diff --git a/nfq/helpers.c b/nfq/helpers.c
index 9b563d0..2d2d320 100644
--- a/nfq/helpers.c
+++ b/nfq/helpers.c
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <libgen.h>
-#include <wordexp.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
 
 #include "params.h"
 
@@ -505,48 +503,3 @@ bool parse_cidr6(char *s, struct cidr6 *cidr)
 	if (p) *p=d; // restore char
 	return b;
 }
-
-
-void free_command_line(char **argv, int argc)
-{
-	int i;
-	if (argv)
-	{
-		for (i = 0; i < argc; i++)
-			if (argv[i]) free(argv[i]);
-		free(argv);
-	}
-}
-
-char **split_command_line(const char *cmdline, int *argc)
-{
-	int i;
-	char **argv = NULL;
-	wordexp_t p;
-
-	*argc=0;
-
-	// Note! This expands shell variables.
-	if (!cmdline || wordexp(cmdline, &p, WRDE_NOCMD))
-		return NULL;
-
-	if (!(argv = malloc(p.we_wordc * sizeof(char *))))
-	{
-		wordfree(&p);
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
-	for (i = 0; i < p.we_wordc; i++)
-	{
-		if (!(argv[i] = strdup(p.we_wordv[i])))
-		{
-			wordfree(&p);
-			free_command_line(argv,i);
-			return NULL;
-		}
-	}
-	*argc=i;
-
-	wordfree(&p);
-	return argv;
-}
diff --git a/nfq/helpers.h b/nfq/helpers.h
index 0f914dd..c06862e 100644
--- a/nfq/helpers.h
+++ b/nfq/helpers.h
@@ -107,6 +107,3 @@ static inline const struct in6_addr *mask_from_preflen6(uint8_t preflen)
 {
 	return ip6_mask+preflen;
 }
-
-void free_command_line(char **argv, int argc);
-char **split_command_line(const char *cmdline, int *argc);
diff --git a/nfq/nfqws.c b/nfq/nfqws.c
index 5c291c9..b35e065 100644
--- a/nfq/nfqws.c
+++ b/nfq/nfqws.c
@@ -554,9 +554,7 @@ static bool parse_ws_scale_factor(char *s, uint16_t *wsize, uint8_t *wscale)
 
 static void cleanup_args()
 {
-	free_command_line(params.argv,params.argc);
-	params.argv = NULL;
-	params.argc = 0;
+	wordfree(&params.wexp);
 }
 
 static void cleanup_params(void)
@@ -1066,14 +1064,13 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		replace_char(buf,'\n',' ');
 		replace_char(buf,'\r',' ');
 		replace_char(buf,'\t',' ');
-		params.argv = split_command_line(buf,&params.argc);
-		if (!params.argv)
+		if (wordexp(buf, &params.wexp, WRDE_NOCMD))
 		{
 			DLOG_ERR("failed to split command line options from file '%s'\n",argv[1]+1);
 			exit_clean(1);
 		}
-		argv=params.argv;
-		argc=params.argc;
+		argv=params.wexp.we_wordv;
+		argc=params.wexp.we_wordc;
 	}
 
 	const struct option long_options[] = {
diff --git a/nfq/params.h b/nfq/params.h
index 1203455..143fd24 100644
--- a/nfq/params.h
+++ b/nfq/params.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <sys/queue.h>
+#include <wordexp.h>
 
 #define TLS_PARTIALS_ENABLE	true
 
@@ -95,8 +96,7 @@ bool dp_list_have_autohostlist(struct desync_profile_list_head *head);
 
 struct params_s
 {
-	char **argv; // for file based config
-	int argc;
+	wordexp_t wexp; // for file based config
 
 	enum log_target debug_target;
 	char debug_logfile[PATH_MAX];
diff --git a/tpws/helpers.c b/tpws/helpers.c
index 7423009..481c69f 100644
--- a/tpws/helpers.c
+++ b/tpws/helpers.c
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 #include <ifaddrs.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
-#include <wordexp.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
 
 void rtrim(char *s)
 {
@@ -420,48 +418,3 @@ bool parse_cidr6(char *s, struct cidr6 *cidr)
 	if (p) *p=d; // restore char
 	return b;
 }
-
-
-void free_command_line(char **argv, int argc)
-{
-	int i;
-	if (argv)
-	{
-		for (i = 0; i < argc; i++)
-			if (argv[i]) free(argv[i]);
-		free(argv);
-	}
-}
-
-char **split_command_line(const char *cmdline, int *argc)
-{
-	int i;
-	char **argv = NULL;
-	wordexp_t p;
-
-	*argc=0;
-
-	// Note! This expands shell variables.
-	if (!cmdline || wordexp(cmdline, &p, WRDE_NOCMD))
-		return NULL;
-
-	if (!(argv = malloc(p.we_wordc * sizeof(char *))))
-	{
-		wordfree(&p);
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
-	for (i = 0; i < p.we_wordc; i++)
-	{
-		if (!(argv[i] = strdup(p.we_wordv[i])))
-		{
-			wordfree(&p);
-			free_command_line(argv,i);
-			return NULL;
-		}
-	}
-	*argc=i;
-
-	wordfree(&p);
-	return argv;
-}
diff --git a/tpws/helpers.h b/tpws/helpers.h
index 39476b7..9d7d35c 100644
--- a/tpws/helpers.h
+++ b/tpws/helpers.h
@@ -112,6 +112,3 @@ static inline const struct in6_addr *mask_from_preflen6(uint8_t preflen)
 {
 	return ip6_mask+preflen;
 }
-
-void free_command_line(char **argv, int argc);
-char **split_command_line(const char *cmdline, int *argc);
diff --git a/tpws/params.h b/tpws/params.h
index fedace7..b34238c 100644
--- a/tpws/params.h
+++ b/tpws/params.h
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 #include <sys/param.h>
 #include <sys/queue.h>
 #include <time.h>
+#include <wordexp.h>
+
 #include "tpws.h"
 #include "pools.h"
 #include "helpers.h"
@@ -79,8 +81,7 @@ void dp_list_destroy(struct desync_profile_list_head *head);
 
 struct params_s
 {
-	char **argv; // for file based config
-	int argc;
+	wordexp_t wexp; // for file based config
 
 	int debug;
 	enum log_target debug_target;
diff --git a/tpws/tpws.c b/tpws/tpws.c
index e36199a..0bb4cf8 100644
--- a/tpws/tpws.c
+++ b/tpws/tpws.c
@@ -217,9 +217,7 @@ static void exithelp(void)
 }
 static void cleanup_args()
 {
-	free_command_line(params.argv,params.argc);
-	params.argv = NULL;
-	params.argc = 0;
+	wordfree(&params.wexp);
 }
 static void cleanup_params(void)
 {
@@ -423,14 +421,13 @@ void parse_params(int argc, char *argv[])
 		replace_char(buf,'\n',' ');
 		replace_char(buf,'\r',' ');
 		replace_char(buf,'\t',' ');
-		params.argv = split_command_line(buf,&params.argc);
-		if (!params.argv)
+		if (wordexp(buf, &params.wexp, WRDE_NOCMD))
 		{
 			DLOG_ERR("failed to split command line options from file '%s'\n",argv[1]+1);
 			exit_clean(1);
 		}
-		argv=params.argv;
-		argc=params.argc;
+		argv=params.wexp.we_wordv;
+		argc=params.wexp.we_wordc;
 	}
 	
 	const struct option long_options[] = {