diff --git a/letsencrypt/cli.py b/letsencrypt/cli.py
index aa69df3c6..6655c33dd 100644
--- a/letsencrypt/cli.py
+++ b/letsencrypt/cli.py
@@ -751,8 +751,8 @@ def _set_by_cli(var):
         plugins = plugins_disco.PluginsRegistry.find_all()
         # reconstructed_args == sys.argv[1:], or whatever was passed to main()
         reconstructed_args = _parser.args + [_parser.verb]
-        default_args = prepare_and_parse_args(plugins, reconstructed_args, detect_defaults=True)
-        detector = _set_by_cli.detector = configuration.NamespaceConfig(default_args, fake=True)
+        detector = _set_by_cli.detector = prepare_and_parse_args(
+            plugins, reconstructed_args, detect_defaults=True)
         # propagate plugin requests: eg --standalone modifies config.authenticator
         auth, inst = cli_plugin_requests(detector)
         detector.namespace.authenticator = auth if auth else ""
diff --git a/letsencrypt/configuration.py b/letsencrypt/configuration.py
index 979d5e985..2bbf1b019 100644
--- a/letsencrypt/configuration.py
+++ b/letsencrypt/configuration.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class NamespaceConfig(object):
     """
     zope.interface.implements(interfaces.IConfig)
 
-    def __init__(self, namespace, fake=False):
+    def __init__(self, namespace):
         self.namespace = namespace
 
         self.namespace.config_dir = os.path.abspath(self.namespace.config_dir)
@@ -42,8 +42,7 @@ class NamespaceConfig(object):
         self.namespace.logs_dir = os.path.abspath(self.namespace.logs_dir)
 
         # Check command line parameters sanity, and error out in case of problem.
-        if not fake:
-            check_config_sanity(self)
+        check_config_sanity(self)
 
     def __getattr__(self, name):
         return getattr(self.namespace, name)