diff --git a/unit_tests/falco/test_configuration_rule_selection.cpp b/unit_tests/falco/test_configuration_rule_selection.cpp
index 725793fdf96..01f944439ef 100644
--- a/unit_tests/falco/test_configuration_rule_selection.cpp
+++ b/unit_tests/falco/test_configuration_rule_selection.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 TEST(ConfigurationRuleSelection, parse_yaml)
 {
 	falco_configuration falco_config;
-	EXPECT_NO_THROW(falco_config.init_from_content(R"(
+	ASSERT_NO_THROW(falco_config.init_from_content(R"(
 rules:
   - enable:
       rule: 'Terminal Shell in Container'
@@ -33,28 +33,42 @@ TEST(ConfigurationRuleSelection, parse_yaml)
       rule: 'hello*'
 	)", {}));
 
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection.size(), 3);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection.size(), 3);
 
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::enable);
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_rule, "Terminal Shell in Container");
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::enable);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_rule, "Terminal Shell in Container");
 
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::disable);
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_tag, "experimental");
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::disable);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_tag, "experimental");
 
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[2].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::enable);
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[2].m_rule, "hello*");
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[2].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::enable);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[2].m_rule, "hello*");
 }
 
 TEST(ConfigurationRuleSelection, cli_options)
 {
 	falco_configuration falco_config;
-	EXPECT_NO_THROW(falco_config.init_from_content("", std::vector<std::string>{"rules[].disable.tag=maturity_incubating", "rules[].enable.rule=Adding ssh keys to authorized_keys"}));
+	ASSERT_NO_THROW(falco_config.init_from_content("", std::vector<std::string>{"rules[].disable.tag=maturity_incubating", "rules[].enable.rule=Adding ssh keys to authorized_keys"}));
 
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection.size(), 2);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection.size(), 2);
 
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::disable);
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_tag, "maturity_incubating");
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::disable);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_tag, "maturity_incubating");
 
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::enable);
-	ASSERT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_rule, "Adding ssh keys to authorized_keys");
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::enable);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_rule, "Adding ssh keys to authorized_keys");
+}
+
+TEST(ConfigurationRuleSelection, cli_options_object)
+{
+	falco_configuration falco_config;
+	ASSERT_NO_THROW(falco_config.init_from_content("", std::vector<std::string>{R"(rules[]={"disable": {"tag": "maturity_incubating"}})", R"(rules[]={"enable": {"rule": "Adding ssh keys to authorized_keys"}})"}));
+
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection.size(), 2);
+
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::disable);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[0].m_tag, "maturity_incubating");
+
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_op, falco_configuration::rule_selection_operation::enable);
+	EXPECT_EQ(falco_config.m_rules_selection[1].m_rule, "Adding ssh keys to authorized_keys");
 }
diff --git a/userspace/falco/configuration.cpp b/userspace/falco/configuration.cpp
index 2748f62f1a9..a179fa2737a 100644
--- a/userspace/falco/configuration.cpp
+++ b/userspace/falco/configuration.cpp
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ falco_configuration::falco_configuration():
 	m_metrics_convert_memory_to_mb(true),
 	m_metrics_include_empty_values(false),
 	m_container_engines_mask(0),
-	m_container_engines_cri_socket_paths({"/run/containerd/containerd.sock", "/run/crio/crio.sock","/run/k3s/containerd/containerd.sock"}),
-	m_container_engines_disable_cri_async(false)
+	m_container_engines_disable_cri_async(false),
+	m_container_engines_cri_socket_paths({"/run/containerd/containerd.sock", "/run/crio/crio.sock","/run/k3s/containerd/containerd.sock"})
 {
 	m_config_schema = nlohmann::json::parse(schema_json_string);
 }
@@ -749,5 +749,12 @@ void falco_configuration::set_cmdline_option(const std::string &opt)
 		throw std::logic_error("Error parsing config option \"" + opt + "\". Must be of the form key=val or key.subkey=val");
 	}
 
-	m_config.set_scalar(keyval.first, keyval.second);
+	if (keyval.second[0] == '{' && keyval.second[keyval.second.size() - 1] == '}')
+	{
+		YAML::Node node = YAML::Load(keyval.second);
+		m_config.set_object(keyval.first, node);
+	} else
+	{
+		m_config.set_scalar(keyval.first, keyval.second);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/userspace/falco/yaml_helper.h b/userspace/falco/yaml_helper.h
index af38b1942e5..d1134873fa6 100644
--- a/userspace/falco/yaml_helper.h
+++ b/userspace/falco/yaml_helper.h
@@ -177,6 +177,16 @@ class yaml_helper
 		node = value;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Set the node identified by key to an object value
+	 */
+	void set_object(const std::string& key, const YAML::Node& value)
+	{
+		YAML::Node node;
+		get_node(node, key, true);
+		node = value;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* Get the sequence value from the node identified by key.
 	*/
@@ -482,5 +492,6 @@ namespace YAML {
 
 			return true;
 		}
+		// The "encode" function is not needed here, in fact you can simply YAML::load any json string.
 	};
 }