {
-		if !cidfile {
-			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest' or 'all'")
-		} else if c.Flags().Lookup("cidfile") == nil {
-			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest', 'all' or 'cidfile'")
-		}
-	}
-
-	specifiedAll, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("all")
-	specifiedLatest, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("latest")
-	specifiedCIDFile := false
-	if cid, _ := c.Flags().GetStringArray("cidfile"); len(cid) > 0 {
-		specifiedCIDFile = true
-	}
-
-	if specifiedCIDFile && (specifiedAll || specifiedLatest) {
-		return errors.Errorf("--all, --latest and --cidfile cannot be used together")
-	} else if specifiedAll && specifiedLatest {
-		return errors.Errorf("--all and --latest cannot be used together")
-	}
-
-	if (argLen > 0) && specifiedAll {
-		return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --all")
-	}
-
-	if ignoreArgLen {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	if argLen > 0 {
-		if specifiedLatest {
-			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest")
-		} else if cidfile && (specifiedLatest || specifiedCIDFile) {
-			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest or --cidfile")
-		}
-	}
-
-	if specifiedCIDFile {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	if argLen < 1 && !specifiedAll && !specifiedLatest && !specifiedCIDFile {
-		return errors.Errorf("you must provide at least one name or id")
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-// CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile checks that --all and --latest are used correctly.
-// If withIDFile is set, also check for the --pod-id-file flag.
-func CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(c *cobra.Command, args []string, ignoreArgLen bool, withIDFile bool) error {
-	argLen := len(args)
-	if c.Flags().Lookup("all") == nil || c.Flags().Lookup("latest") == nil {
-		if !withIDFile {
-			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest' or 'all'")
-		} else if c.Flags().Lookup("pod-id-file") == nil {
-			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest', 'all' or 'pod-id-file'")
-		}
-	}
-
-	specifiedAll, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("all")
-	specifiedLatest, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("latest")
-	specifiedPodIDFile := false
-	if pid, _ := c.Flags().GetStringArray("pod-id-file"); len(pid) > 0 {
-		specifiedPodIDFile = true
-	}
-
-	if specifiedPodIDFile && (specifiedAll || specifiedLatest) {
-		return errors.Errorf("--all, --latest and --pod-id-file cannot be used together")
-	} else if specifiedAll && specifiedLatest {
-		return errors.Errorf("--all and --latest cannot be used together")
-	}
-
-	if (argLen > 0) && specifiedAll {
-		return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --all")
-	}
-
-	if ignoreArgLen {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	if argLen > 0 {
-		if specifiedLatest {
-			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest")
-		} else if withIDFile && (specifiedLatest || specifiedPodIDFile) {
-			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest or --pod-id-file")
-		}
-	}
-
-	if specifiedPodIDFile {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	if argLen < 1 && !specifiedAll && !specifiedLatest && !specifiedPodIDFile {
-		return errors.Errorf("you must provide at least one name or id")
-	}
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/cmd/podman/play/kube.go b/cmd/podman/play/kube.go
index c26ca9853..909f225a8 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/play/kube.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/play/kube.go
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ func init() {
 		flags.StringVar(&kubeOptions.SignaturePolicy, "signature-policy", "", "`Pathname` of signature policy file (not usually used)")
 		flags.StringVar(&kubeOptions.SeccompProfileRoot, "seccomp-profile-root", defaultSeccompRoot, "Directory path for seccomp profiles")
 	}
-
 	_ = flags.MarkHidden("signature-policy")
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/play/play.go b/cmd/podman/play/play.go
index b151e5f5d..bc2aa18be 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/play/play.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/play/play.go
@@ -10,11 +10,10 @@ import (
 var (
 	// Command: podman _play_
 	playCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "play",
-		Short:            "Play a pod and its containers from a structured file.",
-		Long:             "Play structured data (e.g., Kubernetes pod or service yaml) based on containers and pods.",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "play",
+		Short: "Play a pod and its containers from a structured file.",
+		Long:  "Play structured data (e.g., Kubernetes pod or service yaml) based on containers and pods.",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 )
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/inspect.go b/cmd/podman/pods/inspect.go
index 34c07c11b..db2217aea 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/inspect.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/inspect.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/formats"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -36,11 +37,8 @@ func init() {
 		Parent:  podCmd,
 	})
 	flags := inspectCmd.Flags()
-	flags.BoolVarP(&inspectOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest pod podman is aware of")
 	flags.StringVarP(&inspectOptions.Format, "format", "f", "json", "Format the output to a Go template or json")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(inspectCmd, &inspectOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func inspect(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/kill.go b/cmd/podman/pods/kill.go
index 02089016e..d83e4d77e 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/kill.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/kill.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  podKillDescription,
 		RunE:  kill,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman pod kill podID
   podman pod kill --signal TERM mywebserver
@@ -41,14 +41,11 @@ func init() {
 	})
 	flags := killCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&killOpts.All, "all", "a", false, "Kill all containers in all pods")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&killOpts.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest pod podman is aware of")
 	flags.StringVarP(&killOpts.Signal, "signal", "s", "KILL", "Signal to send to the containers in the pod")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
-
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(killCommand, &killOpts.Latest)
 }
-func kill(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+
+func kill(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var (
 		errs utils.OutputErrors
 	)
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/pause.go b/cmd/podman/pods/pause.go
index 4ee182661..0ed3db936 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/pause.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/pause.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  podPauseDescription,
 		RunE:  pause,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman pod pause podID1 podID2
   podman pod pause --latest
@@ -41,12 +41,9 @@ func init() {
 	})
 	flags := pauseCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&pauseOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Pause all running pods")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&pauseOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest pod podman is aware of")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(pauseCommand, &pauseOptions.Latest)
 }
-func pause(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func pause(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var (
 		errs utils.OutputErrors
 	)
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/pod.go b/cmd/podman/pods/pod.go
index 9dc538c71..ca0283b11 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/pod.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/pod.go
@@ -14,11 +14,10 @@ var (
 
