diff --git a/lib/cli.py b/lib/cli.py
index dbea1d7a6e2c28b1253407ad109c64559bfdf64f..5898d06a89f947b9bb9396b1b575b1d1d5a7196c 100644
--- a/lib/cli.py
+++ b/lib/cli.py
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ from optparse import (OptionParser, TitledHelpFormatter,
 
 __all__ = [
   # Command line options
+  "BACKEND_OPT",
   "CONFIRM_OPT",
   "DEBUG_OPT",
   "DEBUG_SIMERR_OPT",
@@ -511,6 +512,10 @@ OS_OPT = cli_option("-o", "--os-type", dest="os", help="What OS to run",
                     metavar="<os>",
                     completion_suggest=OPT_COMPL_ONE_OS)
 
+BACKEND_OPT = cli_option("-B", "--backend-parameters", dest="beparams",
+                         type="keyval", default={},
+                         help="Backend parameters")
+
 
 def _ParseArgs(argv, commands, aliases):
   """Parser for the command line arguments.
diff --git a/scripts/gnt-backup b/scripts/gnt-backup
index 8985c8a7f4b710fa487e568ed47105c8bebcf8a7..0e404fa37249429eb2dc970508bf3df5c1fa6a3a 100755
--- a/scripts/gnt-backup
+++ b/scripts/gnt-backup
@@ -215,9 +215,7 @@ import_opts = [
              help="Target node and optional secondary node",
              metavar="<pnode>[:<snode>]",
              completion_suggest=OPT_COMPL_INST_ADD_NODES),
-  cli_option("-B", "--backend", dest="beparams",
-             type="keyval", default={},
-             help="Backend parameters"),
+  BACKEND_OPT,
   DISK_TEMPLATE_OPT,
   cli_option("--disk", help="Disk information",
              default=[], dest="disks",
diff --git a/scripts/gnt-cluster b/scripts/gnt-cluster
index fb34cca9aa341ce2ba5a9a42252d43242932f8a4..eeea8eebd91d40da24bd829393fe276a7a289a25 100755
--- a/scripts/gnt-cluster
+++ b/scripts/gnt-cluster
@@ -641,9 +641,7 @@ commands = {
                        default=[],
                        action="append",
                        type="identkeyval"),
-            cli_option("-B", "--backend-parameters", dest="beparams",
-                       type="keyval", default={},
-                       help="Backend parameters"),
+            BACKEND_OPT,
             cli_option("-N", "--nic-parameters", dest="nicparams",
                        type="keyval", default={},
                        help="NIC parameters"),
@@ -743,9 +741,7 @@ commands = {
                          default=[],
                          action="append",
                          type="identkeyval"),
-              cli_option("-B", "--backend-parameters", dest="beparams",
-                         type="keyval", default={},
-                         help="Backend parameters"),
+              BACKEND_OPT,
               cli_option("-N", "--nic-parameters", dest="nicparams",
                          type="keyval", default={},
                          help="NIC parameters"),
diff --git a/scripts/gnt-instance b/scripts/gnt-instance
index d1c2b31a65a25f05131fa92547f9d7d92635da2f..58a87506991a0aa14ac1a87f0b0f72d2c67fc576 100755
--- a/scripts/gnt-instance
+++ b/scripts/gnt-instance
@@ -1368,9 +1368,7 @@ add_opts = [
              metavar="<pnode>[:<snode>]",
              completion_suggest=OPT_COMPL_INST_ADD_NODES),
   OS_OPT,
-  cli_option("-B", "--backend", dest="beparams",
-             type="keyval", default={},
-             help="Backend parameters"),
+  BACKEND_OPT,
   DISK_TEMPLATE_OPT,
   cli_option("-s", "--os-size", dest="sd_size", help="Disk size for a"
              " single-disk configuration, when not using the --disk option,"
@@ -1545,9 +1543,7 @@ commands = {
               cli_option("-H", "--hypervisor", type="keyval",
                          default={}, dest="hypervisor",
                          help="Change hypervisor parameters"),
-              cli_option("-B", "--backend", type="keyval",
-                         default={}, dest="beparams",
-                         help="Change backend parameters"),
+              BACKEND_OPT,
               cli_option("--disk", help="Disk changes",
                          default=[], dest="disks",
                          action="append",
@@ -1573,9 +1569,7 @@ commands = {
                cli_option("-H", "--hypervisor", type="keyval",
                           default={}, dest="hvparams",
                           help="Temporary hypervisor parameters"),
-               cli_option("-B", "--backend", type="keyval",
-                          default={}, dest="beparams",
-                          help="Temporary backend parameters"),
+               BACKEND_OPT,
                ],
               "<instance>", "Starts an instance"),
   'reboot': (RebootInstance, [ArgInstance(min=1)],