diff --git a/src/hwylterm/hwylcli.nim b/src/hwylterm/hwylcli.nim
index bce8198..89a4575 100644
--- a/src/hwylterm/hwylcli.nim
+++ b/src/hwylterm/hwylcli.nim
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ proc `$`(c: Count): string = $c.val
 
 type
   CliSetting* = enum
-    # Propagate,  ## Include parent command settings in subcommand
+    Propagate,  ## Include parent command settings in subcommand
     GenerateOnly, ## Don't attach root `runProc()` node
     NoHelpFlag,   ## Remove the builtin help flag
     ShowHelp,     ## If cmdline empty show help
@@ -460,7 +460,6 @@ func inferShortFlags(cfg: var CliCfg) =
   ## supplement existing short flags based on initial characters of long flags
   let taken = cfg.flags.mapIt(it.short).toHashSet() - toHashSet(['\x00'])
   var candidates = cfg.flags.mapIt(it.long[0]).toHashSet() - taken
-
   for f in cfg.flags.mitems:
 
     if f.short != '\x00' or NoShort in f.settings: continue
@@ -488,10 +487,7 @@ func postParse(c: var CliCfg) =
     let count = c.args.filterIt(it.typeNode.kind == nnkBracketExpr).len
     if count > 1:
       c.err "more than one positional argument is variadic"
-
-  if InferShort in c.settings:
-    inferShortFlags c
-
+  
 func parseCliFlags(cfg: var  CliCfg, node: NimNode) =
   var group: string
   cfg.expectKind node, nnkStmtList
@@ -579,7 +575,7 @@ func sliceStmts(c: CliCfg, node: NimNode): seq[
 
 # TODO: swap error stmts
 func inheritFrom(child: var CliCfg, parent: CliCfg) =
-  ## inherit settings from parent command
+  ## inherit flags/groups and settings from parent command
   var
     pflags: Table[string, CliFlag]
     pgroups: Table[string, seq[CliFlag]]
@@ -615,6 +611,9 @@ func inheritFrom(child: var CliCfg, parent: CliCfg) =
       # so subcommands can continue the inheritance
       child.flagDefs.add pgroups[g]
 
+  if Propagate in parent.settings:
+    child.settings = child.settings + parent.settings
+
 func parseCliSubcommands(cfg: var CliCfg, node: NimNode) =
   cfg.expectKind node[1], nnkStmtList
 
@@ -687,7 +686,7 @@ func parseCliAlias(cfg: var CliCfg, node: NimNode) =
       cfg.alias.incl s
     else: cfg.unexpectedKind n
 
-func postPropagateCheck(c: CliCfg) =
+func postPropagate(c: var CliCfg) =
   ## verify the cli is valid
   var
     short: Table[char, CliFlag]
@@ -708,6 +707,9 @@ func postPropagateCheck(c: CliCfg) =
     else:
       long[f.long] = f
 
+  if InferShort in c.settings:
+    inferShortFlags c
+
 func propagate(c: var CliCfg) =
   for child in c.subcommands.mitems:
     # push the hooks to the lowest subcommand unless another one exists on the way
@@ -717,9 +719,11 @@ func propagate(c: var CliCfg) =
     else:
       child.pre = c.preSub
       child.post = c.postSub
+
     child.inheritFrom(c)
+
     propagate child
-    postPropagateCheck child
+    postPropagate child
 
 
 func parseCliHelp(c: var CliCfg, node: NimNode) =
@@ -891,6 +895,8 @@ func parseCliBody(body: NimNode, name = "", root = false): CliCfg =
   if root:
     propagate(result)
 
+  postPropagate result
+
 func isBool(f: CliFlag | BuiltinFlag): bool =
   f.typeNode == ident"bool"
 
diff --git a/tests/cli/clis/cliCfgSettingHideDefault.nim b/tests/cli/clis/hideDefaultSetting.nim
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/cli/clis/cliCfgSettingHideDefault.nim
rename to tests/cli/clis/hideDefaultSetting.nim
diff --git a/tests/cli/clis/propagateSetting.nim b/tests/cli/clis/propagateSetting.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a2a3e44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cli/clis/propagateSetting.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import hwylterm, hwylterm/hwylcli
+
+hwylCli:
+  name "setting-propagate"
+  settings Propagate, InferShort
+  flags:
+    [misc]
+    input:
+      T string
+      * "the default"
+      ? "input flag"
+    count:
+      T Count
+      * Count(val: 0)
+      ? "a count var with default"
+  subcommands:
+    [one]
+    flags:
+      ^[misc]
+
+    [two]
+    settings HideDefault
+    flags:
+      ^[misc]
+
+
diff --git a/tests/cli/tester.nim b/tests/cli/tester.nim
index 78c68cc..25a0640 100644
--- a/tests/cli/tester.nim
+++ b/tests/cli/tester.nim
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ flags:
   )
 
   okWithArgs(
-    "cliCfgSettingHideDefault", "--help",
+    "hideDefaultSetting", "--help",
 """
 usage:
   setting-hide-default [flags]
@@ -159,7 +159,34 @@ suite "parent-child":
     "inheritFlags", "third --misc1", "always=false,misc1=true"
   )
 
+
+
 suite "settings":
   okWithArgs(
     "inferShort", "-i input -o output","""input=input, output=output, count=0, nancy=false, ignore=false"""
   )
+  okWithArgs(
+    "propagateSetting", "one --help",
+"""
+usage:
+  setting-propagate one [flags]
+
+flags:
+  -i --input string input flag (default: the default)
+  -c --count Count  a count var with default (default: 0)
+  -h --help         show this help
+"""
+  )
+  okWithArgs(
+    "propagateSetting", "two --help",
+"""
+usage:
+  setting-propagate two [flags]
+
+flags:
+  -i --input string input flag
+  -c --count Count  a count var with default
+  -h --help         show this help
+"""
+  )
+