 	// Command: podman _pod_
 	podCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "pod",
-		Short:            "Manage pods",
-		Long:             "Pods are a group of one or more containers sharing the same network, pid and ipc namespaces.",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "pod",
+		Short: "Manage pods",
+		Long:  "Pods are a group of one or more containers sharing the same network, pid and ipc namespaces.",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 	containerConfig = util.DefaultContainerConfig()
 )
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/ps.go b/cmd/podman/pods/ps.go
index 0171bb243..395acd78f 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/ps.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/ps.go
@@ -53,18 +53,15 @@ func init() {
 	// TODO should we make this a [] ?
 	flags.StringSliceVarP(&inputFilters, "filter", "f", []string{}, "Filter output based on conditions given")
 	flags.StringVar(&psInput.Format, "format", "", "Pretty-print pods to JSON or using a Go template")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&psInput.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest pod podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&psInput.Namespace, "namespace", false, "Display namespace information of the pod")
 	flags.BoolVar(&psInput.Namespace, "ns", false, "Display namespace information of the pod")
 	flags.BoolVar(&noTrunc, "no-trunc", false, "Do not truncate pod and container IDs")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&psInput.Quiet, "quiet", "q", false, "Print the numeric IDs of the pods only")
 	flags.StringVar(&psInput.Sort, "sort", "created", "Sort output by created, id, name, or number")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(psCmd, &psInput.Latest)
 }
 
