diff --git a/bin/cli.js b/bin/cli.js
index fa2e161ba6..ac850f96e4 100755
--- a/bin/cli.js
+++ b/bin/cli.js
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ const {
   exit,
   success,
   checkLocalModule,
+  checkConfigurationOptions,
   getMigrationExtension,
   getSeedExtension,
   getStubPath,
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ async function openKnexfile(configPath) {
   return config;
 }
 
-async function initKnex(env, opts, noClientOverride) {
+async function initKnex(env, opts, useDefaultClientIfNotSpecified) {
   checkLocalModule(env);
   if (process.cwd() !== env.cwd) {
     process.chdir(env.cwd);
@@ -52,29 +53,35 @@ async function initKnex(env, opts, noClientOverride) {
     );
   }
 
+  if (!useDefaultClientIfNotSpecified) {
+    checkConfigurationOptions(env, opts);
+  }
+
   env.configuration = env.configPath
     ? await openKnexfile(env.configPath)
-    : mkConfigObj(opts, noClientOverride);
+    : mkConfigObj(opts);
 
-  let resolvedConfig = resolveEnvironmentConfig(
+  const resolvedConfig = resolveEnvironmentConfig(
     opts,
     env.configuration,
     env.configPath
   );
 
-  // In the other case, config is already override in mkConfigObj.
-  if (env.configPath) {
-    const optionsConfig = parseConfigObj(opts, noClientOverride);
-    resolvedConfig = merge(resolvedConfig, optionsConfig);
-  }
+  const optionsConfig = parseConfigObj(opts);
+  const config = merge(resolvedConfig, optionsConfig);
 
   // Migrations directory gets defaulted if it is undefined.
-  if (!env.configPath && !resolvedConfig.migrations.directory) {
-    resolvedConfig.migrations.directory = null;
+  if (!env.configPath && !config.migrations.directory) {
+    config.migrations.directory = null;
+  }
+
+  // Client gets defaulted if undefined and it's allowed
+  if (useDefaultClientIfNotSpecified && config.client === undefined) {
+    config.client = 'sqlite3';
   }
 
   const knex = require(env.modulePath);
-  return knex(resolvedConfig);
+  return knex(config);
 }
 
 function invoke() {
@@ -210,8 +217,7 @@ function invoke() {
     )
     .action(async (name) => {
       const opts = commander.opts();
-      opts.client = opts.client || 'sqlite3'; // We don't really care about client when creating migrations
-      const instance = await initKnex(env, opts, true);
+      const instance = await initKnex(env, opts, true);  // Skip config check, we don't really care about client when creating migrations
       const ext = getMigrationExtension(env, opts);
       const configOverrides = { extension: ext };
 
@@ -377,8 +383,7 @@ function invoke() {
     )
     .action(async (name) => {
       const opts = commander.opts();
-      opts.client = opts.client || 'sqlite3'; // We don't really care about client when creating seeds
-      const instance = await initKnex(env, opts);
+      const instance = await initKnex(env, opts, true); // Skip config check, we don't really care about client when creating seeds
       const ext = getSeedExtension(env, opts);
       const configOverrides = { extension: ext };
       const stub = getStubPath('seeds', env, opts);
diff --git a/bin/utils/cli-config-utils.js b/bin/utils/cli-config-utils.js
index 9e31d39818..32f891ec0d 100644
--- a/bin/utils/cli-config-utils.js
+++ b/bin/utils/cli-config-utils.js
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ const tildify = require('tildify');
 const color = require('colorette');
 const argv = require('getopts')(process.argv.slice(2));
 
-function parseConfigObj(opts, noClientOverride) {
+function parseConfigObj(opts) {
   const config = { migrations: {} };
 
-  if (opts.client && (!noClientOverride || !config.client)) {
+  if (opts.client) {
     config.client = opts.client;
   }
 
@@ -28,17 +28,11 @@ function parseConfigObj(opts, noClientOverride) {
   return config;
 }
 
-function mkConfigObj(opts, noClientOverride) {
-  if (!opts.client) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `No configuration file found and no commandline connection parameters passed`
-    );
-  }
-
+function mkConfigObj(opts) {
   const envName = opts.env || process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development';
   const resolvedClientName = resolveClientNameWithAliases(opts.client);
   const useNullAsDefault = resolvedClientName === 'sqlite3';
-  const parsedConfig = parseConfigObj(opts, noClientOverride);
+  const parsedConfig = parseConfigObj(opts);
 
   return {
     ext: DEFAULT_EXT,
@@ -105,6 +99,14 @@ function checkLocalModule(env) {
   }
 }
 
+function checkConfigurationOptions(env, opts) {
+  if (!env.configPath && !opts.client) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `No configuration file found and no commandline connection parameters passed`
+    );
+  }
+}
+
 function getMigrationExtension(env, opts) {
   const config = resolveEnvironmentConfig(
     opts,
@@ -199,6 +201,7 @@ module.exports = {
   exit,
   success,
   checkLocalModule,
+  checkConfigurationOptions,
   getSeedExtension,
   getMigrationExtension,
   getStubPath,