diff --git a/include/villas/hook.h b/include/villas/hook.h
index e80f6a46a..407dc7e96 100644
--- a/include/villas/hook.h
+++ b/include/villas/hook.h
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@ struct hook {
 int hook_init(struct hook *h, struct hook_type *vt, struct path *p, struct node *n);
 
 int hook_parse(struct hook *h, json_t *cfg);
-int hook_parse_cli(struct hook *h, int argc, char *argv[]);
 
 int hook_destroy(struct hook *h);
 
diff --git a/include/villas/hook_type.h b/include/villas/hook_type.h
index e65afc1b2..ba369fead 100644
--- a/include/villas/hook_type.h
+++ b/include/villas/hook_type.h
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ struct hook_type {
 	size_t size;		/**< Size of allocation for struct hook::_vd */
 
 	int (*parse)(struct hook *h, json_t *cfg);
-	int (*parse_cli)(struct hook *h, int argc, char *argv[]);
 
 	int (*init)(struct hook *h);	/**< Called before path is started to parseHOOK_DESTROYs. */
 	int (*destroy)(struct hook *h);	/**< Called after path has been stopped to release memory allocated by HOOK_INIT */
diff --git a/include/villas/node.h b/include/villas/node.h
index e7e8f8fef..91dc6efda 100644
--- a/include/villas/node.h
+++ b/include/villas/node.h
@@ -91,9 +91,6 @@ int node_init(struct node *n, struct node_type *vt);
  */
 int node_parse(struct node *n, json_t *cfg, const char *name);
 
-/** Parse settings of a node from cmdline. */
-int node_parse_cli(struct node *n, int argc, char *argv[]);
-
 /** Parse an array or single node and checks if they exist in the "nodes" section.
  *
  * Examples:
diff --git a/include/villas/node_type.h b/include/villas/node_type.h
index eef5b08cb..e3387997c 100644
--- a/include/villas/node_type.h
+++ b/include/villas/node_type.h
@@ -107,9 +107,6 @@ struct node_type {
 	 */
 	int (*check)(struct node *n);
 
-	/** Parse node from command line arguments. */
-	int (*parse_cli)(struct node *n, int argc, char *argv[]);
-
 	/** Returns a string with a textual represenation of this node.
 	 *
 	 * @param n	A pointer to the node object.
diff --git a/lib/hook.c b/lib/hook.c
index bc1095827..1454ade14 100644
--- a/lib/hook.c
+++ b/lib/hook.c
@@ -84,28 +84,6 @@ int hook_parse(struct hook *h, json_t *cfg)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int hook_parse_cli(struct hook *h, int argc, char *argv[])
-{
-	int ret;
-
-	if (h->_vt->parse_cli) {
-		ret = h->_vt->parse_cli(h, argc, argv);
-		if (ret)
-			return ret;
-
-		h->state = STATE_PARSED;
-	}
-	else {
-		h->cfg = json_load_cli(argc, argv);
-		if (!h->cfg)
-			return -1;
-
-		ret = hook_parse(h, h->cfg);
-	}
-
-	return ret;
-}
-
 int hook_destroy(struct hook *h)
 {
 	int ret;
diff --git a/lib/node.c b/lib/node.c
index fbf9903c0..811c09782 100644
--- a/lib/node.c
+++ b/lib/node.c
@@ -270,32 +270,6 @@ int node_parse(struct node *n, json_t *json, const char *name)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int node_parse_cli(struct node *n, int argc, char *argv[])
-{
-	int ret;
-
-	assert(node_type(n));
-
-	if (node_type(n)->parse_cli) {
-		n->name = strdup("cli");
-
-		ret = node_type(n)->parse_cli(n, argc, argv);
-		if (ret)
-			return ret;
-
-		n->state = STATE_PARSED;
-	}
-	else {
-		n->cfg = json_load_cli(argc, argv);
-		if (!n->cfg)
-			return -1;
-
-		ret = node_parse(n, n->cfg, "cli");
-	}
-
-	return ret;
-}
-
 int node_check(struct node *n)
 {
 	int ret;
diff --git a/lib/nodes/signal_generator.c b/lib/nodes/signal_generator.c
index 0256fd8c7..d40564e69 100644
--- a/lib/nodes/signal_generator.c
+++ b/lib/nodes/signal_generator.c
@@ -100,82 +100,6 @@ int signal_generator_parse(struct node *n, json_t *cfg)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int signal_generator_parse_cli(struct node *n, int argc, char *argv[])
-{
-	char *type;
-
-	struct signal_generator *s = (struct signal_generator *) n->_vd;
-
-	/* Default values */
-	s->rate = 10;
-	s->frequency = 1;
-	s->amplitude = 1;
-	s->stddev = 0.02;
-	s->type = SIGNAL_GENERATOR_TYPE_MIXED;
-	s->rt = 1;
-	s->values = 1;
-	s->limit = -1;
-	s->offset = 0;
-	s->monitor_missed = 1;
-
-	/* Parse optional command line arguments */
-	char c, *endptr;
-	while ((c = getopt(argc, argv, "v:r:f:l:a:D:no:m")) != -1) {
-		switch (c) {
-			case 'n':
-				s->rt = 0;
-				break;
-			case 'l':
-				s->limit = strtoul(optarg, &endptr, 10);
-				goto check;
-			case 'v':
-				s->values = strtoul(optarg, &endptr, 10);
-				goto check;
-			case 'r':
-				s->rate = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
-				goto check;
-			case 'o':
-				s->offset = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
-				goto check;
-			case 'f':
-				s->frequency = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
-				goto check;
-			case 'a':
-				s->amplitude = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
-				goto check;
-			case 'D':
-				s->stddev = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
-				goto check;
-			case 'm':
-				s->monitor_missed = 0;
-				goto check;
-			case '?':
-				break;
-		}
-
-		continue;
-
-check:		if (optarg == endptr)
-			warn("Failed to parse parse option argument '-%c %s'", c, optarg);
-	}
-
-	if (argc != optind + 1)
-		return -1;
-
-	type = argv[optind];
-
-	int t = signal_generator_lookup_type(type);
-	if (t == -1)
-		error("Invalid signal type: %s", type);
-
-	s->type = t;
-
-	/* We know the expected number of values. */
-	n->samplelen = s->values;
-
-	return 0;
-}
-
 int signal_generator_start(struct node *n)
 {
 	int ret;
@@ -319,15 +243,14 @@ static struct plugin p = {
 	.description = "Signal generator",
 	.type = PLUGIN_TYPE_NODE,
 	.node = {
-		.vectorize = 1,
-		.size  = sizeof(struct signal_generator),
-		.parse = signal_generator_parse,
-		.parse_cli = signal_generator_parse_cli,
-		.print = signal_generator_print,
-		.start = signal_generator_start,
-		.stop  = signal_generator_stop,
-		.read  = signal_generator_read,
-		.fd    = signal_generator_fd
+		.vectorize	= 1,
+		.size		= sizeof(struct signal_generator),
+		.parse		= signal_generator_parse,
+		.print		= signal_generator_print,
+		.start		= signal_generator_start,
+		.stop		= signal_generator_stop,
+		.read		= signal_generator_read,
+		.fd		= signal_generator_fd
 	}
 };
 