-func pods(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func pods(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 	var (
 		w   io.Writer = os.Stdout
 		row string
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/restart.go b/cmd/podman/pods/restart.go
index 1f617a277..8bbbbb05d 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/restart.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/restart.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  podRestartDescription,
 		RunE:  restart,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman pod restart podID1 podID2
   podman pod restart --latest
@@ -42,10 +42,7 @@ func init() {
 
 	flags := restartCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&restartOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Restart all running pods")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&restartOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Restart the latest pod podman is aware of")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(restartCommand, &restartOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func restart(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/rm.go b/cmd/podman/pods/rm.go
index ec8dae1d1..5a5aa699b 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/rm.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/rm.go
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/common"
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  podRmDescription,
 		RunE:  rm,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
 		},
 		Example: `podman pod rm mywebserverpod
   podman pod rm -f 860a4b23
@@ -49,15 +49,15 @@ func init() {
 	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Remove all running pods")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.Force, "force", "f", false, "Force removal of a running pod by first stopping all containers, then removing all containers in the pod.  The default is false")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.Ignore, "ignore", "i", false, "Ignore errors when a specified pod is missing")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&rmOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Remove the latest pod podman is aware of")
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(&rmOptions.PodIDFiles, "pod-id-file", "", nil, "Read the pod ID from the file")
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(rmCommand, &rmOptions.Latest)
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("ignore")
 	}
 }
 
-func rm(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func rm(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	ids, err := common.ReadPodIDFiles(rmOptions.PodIDFiles)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/start.go b/cmd/podman/pods/start.go
index 97020b360..7ca211baa 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/start.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/start.go
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/common"
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  podStartDescription,
 		RunE:  start,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
 		},
 		Example: `podman pod start podID
   podman pod start --latest
@@ -50,11 +50,8 @@ func init() {
 
 	flags := startCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&startOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Restart all running pods")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&startOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Restart the latest pod podman is aware of")
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(&startOptions.PodIDFiles, "pod-id-file", "", nil, "Read the pod ID from the file")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(startCommand, &startOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func start(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/stats.go b/cmd/podman/pods/stats.go
index d14632f01..619e49520 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/stats.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/stats.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/buger/goterm"
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/formats"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/util/camelcase"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -55,13 +56,9 @@ func init() {
 	flags := statsCmd.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&statsOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Provide stats for all pods")
 	flags.StringVar(&statsOptions.Format, "format", "", "Pretty-print container statistics to JSON or using a Go template")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&statsOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Provide stats on the latest pod Podman is aware of")
 	flags.BoolVar(&statsOptions.NoReset, "no-reset", false, "Disable resetting the screen when streaming")
 	flags.BoolVar(&statsOptions.NoStream, "no-stream", false, "Disable streaming stats and only pull the first result")
-
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(statsCmd, &statsOptions.Latest)
 }
 
 func stats(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/stop.go b/cmd/podman/pods/stop.go
index 628e8a536..cb052575a 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/stop.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/stop.go
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/common"
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  podStopDescription,
 		RunE:  stop,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(cmd, args, false, true)
 		},
 		Example: `podman pod stop mywebserverpod
   podman pod stop --latest
@@ -51,13 +51,14 @@ func init() {
 	flags := stopCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&stopOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Stop all running pods")
 	flags.BoolVarP(&stopOptions.Ignore, "ignore", "i", false, "Ignore errors when a specified pod is missing")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&stopOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Stop the latest pod podman is aware of")
 	flags.UintVarP(&stopOptions.TimeoutCLI, "time", "t", containerConfig.Engine.StopTimeout, "Seconds to wait for pod stop before killing the container")
 	flags.StringArrayVarP(&stopOptions.PodIDFiles, "pod-id-file", "", nil, "Read the pod ID from the file")
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(stopCommand, &stopOptions.Latest)
+
 	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
 		_ = flags.MarkHidden("ignore")
 	}
+
 	flags.SetNormalizeFunc(utils.AliasFlags)
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/top.go b/cmd/podman/pods/top.go
index 8df00f92a..d790869a4 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/top.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/top.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"text/tabwriter"
 
