diff --git a/capa/features/freeze.py b/capa/features/freeze.py
index fd7c7268..bf97d0d2 100644
--- a/capa/features/freeze.py
+++ b/capa/features/freeze.py
@@ -255,25 +255,9 @@ def main(argv=None):
     args = parser.parse_args(args=argv)
     capa.main.handle_common_args(args)
 
-    if args.signatures == capa.main.SIGNATURES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        logger.debug(" Using default embedded signatures.")
-        logger.debug(
-            " To provide your own signatures, use the form `capa.exe --signature ./path/to/signatures/  /path/to/mal.exe`."
-        )
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        sigs_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "sigs"))
-    else:
-        sigs_path = args.signatures
-        logger.debug("using signatures path: %s", sigs_path)
+    sigpaths = capa.main.get_signatures(args.signatures)
 
-    try:
-        sig_paths = capa.main.get_signatures(sigs_path)
-    except (IOError) as e:
-        logger.error("%s", str(e))
-        return -1
-
-    extractor = capa.main.get_extractor(args.sample, args.format, args.backend, sigpaths=sig_paths)
+    extractor = capa.main.get_extractor(args.sample, args.format, args.backend, sigpaths=sigpaths)
     with open(args.output, "wb") as f:
         f.write(dump(extractor))
 
diff --git a/capa/main.py b/capa/main.py
index 9dce00bb..dddb211f 100644
--- a/capa/main.py
+++ b/capa/main.py
@@ -668,6 +668,9 @@ def handle_common_args(args):
     """
     handle the global config specified by `install_common_args`,
     such as configuring logging/coloring/etc.
+    the following fields will be overwritten when present:
+      - rules: file system path to rule files.
+      - signatures: file system path to signature files.
 
     args:
       args (argparse.Namespace): parsed arguments that included at least `install_common_args` args.
@@ -705,6 +708,61 @@ def handle_common_args(args):
     else:
         raise RuntimeError("unexpected --color value: " + args.color)
 
+    if hasattr(args, "rules"):
+        if args.rules == RULES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
+            logger.debug("-" * 80)
+            logger.debug(" Using default embedded rules.")
+            logger.debug(" To provide your own rules, use the form `capa.exe -r ./path/to/rules/  /path/to/mal.exe`.")
+            logger.debug(" You can see the current default rule set here:")
+            logger.debug("     https://github.com/fireeye/capa-rules")
+            logger.debug("-" * 80)
+
+            if hasattr(sys, "frozen") and hasattr(sys, "_MEIPASS"):
+                logger.debug("detected running under PyInstaller")
+                rules_path = os.path.join(sys._MEIPASS, "rules")
+                logger.debug("default rule path (PyInstaller method): %s", rules_path)
+            else:
+                logger.debug("detected running from source")
+                rules_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "rules"))
+                logger.debug("default rule path (source method): %s", rules_path)
+
+            if not os.path.exists(rules_path):
+                # when a users installs capa via pip,
+                # this pulls down just the source code - not the default rules.
+                # i'm not sure the default rules should even be written to the library directory,
+                # so in this case, we require the user to use -r to specify the rule directory.
+                logger.error("default embedded rules not found! (maybe you installed capa as a library?)")
+                logger.error("provide your own rule set via the `-r` option.")
+                return -1
+        else:
+            rules_path = args.rules
+            logger.debug("using rules path: %s", rules_path)
+
+        args.rules = rules_path
+
+    if hasattr(args, "signatures"):
+        if args.signatures == SIGNATURES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
+            logger.debug("-" * 80)
+            logger.debug(" Using default embedded signatures.")
+            logger.debug(
+                " To provide your own signatures, use the form `capa.exe --signature ./path/to/signatures/  /path/to/mal.exe`."
+            )
+            logger.debug("-" * 80)
+
+            if hasattr(sys, "frozen") and hasattr(sys, "_MEIPASS"):
+                logger.debug("detected running under PyInstaller")
+                sigs_path = os.path.join(sys._MEIPASS, "sigs")
+                logger.debug("default signatures path (PyInstaller method): %s", sigs_path)
+            else:
+                logger.debug("detected running from source")
+                sigs_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "sigs"))
+                logger.debug("default signatures path (source method): %s", sigs_path)
+        else:
+            sigs_path = args.signatures
+            logger.debug("using signatures path: %s", sigs_path)
+
+        args.signatures = sigs_path
+
 
 def main(argv=None):
     if sys.version_info < (3, 6):
@@ -758,37 +816,8 @@ def main(argv=None):
         logger.error("%s", e.args[0])
         return -1
 
-    if args.rules == RULES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        logger.debug(" Using default embedded rules.")
-        logger.debug(" To provide your own rules, use the form `capa.exe -r ./path/to/rules/  /path/to/mal.exe`.")
-        logger.debug(" You can see the current default rule set here:")
-        logger.debug("     https://github.com/fireeye/capa-rules")
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-
-        if hasattr(sys, "frozen") and hasattr(sys, "_MEIPASS"):
-            logger.debug("detected running under PyInstaller")
-            rules_path = os.path.join(sys._MEIPASS, "rules")
-            logger.debug("default rule path (PyInstaller method): %s", rules_path)
-        else:
-            logger.debug("detected running from source")
-            rules_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "rules"))
-            logger.debug("default rule path (source method): %s", rules_path)
-
-        if not os.path.exists(rules_path):
-            # when a users installs capa via pip,
-            # this pulls down just the source code - not the default rules.
-            # i'm not sure the default rules should even be written to the library directory,
-            # so in this case, we require the user to use -r to specify the rule directory.
-            logger.error("default embedded rules not found! (maybe you installed capa as a library?)")
-            logger.error("provide your own rule set via the `-r` option.")
-            return -1
-    else:
-        rules_path = args.rules
-        logger.debug("using rules path: %s", rules_path)
-
     try:
-        rules = get_rules(rules_path, disable_progress=args.quiet)
+        rules = get_rules(args.rules, disable_progress=args.quiet)
         rules = capa.rules.RuleSet(rules)
         logger.debug(
             "successfully loaded %s rules",
@@ -824,28 +853,8 @@ def main(argv=None):
                 logger.debug("file limitation short circuit, won't analyze fully.")
                 return -1
 