diff --git a/src/villas-signal.cpp b/src/villas-signal.cpp
index 2754d18c9..1c509d7c3 100644
--- a/src/villas-signal.cpp
+++ b/src/villas-signal.cpp
@@ -45,6 +45,84 @@ struct io io;
 struct pool q;
 struct sample *t;
 
+json_t * parse_cli(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+	/* Default values */
+	double rate = 10;
+	double frequency = 1;
+	double amplitude = 1;
+	double stddev = 0.02;
+	double offset = 0;
+	char *type;
+	int rt = 1;
+	int values = 1;
+	int limit = -1;
+
+	/* Parse optional command line arguments */
+	char c, *endptr;
+	while ((c = getopt(argc, argv, "v:r:f:l:a:D:no:")) != -1) {
+		switch (c) {
+			case 'n':
+				rt = 0;
+				break;
+
+			case 'l':
+				limit = strtoul(optarg, &endptr, 10);
+				goto check;
+
+			case 'v':
+				values = strtoul(optarg, &endptr, 10);
+				goto check;
+
+			case 'r':
+				rate = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
+				goto check;
+
+			case 'o':
+				offset = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
+				goto check;
+
+			case 'f':
+				frequency = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
+				goto check;
+
+			case 'a':
+				amplitude = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
+				goto check;
+
+			case 'D':
+				stddev = strtof(optarg, &endptr);
+				goto check;
+
+			case '?':
+				break;
+		}
+
+		continue;
+
+check:		if (optarg == endptr)
+			warn("Failed to parse parse option argument '-%c %s'", c, optarg);
+	}
+
+	if (argc != optind + 1)
+		return NULL;
+
+	type = argv[optind];
+
+	return json_pack("{ s: s, s: s, s: f, s: f, s: f, s: f, s: f, s: b, s: i, s: i }",
+		"type", "signal",
+		"signal", type,
+		"rate", rate,
+		"frequency", frequency,
+		"amplitude", amplitude,
+		"stddev", stddev,
+		"offset", offset,
+		"realtime", rt,
+		"values", values,
+		"limit", limit
+	);
+}
+
 void usage()
 {
 	std::cout << "Usage: villas-signal [OPTIONS] SIGNAL" << std::endl;
@@ -150,8 +228,13 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	ret = io_open(&io, NULL);
 	if (ret)
 		error("Failed to open output");
+	cfg = parse_cli(argc, argv);
+	if (!cfg) {
+		usage();
+		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+	}
 
-	ret = node_parse_cli(&n, argc, argv);
+	ret = node_parse(&n, cfg, "cli");
 	if (ret) {
 		usage();
 		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);