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/util"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -50,15 +51,11 @@ func init() {
 	flags := topCommand.Flags()
 	flags.SetInterspersed(false)
 	flags.BoolVar(&topOptions.ListDescriptors, "list-descriptors", false, "")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&topOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest container podman is aware of")
-
 	_ = flags.MarkHidden("list-descriptors") // meant only for bash completion
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(topCommand, &topOptions.Latest)
 }
 
-func top(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+func top(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if topOptions.ListDescriptors {
 		descriptors, err := util.GetContainerPidInformationDescriptors()
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/podman/pods/unpause.go b/cmd/podman/pods/unpause.go
index b30bd930a..54553e4a8 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/pods/unpause.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/pods/unpause.go
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/utils"
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/validate"
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ var (
 		Long:  podUnpauseDescription,
 		RunE:  unpause,
 		Args: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			return parse.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
+			return validate.CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(cmd, args, false, false)
 		},
 		Example: `podman pod unpause podID1 podID2
   podman pod unpause --all
@@ -41,12 +41,10 @@ func init() {
 	})
 	flags := unpauseCommand.Flags()
 	flags.BoolVarP(&unpauseOptions.All, "all", "a", false, "Pause all running pods")
-	flags.BoolVarP(&unpauseOptions.Latest, "latest", "l", false, "Act on the latest pod podman is aware of")
-	if registry.IsRemote() {
-		_ = flags.MarkHidden("latest")
-	}
+	validate.AddLatestFlag(unpauseCommand, &unpauseOptions.Latest)
 }
-func unpause(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+
+func unpause(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	var (
 		errs utils.OutputErrors
 	)
diff --git a/cmd/podman/registry/config.go b/cmd/podman/registry/config.go
index a67568d73..85a63402b 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/registry/config.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/registry/config.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
-	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/containers/common/pkg/config"
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@ func newPodmanConfig() {
 	case "linux":
 		// Some linux clients might only be compiled without ABI
 		// support (e.g., podman-remote).
-		if abiSupport {
+		if abiSupport && !remoteOverride {
 			mode = entities.ABIMode
 		} else {
 			mode = entities.TunnelMode
@@ -55,19 +54,6 @@ func newPodmanConfig() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
-	// Check if need to fallback to the tunnel mode if --remote is used.
-	if abiSupport && mode == entities.ABIMode {
-		// cobra.Execute() may not be called yet, so we peek at os.Args.
-		for _, v := range os.Args {
-			// Prefix checking works because of how default EngineMode's
-			// have been defined.
-			if strings.HasPrefix(v, "--remote") {
-				mode = entities.TunnelMode
-				break
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
 	cfg, err := config.NewConfig("")
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprint(os.Stderr, "Failed to obtain podman configuration: "+err.Error())
diff --git a/cmd/podman/registry/remote.go b/cmd/podman/registry/remote.go
index 95870750e..ed1a874d6 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/registry/remote.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/registry/remote.go
@@ -1,9 +1,26 @@
 package registry
 
 import (
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+
 	"github.com/containers/libpod/pkg/domain/entities"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+var (
+	// Was --remote given on command line
+	remoteOverride bool
+	remoteSync     sync.Once
 )
 
+// IsRemote returns true if podman was built to run remote
+// Use in init() functions as a initialization check
 func IsRemote() bool {
-	return podmanOptions.EngineMode == entities.TunnelMode
+	remoteSync.Do(func() {
+		remote := &cobra.Command{}
+		remote.Flags().BoolVarP(&remoteOverride, "remote", "r", false, "")
+		_ = remote.ParseFlags(os.Args)
+	})
+	return podmanOptions.EngineMode == entities.TunnelMode || remoteOverride
 }
diff --git a/cmd/podman/root.go b/cmd/podman/root.go
index 25e53cbee..45ca48c39 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/root.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/root.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"path"
 	"runtime"
 	"runtime/pprof"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/containers/common/pkg/config"
@@ -20,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
-	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 )
 
