diff --git a/commands/cli/helptext.go b/commands/cli/helptext.go
index 9acc3c7d2..2563dc8e2 100644
--- a/commands/cli/helptext.go
+++ b/commands/cli/helptext.go
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ func optionText(cmd ...*cmds.Command) []string {
 				lines = append(lines, "")
 			}
 
-			names := sortByLength(opt.Names)
+			names := sortByLength(opt.Names())
 			if len(names) >= j+1 {
 				lines[i] += fmt.Sprintf(optionFlag, names[j])
 			}
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ func optionText(cmd ...*cmds.Command) []string {
 
 	// add option descriptions to output
 	for i, opt := range options {
-		lines[i] += " - " + opt.Description
+		lines[i] += " - " + opt.Description()
 	}
 
 	return lines
diff --git a/commands/command.go b/commands/command.go
index 1f15fdab4..6baddc2b5 100644
--- a/commands/command.go
+++ b/commands/command.go
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ func (c *Command) Get(path []string) (*Command, error) {
 
 // GetOptions gets the options in the given path of commands
 func (c *Command) GetOptions(path []string) (map[string]Option, error) {
-	options := make([]Option, len(c.Options))
+	options := make([]Option, 0, len(c.Options))
 
 	cmds, err := c.Resolve(path)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ func (c *Command) GetOptions(path []string) (map[string]Option, error) {
 
 	optionsMap := make(map[string]Option)
 	for _, opt := range options {
-		for _, name := range opt.Names {
+		for _, name := range opt.Names() {
 			if _, found := optionsMap[name]; found {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("Option name '%s' used multiple times", name)
 			}
diff --git a/commands/option.go b/commands/option.go
index 3252862a6..6aa5f8f00 100644
--- a/commands/option.go
+++ b/commands/option.go
@@ -17,14 +17,28 @@ const (
 )
 
 // Option is used to specify a field that will be provided by a consumer
-type Option struct {
-	Names       []string     // a list of unique names to
-	Type        reflect.Kind // value must be this type
-	Description string       // a short string to describe this option
+type Option interface {
+	Names() []string     // a list of unique names matched with user-provided flags
+	Type() reflect.Kind  // value must be this type
+	Description() string // a short string that describes this option
+}
 
-	// MAYBE_TODO: add more features(?):
-	//Default interface{} // the default value (ignored if `Required` is true)
-	//Required bool       // whether or not the option must be provided
+type option struct {
+	names       []string
+	kind        reflect.Kind
+	description string
+}
+
+func (o *option) Names() []string {
+	return o.names
+}
+
+func (o *option) Type() reflect.Kind {
+	return o.kind
+}
+
+func (o *option) Description() string {
+	return o.description
 }
 
 // constructor helper functions
@@ -37,10 +51,10 @@ func NewOption(kind reflect.Kind, names ...string) Option {
 	desc := names[len(names)-1]
 	names = names[:len(names)-1]
 
-	return Option{
-		Names:       names,
-		Type:        kind,
-		Description: desc,
+	return &option{
+		names:       names,
+		kind:        kind,
+		description: desc,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/commands/request.go b/commands/request.go
index 112e3dde0..7df966e7c 100644
--- a/commands/request.go
+++ b/commands/request.go
@@ -92,13 +92,6 @@ func (r *request) Path() []string {
 
 // Option returns the value of the option for given name.
 func (r *request) Option(name string) *OptionValue {
-	val, found := r.options[name]
-	if found {
-		return &OptionValue{val, found}
-	}
-
-	// if a value isn't defined for that name, we will try to look it up by its aliases
-
 	// find the option with the specified name
 	option, found := r.optionDefs[name]
 	if !found {
@@ -106,8 +99,8 @@ func (r *request) Option(name string) *OptionValue {
 	}
 
 	// try all the possible names, break if we find a value
-	for _, n := range option.Names {
-		val, found = r.options[n]
+	for _, n := range option.Names() {
+		val, found := r.options[n]
 		if found {
 			return &OptionValue{val, found}
 		}
@@ -135,7 +128,7 @@ func (r *request) SetOption(name string, val interface{}) {
 	}
 
 	// try all the possible names, if we already have a value then set over it
-	for _, n := range option.Names {
+	for _, n := range option.Names() {
 		_, found := r.options[n]
 		if found {
 			r.options[n] = val
@@ -222,9 +215,9 @@ func (r *request) ConvertOptions() error {
 		}
 
 		kind := reflect.TypeOf(v).Kind()
-		if kind != opt.Type {
+		if kind != opt.Type() {
 			if kind == String {
-				convert := converters[opt.Type]
+				convert := converters[opt.Type()]
 				str, ok := v.(string)
 				if !ok {
 					return u.ErrCast()
@@ -236,19 +229,19 @@ func (r *request) ConvertOptions() error {
 						value = "empty value"
 					}
 					return fmt.Errorf("Could not convert %s to type '%s' (for option '-%s')",
-						value, opt.Type.String(), k)
+						value, opt.Type().String(), k)
 				}
 				r.options[k] = val
 
 			} else {
 				return fmt.Errorf("Option '%s' should be type '%s', but got type '%s'",
-					k, opt.Type.String(), kind.String())
+					k, opt.Type().String(), kind.String())
 			}
 		} else {
 			r.options[k] = v
 		}
 
-		for _, name := range opt.Names {
+		for _, name := range opt.Names() {
 			if _, ok := r.options[name]; name != k && ok {
 				return fmt.Errorf("Duplicate command options were provided ('%s' and '%s')",
 					k, name)