diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 26148407..ad58b066 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -224,6 +224,36 @@ $ node example.js --foo.bar
 { _: [], "foo.bar": true }
 ```
 
+_Note: as of yargs-parser@18.0.0, `dot-notation` has been split into `dot-notation` (**for CLI args**) and `config-dot-notation`_
+
+### config-dot-notation
+
+* default: `false`
+* key: `config-dot-notation`
+
+Should keys in the config file that contain `.` split into objects?
+
+example config.json:
+```json
+{
+  "foo.bar": true,
+  "parent": {
+    "foo.bar": true
+  }
+}
+```
+
+```console
+$ node example.js --config config.json
+{ _: [], "foo.bar": true, parent: { "foo.bar": true } }
+```
+
+_if enabled:_
+```console
+$ node example.js --config config.json
+{ _: [], foo: { bar: true }, parent: { foo: { bar: true } } }
+```
+
 ### parse numbers
 
 * default: `true`
diff --git a/lib/yargs-parser-types.ts b/lib/yargs-parser-types.ts
index 9e03ff2c..e1c99c55 100644
--- a/lib/yargs-parser-types.ts
+++ b/lib/yargs-parser-types.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ export interface Configuration {
   'combine-arrays': boolean;
   /** Should keys that contain `.` be treated as objects? Default is `true` */
   'dot-notation': boolean;
+  /** Should keys in the config file that contain `.` split into objects? Default is `false` */
+  'config-dot-notation': boolean;
   /** Should arguments be coerced into an array when duplicated? Default is `true` */
   'duplicate-arguments-array': boolean;
   /** Should array arguments be coerced into a single array when duplicated? Default is `true` */
diff --git a/lib/yargs-parser.ts b/lib/yargs-parser.ts
index 764ca64e..200a6cca 100644
--- a/lib/yargs-parser.ts
+++ b/lib/yargs-parser.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ export class YargsParser {
       'camel-case-expansion': true,
       'combine-arrays': false,
       'dot-notation': true,
+      'config-dot-notation': false,
       'duplicate-arguments-array': true,
       'flatten-duplicate-arrays': true,
       'greedy-arrays': true,
@@ -698,6 +699,13 @@ export class YargsParser {
         const value = config[key]
         const fullKey = prev ? prev + '.' + key : key
 
+        // shortcut the process below if the key includes `.` because `setArg()` would do
+        // additional processing with aliases and splitting the key, when we don't need to.
+        if (key.includes('.') && !configuration['config-dot-notation'] && !hasKey(argv, fullKey.split('.'))) {
+          setKey(argv, prev ? [prev, key] : [key], value)
+          return
+        }
+
         // if the value is an inner object and we have dot-notation
         // enabled, treat inner objects in config the same as
         // heavily nested dot notations (foo.bar.apple).
diff --git a/test/fixtures/config_with_dot_notation.json b/test/fixtures/config_with_dot_notation.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..59ea8013
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/config_with_dot_notation.json
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+  "a": "a",
+  "nested": {
+    "b": "b"
+  },
+  "hello.world": true,
+  "parent": {
+    "foo.bar": true
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/yargs-parser.cjs b/test/yargs-parser.cjs
index 492e3b90..d8e198eb 100644
--- a/test/yargs-parser.cjs
+++ b/test/yargs-parser.cjs
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ describe('yargs-parser', function () {
       argv.should.have.property('foo').and.deep.equal('bar')
     })
 
-    it('should load options and values from a JS file when config has .js extention', function () {
+    it('should load options and values from a JS file when config has .js extension', function () {
       const jsPath = path.resolve(__dirname, './fixtures/settings.cjs')
       const argv = parser(['--settings', jsPath, '--foo', 'bar'], {
         config: ['settings']
@@ -662,6 +662,106 @@ describe('yargs-parser', function () {
       })
     })
 
+    it('should respect cli precedence when config-dot-notation option is disabled', function () {
+      const jsonPath = path.resolve(__dirname, './fixtures/config_with_dot_notation.json')
+      const argv = parser(["--settings", jsonPath, "--nested.b", "cli"], {
+        config: ["settings"],
+        default: {
+          "hello.world": false,
+          parent: {
+            "foo.bar": false,
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      argv.should.have.property('a', 'a')
+      argv.should.have.property('nested').and.deep.equal({
+        b: 'cli'
+      })
+      argv.should.have.property('hello.world').and.equal(true)
+      argv.should.have.property('parent').and.deep.equal({
+        "foo.bar": true
+      })
+    })
+
+    it('should respect cli precedence when dot-notation and config-dot-notation option are disabled', function () {
+      const jsonPath = path.resolve(__dirname, './fixtures/config_with_dot_notation.json')
+      const argv = parser(["--settings", jsonPath, "--hello.world", "cli", "--parent.foo.bar", "cli"], {
+        config: ["settings"],
+        default: {
+          "hello.world": false,
+          parent: {
+            "foo.bar": false,
+          },
+        },
+        configuration: {
+          'dot-notation': false,
+        }
+      });
+
+      argv.should.have.property('a', 'a')
+      argv.should.have.property('nested').and.deep.equal({
+        b: 'b'
+      })
+      argv.should.have.property('hello.world').and.equal('cli')
+      argv.should.have.property('parent').and.deep.equal({
+        "foo.bar": true
+      })
+    })
+
+    it('should split into objects when config-dot-notation is enabled', function () {
+      const jsonPath = path.resolve(__dirname, './fixtures/config_with_dot_notation.json')
+      const argv = parser(["--settings", jsonPath], {
+        config: ["settings"],
+        default: {
+          "hello.world": false,
+          parent: {
+            "foo.bar": false,
+          },
+        },
+        configuration: {
+          "config-dot-notation": true,
+        }
+      });
+
+      argv.should.have.property('a', 'a')
+      argv.should.have.property('nested').and.deep.equal({
+        b: 'b'
+      })
+      argv.should.have.property('hello').and.deep.equal({
+        "world": true,
+      })
+      argv.should.have.property('parent').and.deep.equal({
+        "foo": { "bar": true }
+      })
+    })
+
+    it('should disable config-dot-notation when dot-notation is disabled', function () {
+      const jsonPath = path.resolve(__dirname, './fixtures/config_with_dot_notation.json')
+      const argv = parser(["--settings", jsonPath], {
+        config: ["settings"],
+        default: {
+          "hello.world": false,
+          parent: {
+            "foo.bar": false,
+          },
+        },
+        configuration: {
+          "config-dot-notation": true,
+          "dot-notation": false,
+        }
+      });
+
+      argv.should.have.property('a', 'a')
+      argv.should.have.property('nested').and.deep.equal({
+        b: 'b'
+      })
+      argv.should.have.property('hello.world').and.equal(true)
+      argv.should.have.property('parent').and.deep.equal({
+        "foo.bar": true
+      })
+    })
+
     it('allows a custom parsing function to be provided', function () {
       const jsPath = path.resolve(__dirname, './fixtures/config.txt')
       const argv = parser(['--settings', jsPath, '--foo', 'bar'], {