 // HelpTemplate is the help template for podman commands
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ func init() {
 		syslogHook,
 	)
 
-	rootFlags(registry.PodmanConfig(), rootCmd.PersistentFlags())
+	rootFlags(rootCmd, registry.PodmanConfig())
 
 	// "version" is a local flag to avoid collisions with sub-commands that use "-v"
 	var dummyVersion bool
@@ -111,6 +111,15 @@ func persistentPreRunE(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 	cfg := registry.PodmanConfig()
 
+	// Validate --remote and --latest not given on same command
+	latest := cmd.Flags().Lookup("latest")
+	if latest != nil {
+		value, _ := strconv.ParseBool(latest.Value.String())
+		if cfg.Remote && value {
+			return errors.Errorf("For %s \"--remote\" and \"--latest\", are mutually exclusive flags", cmd.CommandPath())
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Prep the engines
 	if _, err := registry.NewImageEngine(cmd, args); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -193,7 +202,7 @@ func loggingHook() {
 		}
 	}
 	if !found {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Log Level \"%s\" is not supported, choose from: %s\n", logLevel, strings.Join(logLevels, ", "))
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Log Level %q is not supported, choose from: %s\n", logLevel, strings.Join(logLevels, ", "))
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
@@ -209,44 +218,45 @@ func loggingHook() {
 	}
 }
 
-func rootFlags(opts *entities.PodmanConfig, flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
-	// V2 flags
-	flags.BoolVarP(&opts.Remote, "remote", "r", false, "Access remote Podman service (default false)")
+func rootFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, opts *entities.PodmanConfig) {
+	cfg := opts.Config
 
