diff --git a/bin/wrap.js b/bin/wrap.js
index 1cff275e6..4e64c2b5f 100644
--- a/bin/wrap.js
+++ b/bin/wrap.js
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@ if (process.env.NYC_PROCESSINFO_EXTERNAL_ID) {
   delete process.env.NYC_PROCESSINFO_EXTERNAL_ID
 }
 
+if (process.env.NYC_CONFIG_OVERRIDE) {
+  var override = JSON.parse(process.env.NYC_CONFIG_OVERRIDE)
+  config = Object.assign(config, override)
+  process.env.NYC_CONFIG = JSON.stringify(config)
+}
+
 ;(new NYC(config)).wrap()
 
 sw.runMain()
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test-config-override.js-TAP.test.js b/tap-snapshots/test-config-override.js-TAP.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..63ff6ff35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test-config-override.js-TAP.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/* IMPORTANT
+ * This snapshot file is auto-generated, but designed for humans.
+ * It should be checked into source control and tracked carefully.
+ * Re-generate by setting TAP_SNAPSHOT=1 and running tests.
+ * Make sure to inspect the output below.  Do not ignore changes!
+ */
+'use strict'
+exports[`test/config-override.js TAP spawn that does config overriding > stdout 1`] = `
+in parent { include: 'conf-override-root.js' }
+in child { include: 'conf-override-module.js' }
+in module { include: 'conf-override-module.js' }
+-------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|-------------------|
+File                     |  % Stmts | % Branch |  % Funcs |  % Lines | Uncovered Line #s |
+-------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|-------------------|
+All files                |    77.78 |       50 |      100 |    77.78 |                   |
+ conf-override-module.js |      100 |      100 |      100 |      100 |                   |
+ conf-override-root.js   |    71.43 |       50 |      100 |    71.43 |             22,23 |
+-------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|-------------------|
+
+`
diff --git a/test/config-override.js b/test/config-override.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3b87e1526
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/config-override.js
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+const { spawn } = require('child_process')
+const { resolve } = require('path')
+const t = require('tap')
+const node = process.execPath
+const fixturesCLI = resolve(__dirname, './fixtures/cli')
+const root = resolve(fixturesCLI, 'conf-override-root.js')
+const bin = resolve(__dirname, '../self-coverage/bin/nyc')
+const rimraf = require('rimraf').sync
+const tmp = 'conf-override-test'
+const fs = require('fs')
+const resolvedJS = resolve(fixturesCLI, 'selfspawn-fibonacci.js')
+
+rimraf(resolve(fixturesCLI, tmp))
+t.teardown(() => rimraf(resolve(fixturesCLI, tmp)))
+
+t.test('spawn that does config overriding', t => {
+  const args = [
+    bin, '-t', tmp,
+    '--exclude-after-remap=false',
+    '--include=conf-override-root.js',
+    node, 'conf-override-root.js'
+  ]
+  const proc = spawn(node, args, {
+    cwd: fixturesCLI
+  })
+  const out = []
+  const err = []
+  proc.stdout.on('data', c => out.push(c))
+  proc.stderr.on('data', c => err.push(c))
+  proc.on('close', (code, signal) => {
+    t.equal(code, 0)
+    t.equal(signal, null)
+    t.matchSnapshot(Buffer.concat(out).toString(), 'stdout')
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/test/fixtures/cli/conf-override-module.js b/test/fixtures/cli/conf-override-module.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d949d3475
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/cli/conf-override-module.js
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+const config = JSON.parse(process.env.NYC_CONFIG)
+console.log('in module', {include: config.include})
diff --git a/test/fixtures/cli/conf-override-root.js b/test/fixtures/cli/conf-override-root.js
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..a7a99f6ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/cli/conf-override-root.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+const config = JSON.parse(process.env.NYC_CONFIG)
+const { include } = config
+
+if (process.argv[2] !== 'child') {
+  console.log('in parent', { include })
+  require('child_process').spawn(process.execPath, [__filename, 'child'], {
+    cwd: __dirname,
+    env: Object.assign(
+      {},
+      process.env,
+      {
+        NYC_CONFIG_OVERRIDE: JSON.stringify({
+          include: 'conf-override-module.js'
+        })
+      }
+    ),
+    stdio: 'inherit',
+  })
+} else {
+  // this should run, but not be covered, even though the shebang says to
+  // the child run ONLY covers the child file, not the dump-root.js
+  console.log('in child', { include })
+  require('./conf-override-module.js')
+}