diff --git a/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube.go b/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube.go
index e8ddbb6b81..ba47aea41c 100644
--- a/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube.go
+++ b/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube.go
@@ -123,8 +123,8 @@ func (hk *HyperKube) Run(args []string) error {
 	command := args[0]
 	baseCommand := path.Base(command)
 	serverName := baseCommand
+	args = args[1:]
 	if serverName == hk.Name {
-		args = args[1:]
 
 		baseFlags := hk.Flags()
 		baseFlags.SetInterspersed(false) // Only parse flags up to the next real command
diff --git a/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube_test.go b/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube_test.go
index 26cd6335e3..bb2f6b4801 100644
--- a/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube_test.go
+++ b/cmd/hyperkube/hyperkube_test.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
@@ -54,6 +55,55 @@ func testServerError(n string) *Server {
 	}
 }
 
+const defaultCobraMessage = "default message from cobra command"
+const defaultCobraSubMessage = "default sub-message from cobra command"
+const cobraMessageDesc = "message to print"
+const cobraSubMessageDesc = "sub-message to print"
+
+func testCobraCommand(n string) *Server {
+
+	var cobraServer *Server
+	var msg string
+	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   n,
+		Long:  n,
+		Short: n,
+		Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+			cobraServer.hk.Printf("msg: %s\n", msg)
+		},
+	}
+	cmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&msg, "msg", defaultCobraMessage, cobraMessageDesc)
+
+	var subMsg string
+	subCmdName := "subcommand"
+	subCmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   subCmdName,
+		Long:  subCmdName,
+		Short: subCmdName,
+		Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+			cobraServer.hk.Printf("submsg: %s", subMsg)
+		},
+	}
+	subCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&subMsg, "submsg", defaultCobraSubMessage, cobraSubMessageDesc)
+
+	cmd.AddCommand(subCmd)
+
+	localFlags := cmd.LocalFlags()
+	localFlags.SetInterspersed(false)
+	s := &Server{
+		SimpleUsage: n,
+		Long:        fmt.Sprintf("A server named %s which uses a cobra command", n),
+		Run: func(s *Server, args []string) error {
+			cobraServer = s
+			cmd.SetOutput(s.hk.Out())
+			cmd.SetArgs(args)
+			return cmd.Execute()
+		},
+		flags: localFlags,
+	}
+
+	return s
+}
 func runFull(t *testing.T, args string) *result {
 	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
 	hk := HyperKube{
@@ -66,6 +116,7 @@ func runFull(t *testing.T, args string) *result {
 	hk.AddServer(testServer("test2"))
 	hk.AddServer(testServer("test3"))
 	hk.AddServer(testServerError("test-error"))
+	hk.AddServer(testCobraCommand("test-cobra-command"))
 
 	a := strings.Split(args, " ")
 	t.Logf("Running full with args: %q", a)
@@ -143,3 +194,32 @@ func TestServerError(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Contains(t, x.output, "test-error Run")
 	assert.EqualError(t, x.err, "Server returning error")
 }
+
+func TestCobraCommandHelp(t *testing.T) {
+	x := runFull(t, "hyperkube test-cobra-command --help")
+	assert.NoError(t, x.err)
+	assert.Contains(t, x.output, "A server named test-cobra-command which uses a cobra command")
+	assert.Contains(t, x.output, cobraMessageDesc)
+}
+func TestCobraCommandDefaultMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	x := runFull(t, "hyperkube test-cobra-command")
+	assert.Contains(t, x.output, fmt.Sprintf("msg: %s", defaultCobraMessage))
+}
+func TestCobraCommandMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	x := runFull(t, "hyperkube test-cobra-command --msg foobar")
+	assert.Contains(t, x.output, "msg: foobar")
+}
+
+func TestCobraSubCommandHelp(t *testing.T) {
+	x := runFull(t, "hyperkube test-cobra-command subcommand --help")
+	assert.NoError(t, x.err)
+	assert.Contains(t, x.output, cobraSubMessageDesc)
+}
+func TestCobraSubCommandDefaultMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	x := runFull(t, "hyperkube test-cobra-command subcommand")
+	assert.Contains(t, x.output, fmt.Sprintf("submsg: %s", defaultCobraSubMessage))
+}
+func TestCobraSubCommandMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	x := runFull(t, "hyperkube test-cobra-command subcommand --submsg foobar")
+	assert.Contains(t, x.output, "submsg: foobar")
+}
diff --git a/cmd/hyperkube/kubectl.go b/cmd/hyperkube/kubectl.go
index 9da15cf73c..424a472f0f 100644
--- a/cmd/hyperkube/kubectl.go
+++ b/cmd/hyperkube/kubectl.go
@@ -19,21 +19,23 @@ package main
 import (
 	"os"
 
-	"k8s.io/kubernetes/cmd/kubectl/app"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubectl/cmd"
+	cmdutil "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubectl/cmd/util"
 )
 
 func NewKubectlServer() *Server {
+	cmd := cmd.NewKubectlCommand(cmdutil.NewFactory(nil), os.Stdin, os.Stdout, os.Stderr)
+	localFlags := cmd.LocalFlags()
+	localFlags.SetInterspersed(false)
+
 	return &Server{
 		name:        "kubectl",
 		SimpleUsage: "Kubernetes command line client",
 		Long:        "Kubernetes command line client",
 		Run: func(s *Server, args []string) error {
-			os.Args = os.Args[1:]
-			if err := app.Run(); err != nil {
-				os.Exit(1)
-			}
-			os.Exit(0)
-			return nil
+			cmd.SetArgs(args)
+			return cmd.Execute()
 		},
+		flags: localFlags,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/kubectl/app/kubectl.go b/cmd/kubectl/app/kubectl.go
index 5c25410d9e..e7beaf6443 100644
--- a/cmd/kubectl/app/kubectl.go
+++ b/cmd/kubectl/app/kubectl.go
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ import (
 	cmdutil "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubectl/cmd/util"
 )
 
+/*
+WARNING: this logic is duplicated, with minor changes, in cmd/hyperkube/kubectl.go
+Any salient changes here will need to be manually reflected in that file.
+*/
 func Run() error {
 	cmd := cmd.NewKubectlCommand(cmdutil.NewFactory(nil), os.Stdin, os.Stdout, os.Stderr)
 	return cmd.Execute()