+	lFlags := cmd.Flags()
 	custom, _ := config.ReadCustomConfig()
 	defaultURI := custom.Engine.RemoteURI
 	if defaultURI == "" {
 		defaultURI = registry.DefaultAPIAddress()
 	}
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.URI, "url", defaultURI, "URL to access Podman service (CONTAINER_HOST)")
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.Identity, "identity", custom.Engine.RemoteIdentity, "path to SSH identity file, (CONTAINER_SSHKEY)")
-
-	cfg := opts.Config
-	flags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.CgroupManager, "cgroup-manager", cfg.Engine.CgroupManager, "Cgroup manager to use (\"cgroupfs\"|\"systemd\")")
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.CPUProfile, "cpu-profile", "", "Path for the cpu profiling results")
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.ConmonPath, "conmon", "", "Path of the conmon binary")
-	flags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.NetworkCmdPath, "network-cmd-path", cfg.Engine.NetworkCmdPath, "Path to the command for configuring the network")
-	flags.StringVar(&cfg.Network.NetworkConfigDir, "cni-config-dir", cfg.Network.NetworkConfigDir, "Path of the configuration directory for CNI networks")
-	flags.StringVar(&cfg.Containers.DefaultMountsFile, "default-mounts-file", cfg.Containers.DefaultMountsFile, "Path to default mounts file")
-	flags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.EventsLogger, "events-backend", cfg.Engine.EventsLogger, `Events backend to use ("file"|"journald"|"none")`)
-	flags.StringSliceVar(&cfg.Engine.HooksDir, "hooks-dir", cfg.Engine.HooksDir, "Set the OCI hooks directory path (may be set multiple times)")
-	flags.IntVar(&opts.MaxWorks, "max-workers", (runtime.NumCPU()*3)+1, "The maximum number of workers for parallel operations")
-	flags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.Namespace, "namespace", cfg.Engine.Namespace, "Set the libpod namespace, used to create separate views of the containers and pods on the system")
-	flags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.StaticDir, "root", "", "Path to the root directory in which data, including images, is stored")
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.RegistriesConf, "registries-conf", "", "Path to a registries.conf to use for image processing")
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.Runroot, "runroot", "", "Path to the 'run directory' where all state information is stored")
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.RuntimePath, "runtime", "", "Path to the OCI-compatible binary used to run containers, default is /usr/bin/runc")
+	lFlags.BoolVarP(&opts.Remote, "remote", "r", false, "Access remote Podman service (default false)")
+	lFlags.StringVar(&opts.URI, "url", defaultURI, "URL to access Podman service (CONTAINER_HOST)")
+	lFlags.StringVar(&opts.Identity, "identity", custom.Engine.RemoteIdentity, "path to SSH identity file, (CONTAINER_SSHKEY)")
+
+	pFlags := cmd.PersistentFlags()
+	pFlags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.CgroupManager, "cgroup-manager", cfg.Engine.CgroupManager, "Cgroup manager to use (\"cgroupfs\"|\"systemd\")")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&opts.CPUProfile, "cpu-profile", "", "Path for the cpu profiling results")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&opts.ConmonPath, "conmon", "", "Path of the conmon binary")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.NetworkCmdPath, "network-cmd-path", cfg.Engine.NetworkCmdPath, "Path to the command for configuring the network")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&cfg.Network.NetworkConfigDir, "cni-config-dir", cfg.Network.NetworkConfigDir, "Path of the configuration directory for CNI networks")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&cfg.Containers.DefaultMountsFile, "default-mounts-file", cfg.Containers.DefaultMountsFile, "Path to default mounts file")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.EventsLogger, "events-backend", cfg.Engine.EventsLogger, `Events backend to use ("file"|"journald"|"none")`)
+	pFlags.StringSliceVar(&cfg.Engine.HooksDir, "hooks-dir", cfg.Engine.HooksDir, "Set the OCI hooks directory path (may be set multiple times)")
+	pFlags.IntVar(&opts.MaxWorks, "max-workers", (runtime.NumCPU()*3)+1, "The maximum number of workers for parallel operations")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.Namespace, "namespace", cfg.Engine.Namespace, "Set the libpod namespace, used to create separate views of the containers and pods on the system")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&cfg.Engine.StaticDir, "root", "", "Path to the root directory in which data, including images, is stored")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&opts.RegistriesConf, "registries-conf", "", "Path to a registries.conf to use for image processing")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&opts.Runroot, "runroot", "", "Path to the 'run directory' where all state information is stored")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&opts.RuntimePath, "runtime", "", "Path to the OCI-compatible binary used to run containers, default is /usr/bin/runc")
 	// -s is deprecated due to conflict with -s on subcommands
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.StorageDriver, "storage-driver", "", "Select which storage driver is used to manage storage of images and containers (default is overlay)")
-	flags.StringArrayVar(&opts.StorageOpts, "storage-opt", []string{}, "Used to pass an option to the storage driver")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&opts.StorageDriver, "storage-driver", "", "Select which storage driver is used to manage storage of images and containers (default is overlay)")
+	pFlags.StringArrayVar(&opts.StorageOpts, "storage-opt", []string{}, "Used to pass an option to the storage driver")
 
-	flags.StringVar(&opts.Engine.TmpDir, "tmpdir", "", "Path to the tmp directory for libpod state content.\n\nNote: use the environment variable 'TMPDIR' to change the temporary storage location for container images, '/var/tmp'.\n")
-	flags.BoolVar(&opts.Trace, "trace", false, "Enable opentracing output (default false)")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&opts.Engine.TmpDir, "tmpdir", "", "Path to the tmp directory for libpod state content.\n\nNote: use the environment variable 'TMPDIR' to change the temporary storage location for container images, '/var/tmp'.\n")
+	pFlags.BoolVar(&opts.Trace, "trace", false, "Enable opentracing output (default false)")
 
