diff --git a/crates/nu-engine/src/call_ext.rs b/crates/nu-engine/src/call_ext.rs
index 641423ba5..f21821f3d 100644
--- a/crates/nu-engine/src/call_ext.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-engine/src/call_ext.rs
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ impl CallExt for Call {
         name: &str,
     ) -> Result<Option<T>, ShellError> {
         if let Some(expr) = self.get_flag_expr(name) {
-            let result = eval_expression(engine_state, stack, &expr)?;
+            let result = eval_expression(engine_state, stack, expr)?;
             FromValue::from_value(result).map(Some)
         } else {
             Ok(None)
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ impl CallExt for Call {
         name: &str,
     ) -> Result<Option<T>, ShellError> {
         if let Some(expr) = self.get_flag_expr(name) {
-            let result = eval_constant(working_set, &expr)?;
+            let result = eval_constant(working_set, expr)?;
             FromValue::from_value(result).map(Some)
         } else {
             Ok(None)
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/call.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/call.rs
index 31b0235f8..dc1c20924 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/call.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/ast/call.rs
@@ -164,10 +164,10 @@ impl Call {
         false
     }
 
-    pub fn get_flag_expr(&self, flag_name: &str) -> Option<Expression> {
+    pub fn get_flag_expr(&self, flag_name: &str) -> Option<&Expression> {
         for name in self.named_iter() {
             if flag_name == name.0.item {
-                return name.2.clone();
+                return name.2.as_ref();
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/src/command.rs b/src/command.rs
index 10d105a2b..81f44db2e 100644
--- a/src/command.rs
+++ b/src/command.rs
@@ -93,23 +93,23 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_commandline_args(
             let redirect_stdin = call.get_named_arg("stdin");
             let login_shell = call.get_named_arg("login");
             let interactive_shell = call.get_named_arg("interactive");
-            let commands: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("commands");
-            let testbin: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("testbin");
+            let commands = call.get_flag_expr("commands");
+            let testbin = call.get_flag_expr("testbin");
             #[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
-            let plugin_file: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("plugin-config");
+            let plugin_file = call.get_flag_expr("plugin-config");
             let no_config_file = call.get_named_arg("no-config-file");
             let no_std_lib = call.get_named_arg("no-std-lib");
-            let config_file: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("config");
-            let env_file: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("env-config");
-            let log_level: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("log-level");
-            let log_target: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("log-target");
-            let execute: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("execute");
+            let config_file = call.get_flag_expr("config");
+            let env_file = call.get_flag_expr("env-config");
+            let log_level = call.get_flag_expr("log-level");
+            let log_target = call.get_flag_expr("log-target");
+            let execute = call.get_flag_expr("execute");
             let table_mode: Option<Value> =
                 call.get_flag(engine_state, &mut stack, "table-mode")?;
 
             // ide flags
             let lsp = call.has_flag("lsp");
-            let include_path: Option<Expression> = call.get_flag_expr("include-path");
+            let include_path = call.get_flag_expr("include-path");
             let ide_goto_def: Option<Value> =
                 call.get_flag(engine_state, &mut stack, "ide-goto-def")?;
             let ide_hover: Option<Value> = call.get_flag(engine_state, &mut stack, "ide-hover")?;
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_commandline_args(
             let ide_ast: Option<Spanned<String>> = call.get_named_arg("ide-ast");
 
             fn extract_contents(
-                expression: Option<Expression>,
+                expression: Option<&Expression>,
             ) -> Result<Option<Spanned<String>>, ShellError> {
                 if let Some(expr) = expression {
                     let str = expr.as_string();