diff --git a/src/main.cc b/src/main.cc
index 0c63403bd..a9b824cee 100644
--- a/src/main.cc
+++ b/src/main.cc
@@ -1102,13 +1102,14 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
                    { "debug", { ArgCompleter{}, "initial debug option value" } },
                    { "version", { {}, "display kakoune version and exit" } },
                    { "ro", { {}, "readonly mode" } },
-                   { "help", { {}, "display a help message and quit" } } }
+                   { "help", { {}, "display a help message and quit" } } },
+        ParameterDesc::Flags::WithCoord
     };
 
     try
     {
         auto show_usage = [&]() {
-            write_stdout(format("Usage: {} [options] [file]... [+<line>[:<col>]|+:]\n\n"
+            write_stdout(format("Usage: {} [options] [--] [file]... [+<line>[:<col>]|+:]\n\n"
                     "Options:\n"
                     "{}\n"
                     "Prefixing a positional argument with a plus (`+`) sign will place the\n"
@@ -1122,9 +1123,6 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
                           | transform([](auto* s) { return String{s}; })
                           | gather<Vector<String>>();
 
-        if (contains(params, "--help"_sv))
-            return show_usage();
-
         ParametersParser parser{params, param_desc};
 
         const bool show_help_message = (bool)parser.get_switch("help");
@@ -1185,32 +1183,8 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
                               parser.get_switch("i").value_or(StringView{}));
         }
 
-        Vector<StringView> files;
-        Optional<BufferCoord> init_coord;
-        for (auto& name : parser)
-        {
-            if (not name.empty() and name[0_byte] == '+')
-            {
-                if (name == "+" or name  == "+:")
-                {
-                    client_init = client_init + "; exec gj";
-                    continue;
-                }
-                auto colon = find(name, ':');
-                if (auto line = str_to_int_ifp({name.begin()+1, colon}))
-                {
-                    init_coord = std::max<BufferCoord>({0,0}, {
-                        *line - 1,
-                        colon != name.end() ?
-                            str_to_int_ifp({colon+1, name.end()}).value_or(1) - 1
-                          : 0
-                    });
-                    continue;
-                }
-            }
-
-            files.emplace_back(name);
-        }
+        auto init_coord = parser.get_coord();
+        auto files = parser | gather<Vector<StringView>>();
 
         if (auto server_session = parser.get_switch("c"))
         {
@@ -1222,14 +1196,11 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
                     return -1;
                 }
             }
+
             String new_files;
-            for (auto name : files) {
-                new_files += format("edit '{}'", escape(real_path(name), "'", '\''));
-                if (init_coord) {
-                    new_files += format(" {} {}", init_coord->line + 1, init_coord->column + 1);
-                    init_coord.reset();
-                }
-                new_files += ";";
+            for (auto file : files)
+            {
+                new_files += format("edit -- '{}'\n", escape(real_path(file), "'", '\''));
             }
 
             return run_client(*server_session, {}, new_files + client_init, init_coord, ui_type, false);
diff --git a/src/parameters_parser.cc b/src/parameters_parser.cc
index 755753239..e01dfddc1 100644
--- a/src/parameters_parser.cc
+++ b/src/parameters_parser.cc
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ ParametersParser::ParametersParser(ParameterList params, const ParameterDesc& de
     const bool switches_only_at_start = desc.flags & ParameterDesc::Flags::SwitchesOnlyAtStart;
     const bool ignore_unknown_switches = desc.flags & ParameterDesc::Flags::IgnoreUnknownSwitches;
     bool only_pos = desc.flags & ParameterDesc::Flags::SwitchesAsPositional;
+    bool with_coord = desc.flags & ParameterDesc::Flags::WithCoord;
 
     Vector<bool> switch_seen(desc.switches.size(), false);
     for (size_t i = 0; i < params.size(); ++i)
@@ -40,6 +41,25 @@ ParametersParser::ParametersParser(ParameterList params, const ParameterDesc& de
             m_state = State::Switch;
             only_pos = true;
         }
+        else if (not only_pos and with_coord and not params[i].empty() and params[i][0_byte] == '+')
+        {
+            m_state = State::Switch;
+            with_coord = false;
+            const auto coord_str = params[i].substr(1_byte);
+            const auto colon = find(coord_str, ':');
+
+            const auto line_str = StringView{coord_str.begin(), colon};
+            const LineCount line = line_str.empty() ? INT_MAX : std::max(1, str_to_int(line_str)) - 1;
+
+            ByteCount column = 0;
+            if (colon != coord_str.end())
+            {
+                const auto column_str = StringView{colon + 1, coord_str.end()};
+                column = column_str.empty() ? INT_MAX : std::max(1, str_to_int(column_str)) - 1;
+            }
+
+            m_coord = BufferCoord{line, column};
+        }
         else if (not only_pos and not params[i].empty() and params[i][0_byte] == '-')
         {
             StringView switch_name = params[i].substr(1_byte);
diff --git a/src/parameters_parser.hh b/src/parameters_parser.hh
index c11dc5012..ba32a366e 100644
--- a/src/parameters_parser.hh
+++ b/src/parameters_parser.hh
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "hash_map.hh"
 #include "meta.hh"
 #include "array_view.hh"
+#include "coord.hh"
 #include "optional.hh"
 #include "flags.hh"
 #include "string.hh"
@@ -62,7 +63,8 @@ struct ParameterDesc
         None = 0,
         SwitchesOnlyAtStart   = 0b0001,
         SwitchesAsPositional  = 0b0010,
-        IgnoreUnknownSwitches = 0b0100
+        IgnoreUnknownSwitches = 0b0100,
+        WithCoord             = 0b1000,
     };
     friend constexpr bool with_bit_ops(Meta::Type<Flags>) { return true; }
 
@@ -142,12 +144,14 @@ struct ParametersParser
     iterator end() const { return iterator(*this, m_positional_indices.size()); }
 
     State state() const { return *m_state; }
+    Optional<BufferCoord> get_coord() const { return m_coord; }
 
 private:
     ParameterList m_params;
     Vector<size_t, MemoryDomain::Commands> m_positional_indices;
     HashMap<String, StringView> m_switches;
     Optional<State> m_state;
+    Optional<BufferCoord> m_coord;
 };
 
 }