 	// Override default --help information of `--help` global flag
 	var dummyHelp bool
-	flags.BoolVar(&dummyHelp, "help", false, "Help for podman")
-	flags.StringVar(&logLevel, "log-level", logLevel, fmt.Sprintf("Log messages above specified level (%s)", strings.Join(logLevels, ", ")))
+	pFlags.BoolVar(&dummyHelp, "help", false, "Help for podman")
+	pFlags.StringVar(&logLevel, "log-level", logLevel, fmt.Sprintf("Log messages above specified level (%s)", strings.Join(logLevels, ", ")))
 
 	// Hide these flags for both ABI and Tunneling
 	for _, f := range []string{
@@ -256,13 +266,13 @@ func rootFlags(opts *entities.PodmanConfig, flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 		"registries-conf",
 		"trace",
 	} {
-		if err := flags.MarkHidden(f); err != nil {
+		if err := pFlags.MarkHidden(f); err != nil {
 			logrus.Warnf("unable to mark %s flag as hidden: %s", f, err.Error())
 		}
 	}
 
 	// Only create these flags for ABI connections
 	if !registry.IsRemote() {
-		flags.BoolVar(&useSyslog, "syslog", false, "Output logging information to syslog as well as the console (default false)")
+		pFlags.BoolVar(&useSyslog, "syslog", false, "Output logging information to syslog as well as the console (default false)")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/podman/system/connection.go b/cmd/podman/system/connection.go
index 9f80a454b..8ee441446 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/system/connection.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/system/connection.go
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ func init() {
 	})
 
 	flags := connectionCmd.Flags()
-	flags.StringVar(&cOpts.Identity, "identity", "", "path to ssh identity file")
 	flags.IntVarP(&cOpts.Port, "port", "p", 22, "port number for destination")
 	flags.StringVar(&cOpts.UDSPath, "socket-path", "", "path to podman socket on remote host. (default '/run/podman/podman.sock' or '/run/user/{uid}/podman/podman.sock)")
 }
diff --git a/cmd/podman/system/system.go b/cmd/podman/system/system.go
index acf41a32d..7937e6df8 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/system/system.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/system/system.go
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@ var (
 
 	// Command: podman _system_
 	systemCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "system",
-		Short:            "Manage podman",
-		Long:             "Manage podman",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "system",
+		Short: "Manage podman",
+		Long:  "Manage podman",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 )
 
