diff --git a/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.cpp b/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.cpp
index 92d963008..f7039e188 100644
--- a/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.cpp
+++ b/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.cpp
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@
 
 #include <mgba/feature/commandline.h>
 
+static const mOption s_frontendOptions[] = {
+	{ "ecard", true, '\0' },
+	{ 0 }
+};
+
 using namespace QGBA;
 
 ConfigOption::ConfigOption(const QString& name, QObject* parent)
@@ -129,24 +134,27 @@ ConfigController::ConfigController(QObject* parent)
 	mSubParserGraphicsInit(&m_subparsers[0], &m_graphicsOpts);
 
 	m_subparsers[1].usage = "Frontend options:\n"
-	    "  --ecard FILENAME  Scan an e-Reader card in the first loaded game\n"
-	    "                    Can be paassed multiple times for multiple cards";
+	    "  --ecard FILE  Scan an e-Reader card in the first loaded game\n"
+	    "                Can be paassed multiple times for multiple cards\n"
 	m_subparsers[1].parse = nullptr;
 	m_subparsers[1].parseLong = [](struct mSubParser* parser, const char* option, const char* arg) {
-		if (option == QLatin1String("ecard")) {
-			QStringList* eCards = static_cast<QStringList*>(parser->opts);
-			eCards->append(QString::fromUtf8(arg));
+		ConfigController* self = static_cast<ConfigController*>(parser->opts);
+		QString optionName(QString::fromUtf8(option));
+		if (optionName == QLatin1String("ecard")) {
+			QStringList ecards;
+			if (self->m_argvOptions.contains(optionName)) {
+				ecards = self->m_argvOptions[optionName].toStringList();
+			}
+			ecards.append(QString::fromUtf8(arg));
+			self->m_argvOptions[optionName] = ecards;
 			return true;
 		}
 		return false;
 	};
 	m_subparsers[1].apply = nullptr;
 	m_subparsers[1].extraOptions = nullptr;
-	m_subparsers[1].longOptions = (const mOption[]) {
-		{ "ecard", true, '\0' },
-		{ 0 }
-	};
-	m_subparsers[1].opts = &m_eCards;
+	m_subparsers[1].longOptions = s_frontendOptions;
+	m_subparsers[1].opts = this;
 }
 
 ConfigController::~ConfigController() {
@@ -223,6 +231,14 @@ QVariant ConfigController::getQtOption(const QString& key, const QString& group)
 	return value;
 }
 
+QVariant ConfigController::getArgvOption(const QString& key) const {
+	return m_argvOptions.value(key);
+}
+
+QVariant ConfigController::takeArgvOption(const QString& key) {
+		return m_argvOptions.take(key);
+}
+
 void ConfigController::saveOverride(const Override& override) {
 	override.save(overrides());
 	write();
@@ -334,10 +350,6 @@ void ConfigController::usage(const char* arg0) const {
 	::usage(arg0, nullptr, nullptr, m_subparsers.data(), m_subparsers.size());
 }
 
-QStringList ConfigController::takeECardList() {
-	return QStringList(std::move(m_eCards));
-}
-
 bool ConfigController::isPortable() {
 	return mCoreConfigIsPortable();
 }
diff --git a/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.h b/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.h
index 13a638f59..57fbda9c5 100644
--- a/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.h
+++ b/src/platform/qt/ConfigController.h
@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@ public:
 
 	QVariant getQtOption(const QString& key, const QString& group = QString()) const;
 
+	QVariant getArgvOption(const QString& key) const;
+	QVariant takeArgvOption(const QString& key);
+
 	QList<QString> getMRU() const;
 	void setMRU(const QList<QString>& mru);
 
@@ -96,8 +99,6 @@ public:
 	const mGraphicsOpts* graphicsOpts() const { return &m_graphicsOpts; }
 	void usage(const char* arg0) const;
 
-	QStringList takeECardList();
-
 	static const QString& configDir();
 	static bool isPortable();
 
@@ -113,6 +114,8 @@ public slots:
 	void write();
 
 private:
+	void addArgvOption(const QString& key, const QVariant& value);
+
 	Configuration* defaults() { return &m_config.defaultsTable; }
 
 	mCoreConfig m_config;
@@ -121,8 +124,8 @@ private:
 	mGraphicsOpts m_graphicsOpts{};
 	std::array<mSubParser, 2> m_subparsers;
 	bool m_parsed = false;
-	QStringList m_eCards;
-
+	
+	QHash<QString, QVariant> m_argvOptions;
 	QHash<QString, ConfigOption*> m_optionSet;
 	std::unique_ptr<QSettings> m_settings;
 	static QString s_configDir;
diff --git a/src/platform/qt/CoreController.cpp b/src/platform/qt/CoreController.cpp
index f4ff03d16..5433054f3 100644
--- a/src/platform/qt/CoreController.cpp
+++ b/src/platform/qt/CoreController.cpp
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ void CoreController::scanCard(const QString& path) {
 				break;
 			}
 			QString filepath(QString::fromUtf8(line));
-			if (filepath[0] == QChar('#')) {
+			if (filepath.isEmpty() || filepath[0] == QChar('#')) {
 				continue;
 			}
 			if (QFileInfo(filepath).isRelative()) {
diff --git a/src/platform/qt/Window.cpp b/src/platform/qt/Window.cpp
index cfcb93599..8c69efc4f 100644
--- a/src/platform/qt/Window.cpp
+++ b/src/platform/qt/Window.cpp
@@ -931,7 +931,10 @@ void Window::gameStarted() {
 
 #ifdef M_CORE_GBA
 	if (m_controller->platform() == mPLATFORM_GBA) {
-		m_controller->scanCards(m_config->takeECardList());
+		QVariant eCardList = m_config->takeArgvOption(QString("ecard"));
+		if (eCardList.canConvert(QMetaType::QStringList)) {
+			m_controller->scanCards(eCardList.toStringList());
+		}
 	}
 #endif