-    if args.signatures == SIGNATURES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        logger.debug(" Using default embedded signatures.")
-        logger.debug(
-            " To provide your own signatures, use the form `capa.exe --signature ./path/to/signatures/  /path/to/mal.exe`."
-        )
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-
-        if hasattr(sys, "frozen") and hasattr(sys, "_MEIPASS"):
-            logger.debug("detected running under PyInstaller")
-            sigs_path = os.path.join(sys._MEIPASS, "sigs")
-            logger.debug("default signatures path (PyInstaller method): %s", sigs_path)
-        else:
-            logger.debug("detected running from source")
-            sigs_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "sigs"))
-            logger.debug("default signatures path (source method): %s", sigs_path)
-    else:
-        sigs_path = args.signatures
-        logger.debug("using signatures path: %s", sigs_path)
-
     try:
-        sig_paths = get_signatures(sigs_path)
+        sig_paths = get_signatures(args.signatures)
     except (IOError) as e:
         logger.error("%s", str(e))
         return -1
diff --git a/scripts/bulk-process.py b/scripts/bulk-process.py
index cdc5e933..88def2c9 100644
--- a/scripts/bulk-process.py
+++ b/scripts/bulk-process.py
@@ -151,14 +151,6 @@ def main(argv=None):
         args = parser.parse_args(args=argv)
         capa.main.handle_common_args(args)
 
-        if args.rules == "(embedded rules)":
-            logger.info("using default embedded rules")
-            logger.debug("detected running from source")
-            args.rules = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "rules")
-            logger.debug("default rule path (source method): %s", args.rules)
-        else:
-            logger.info("using rules path: %s", args.rules)
-
         try:
             rules = capa.main.get_rules(args.rules)
             rules = capa.rules.RuleSet(rules)
@@ -167,15 +159,8 @@ def main(argv=None):
             logger.error("%s", str(e))
             return -1
 
-        if args.signatures == capa.main.SIGNATURES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
-            logger.debug("using default embedded signatures.")
-            sigs_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "sigs"))
-        else:
-            sigs_path = args.signatures
-            logger.debug("using signatures path: %s", sigs_path)
-
         try:
-            sig_paths = capa.main.get_signatures(sigs_path)
+            sig_paths = capa.main.get_signatures(args.signatures)
         except (IOError) as e:
             logger.error("%s", str(e))
             return -1
diff --git a/scripts/show-capabilities-by-function.py b/scripts/show-capabilities-by-function.py
index 8651b16a..affba3e3 100644
--- a/scripts/show-capabilities-by-function.py
+++ b/scripts/show-capabilities-by-function.py
@@ -121,20 +121,6 @@ def main(argv=None):
         logger.error("%s", str(e))
         return -1
 
-    if args.rules == capa.main.RULES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
-        logger.info("-" * 80)
-        logger.info(" Using default embedded rules.")
-        logger.info(" To provide your own rules, use the form `capa.exe -r ./path/to/rules/  /path/to/mal.exe`.")
-        logger.info(" You can see the current default rule set here:")
-        logger.info("     https://github.com/fireeye/capa-rules")
-        logger.info("-" * 80)
-
-        logger.debug("detected running from source")
-        args.rules = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "rules"))
-        logger.debug("default rule path (source method): %s", args.rules)
-    else:
-        logger.info("using rules path: %s", args.rules)
-
     try:
         rules = capa.main.get_rules(args.rules)
         rules = capa.rules.RuleSet(rules)
@@ -146,20 +132,8 @@ def main(argv=None):
         logger.error("%s", str(e))
         return -1
 
-    if args.signatures == capa.main.SIGNATURES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        logger.debug(" Using default embedded signatures.")
-        logger.debug(
-            " To provide your own signatures, use the form `capa.exe --signature ./path/to/signatures/  /path/to/mal.exe`."
-        )
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        sigs_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "sigs"))
-    else:
-        sigs_path = args.signatures
-        logger.debug("using signatures path: %s", sigs_path)
-
     try:
-        sig_paths = capa.main.get_signatures(sigs_path)
+        sig_paths = capa.main.get_signatures(args.signatures)
     except (IOError) as e:
         logger.error("%s", str(e))
         return -1
diff --git a/scripts/show-features.py b/scripts/show-features.py
index 264d9bd3..78d3b370 100644
--- a/scripts/show-features.py
+++ b/scripts/show-features.py
@@ -96,20 +96,8 @@ def main(argv=None):
         logger.error("%s", str(e))
         return -1
 
-    if args.signatures == capa.main.SIGNATURES_PATH_DEFAULT_STRING:
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        logger.debug(" Using default embedded signatures.")
-        logger.debug(
-            " To provide your own signatures, use the form `capa.exe --signature ./path/to/signatures/  /path/to/mal.exe`."
-        )
-        logger.debug("-" * 80)
-        sigs_path = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "sigs"))
-    else:
-        sigs_path = args.signatures
-        logger.debug("using signatures path: %s", sigs_path)
-
     try:
-        sig_paths = capa.main.get_signatures(sigs_path)
+        sig_paths = capa.main.get_signatures(args.signatures)
     except (IOError) as e:
         logger.error("%s", str(e))
         return -1