diff --git a/cmd/podman/validate/args.go b/cmd/podman/validate/args.go
index d170447ee..a33f47959 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/validate/args.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/validate/args.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package validate
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -28,8 +29,119 @@ func IDOrLatestArgs(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	if len(args) > 1 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("`%s` accepts at most one argument", cmd.CommandPath())
 	}
-	if len(args) == 0 && !cmd.Flag("latest").Changed {
-		return fmt.Errorf("`%s` requires a name, id, or the \"--latest\" flag", cmd.CommandPath())
+
+	latest := cmd.Flag("latest")
+	if latest != nil {
+		given, _ := strconv.ParseBool(cmd.Flag("latest").Value.String())
+		if len(args) == 0 && !given {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%q requires a name, id, or the \"--latest\" flag", cmd.CommandPath())
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// TODO: the two functions CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile and CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile are almost identical.
+//       It may be worth looking into generalizing the two a bit more and share code but time is scarce and
+//       we only live once.
+
+// CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile checks that --all and --latest are used correctly.
+// If cidfile is set, also check for the --cidfile flag.
+func CheckAllLatestAndCIDFile(c *cobra.Command, args []string, ignoreArgLen bool, cidfile bool) error {
+	argLen := len(args)
+	if c.Flags().Lookup("all") == nil || c.Flags().Lookup("latest") == nil {
+		if !cidfile {
+			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest' or 'all'")
+		} else if c.Flags().Lookup("cidfile") == nil {
+			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest', 'all' or 'cidfile'")
+		}
+	}
+
+	specifiedAll, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("all")
+	specifiedLatest, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("latest")
+	specifiedCIDFile := false
+	if cid, _ := c.Flags().GetStringArray("cidfile"); len(cid) > 0 {
+		specifiedCIDFile = true
+	}
+
+	if specifiedCIDFile && (specifiedAll || specifiedLatest) {
+		return errors.Errorf("--all, --latest and --cidfile cannot be used together")
+	} else if specifiedAll && specifiedLatest {
+		return errors.Errorf("--all and --latest cannot be used together")
+	}
+
+	if (argLen > 0) && specifiedAll {
+		return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --all")
+	}
+
+	if ignoreArgLen {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if argLen > 0 {
+		if specifiedLatest {
+			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest")
+		} else if cidfile && (specifiedLatest || specifiedCIDFile) {
+			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest or --cidfile")
+		}
+	}
+
+	if specifiedCIDFile {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if argLen < 1 && !specifiedAll && !specifiedLatest && !specifiedCIDFile {
+		return errors.Errorf("you must provide at least one name or id")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile checks that --all and --latest are used correctly.
+// If withIDFile is set, also check for the --pod-id-file flag.
+func CheckAllLatestAndPodIDFile(c *cobra.Command, args []string, ignoreArgLen bool, withIDFile bool) error {
+	argLen := len(args)
+	if c.Flags().Lookup("all") == nil || c.Flags().Lookup("latest") == nil {
+		if !withIDFile {
+			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest' or 'all'")
+		} else if c.Flags().Lookup("pod-id-file") == nil {
+			return errors.New("unable to lookup values for 'latest', 'all' or 'pod-id-file'")
+		}
+	}
+
+	specifiedAll, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("all")
+	specifiedLatest, _ := c.Flags().GetBool("latest")
+	specifiedPodIDFile := false
+	if pid, _ := c.Flags().GetStringArray("pod-id-file"); len(pid) > 0 {
+		specifiedPodIDFile = true
+	}
+
+	if specifiedPodIDFile && (specifiedAll || specifiedLatest) {
+		return errors.Errorf("--all, --latest and --pod-id-file cannot be used together")
+	} else if specifiedAll && specifiedLatest {
+		return errors.Errorf("--all and --latest cannot be used together")
+	}
+
+	if (argLen > 0) && specifiedAll {
+		return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --all")
+	}
+
+	if ignoreArgLen {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if argLen > 0 {
+		if specifiedLatest {
+			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest")
+		} else if withIDFile && (specifiedLatest || specifiedPodIDFile) {
+			return errors.Errorf("no arguments are needed with --latest or --pod-id-file")
+		}
+	}
+
+	if specifiedPodIDFile {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if argLen < 1 && !specifiedAll && !specifiedLatest && !specifiedPodIDFile {
+		return errors.Errorf("you must provide at least one name or id")
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/cmd/podman/validate/latest.go b/cmd/podman/validate/latest.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e2aa063b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/podman/validate/latest.go
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package validate
+
+import (
+	"github.com/containers/libpod/cmd/podman/registry"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+func AddLatestFlag(cmd *cobra.Command, b *bool) {
+	// Initialization flag verification
+	cmd.Flags().BoolVarP(b, "latest", "l", false,
+		"Act on the latest container podman is aware of\nNot supported with the \"--remote\" flag")
+	if registry.IsRemote() {
+		_ = cmd.Flags().MarkHidden("latest")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/podman/volumes/volume.go b/cmd/podman/volumes/volume.go
index 12947a6b1..93b15eb38 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/volumes/volume.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/volumes/volume.go
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@ var (
 
 	// Command: podman _volume_
 	volumeCmd = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:              "volume",
-		Short:            "Manage volumes",
-		Long:             "Volumes are created in and can be shared between containers",
-		TraverseChildren: true,
-		RunE:             validate.SubCommandExists,
+		Use:   "volume",
+		Short: "Manage volumes",
+		Long:  "Volumes are created in and can be shared between containers",
+		RunE:  validate.SubCommandExists,
 	}
 )