diff --git a/cmd/apm-server/main.go b/cmd/apm-server/main.go
index 72244c3d3d3..30a4789c57e 100644
--- a/cmd/apm-server/main.go
+++ b/cmd/apm-server/main.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func main() {
+	beatcmd.InitBeatCmd()
 	rootCmd := beatcmd.NewRootCommand(beatcmd.BeatParams{
 		NewRunner: func(args beatcmd.RunnerParams) (beatcmd.Runner, error) {
 			return beater.NewRunner(beater.RunnerParams{
diff --git a/internal/beatcmd/init.go b/internal/beatcmd/init.go
index bbf657006ac..2ccecda29f5 100644
--- a/internal/beatcmd/init.go
+++ b/internal/beatcmd/init.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package beatcmd
 
 import (
 	cryptorand "crypto/rand"
+	"flag"
 	"log"
 	"math"
 	"math/big"
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ import (
 	_ "github.com/elastic/beats/v7/libbeat/publisher/queue/memqueue"
 )
 
-func init() {
+func InitBeatCmd() {
 	initRand()
 	initFlags()
 }
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ func initFlags() {
 		}
 	}
 
+	flag.Parse()
 	if err := cfgfile.HandleFlags(); err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/x-pack/apm-server/main.go b/x-pack/apm-server/main.go
index caab7b061e2..2ec2c6d2c0b 100644
--- a/x-pack/apm-server/main.go
+++ b/x-pack/apm-server/main.go
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@ func cleanup() error {
 }
 
 func Main() error {
+	beatcmd.InitBeatCmd()
 	rootCmd := newXPackRootCommand(
 		func(args beatcmd.RunnerParams) (beatcmd.Runner, error) {
 			return beater.NewRunner(beater.RunnerParams{
diff --git a/x-pack/apm-server/root_test.go b/x-pack/apm-server/root_test.go
index 39fbf2aa30d..d916a0e73f8 100644
--- a/x-pack/apm-server/root_test.go
+++ b/x-pack/apm-server/root_test.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestSubCommands(t *testing.T) {
+	beatcmd.InitBeatCmd()
 	rootCmd := newXPackRootCommand(func(beatcmd.RunnerParams) (beatcmd.Runner, error) {
 		panic("unexpected call")
 	})