diff --git a/Changes.md b/Changes.md
index 9acd2b9..b95c808 100644
--- a/Changes.md
+++ b/Changes.md
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
 
+# 1.0.10 - 2019-04-09
+
+- merge ALL of [opts] into [server] config (fixes #18)
+- merge all of [opts] into [pubsub] config
+
+
 # 1.0.9 - 2019-02-19
 
 - bump redis version to 2.8.0
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 49d2374..d2a0515 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ The `redis.ini` file has the following sections (defaults shown):
 
     ; host=127.0.0.1
     ; port=6379
-    ; db=0
 
 ### [pubsub]
 
@@ -28,7 +27,9 @@ Publish & Subscribe are DB agnostic and thus have no db setting. If host and por
 
 ### [opts]
 
-    ; see https://www.npmjs.com/package/redis#overloading
+    ; see https://www.npmjs.com/package/redis#options-object-properties
+    ; db=0
+    ; password=battery-horse-staple
 
 
 ## Usage (shared redis)
diff --git a/config/redis.ini b/config/redis.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fcad343
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/redis.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+
+; host=127.0.0.1
+; port=6379
+; db=0
+
+[pubsub]
+; host=127.0.0.1
+; port=6379
+
+[opts]
+; db=0
+; password=dontUseThisOne
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index b92a5a3..09cce48 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -16,47 +16,32 @@ exports.register = function () {
     plugin.register_hook('init_child',   'init_redis_shared');
 }
 
+const defaultOpts = { host: '127.0.0.1', port: '6379' };
+
 exports.load_redis_ini = function () {
     const plugin = this;
 
+    // store redis cfg at redisCfg, to avoid conflicting with plugins that
+    // inherit this plugin and have *their* config at plugin.cfg
     plugin.redisCfg = plugin.config.get('redis.ini', function () {
         plugin.load_redis_ini();
     });
 
-    if (!plugin.redisCfg.server) plugin.redisCfg.server = {};
-    const s = plugin.redisCfg.server;
-    if (s.ip && !s.host) s.host = s.ip;
-    if (!s.host) s.host = '127.0.0.1';
-    if (!s.port) s.port = '6379';
-
-    if (!plugin.redisCfg.pubsub) {
-        plugin.redisCfg.pubsub = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(s));
-    }
-    const ps = plugin.redisCfg.pubsub;
-    if (!ps.host) ps.host = s.host;
-    if (!ps.port) ps.port = s.port;
+    const rc = plugin.redisCfg;
+    plugin.redisCfg.server = Object.assign({}, defaultOpts, rc.opts, rc.server);
+    if (rc.server.ip && !rc.server.host) rc.server.host = rc.server.ip;  // backwards compat
 
-    if (plugin.redisCfg.opts === undefined) plugin.redisCfg.opts = {};
-    Object.keys(plugin.redisCfg.opts).forEach(opt => {
-        if (ps[opt] === undefined) ps[opt] = plugin.redisCfg.opts[opt];
-    });
+    plugin.redisCfg.pubsub = Object.assign({}, defaultOpts, rc.opts, rc.server, rc.pubsub);
 }
 
 exports.merge_redis_ini = function () {
     const plugin = this;
 
-    if (!plugin.cfg) plugin.cfg = {};   // no <plugin>.ini loaded?
+    if (!plugin.cfg)       plugin.cfg = {};   // no <plugin>.ini loaded?
+    if (!plugin.cfg.redis) plugin.cfg.redis = {}; // no [redis] in <plugin>.ini file
+    if (!plugin.redisCfg)  plugin.load_redis_ini();
 
-    if (!plugin.cfg.redis) {            // no [redis] in <plugin>.ini file
-        plugin.cfg.redis = {};
-    }
-
-    if (!plugin.redisCfg) plugin.load_redis_ini();
-
-    ['host', 'port', 'db'].forEach((k) => {
-        if (plugin.cfg.redis[k] !== undefined) return;  // already set
-        plugin.cfg.redis[k] = plugin.redisCfg.server[k];
-    });
+    plugin.cfg.redis = Object.assign({}, plugin.redisCfg.server, plugin.cfg.redis);
 }
 
 exports.init_redis_shared = function (next, server) {
@@ -72,20 +57,17 @@ exports.init_redis_shared = function (next, server) {
 
     // this is the server-wide redis, shared by plugins that don't
     // specificy a db ID.
-    if (server.notes.redis) {
-        server.notes.redis.ping((err, res) => {
-            if (err) return nextOnce(err);
-
-            plugin.loginfo('already connected');
-            nextOnce(); // connection is good
-        });
-    }
-    else {
-        const opts = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(plugin.redisCfg.opts));
-        opts.host = plugin.redisCfg.server.host;
-        opts.port = plugin.redisCfg.server.port;
-        server.notes.redis = plugin.get_redis_client(opts, nextOnce);
+    if (!server.notes.redis) {
+        server.notes.redis = plugin.get_redis_client(plugin.redisCfg.server, nextOnce);
+        return
     }
+
+    server.notes.redis.ping((err, res) => {
+        if (err) return nextOnce(err);
+
+        plugin.loginfo('already connected');
+        nextOnce(); // connection is good
+    });
 }
 
 exports.init_redis_plugin = function (next, server) {
@@ -105,16 +87,17 @@ exports.init_redis_plugin = function (next, server) {
     if (!plugin.cfg) plugin.cfg = { redis: {} };
     if (!server) server = { notes: {} };
 
-    // use server-wide redis connection when using default DB id
-    if (!plugin.cfg.redis.db) {
-        if (server.notes.redis) {
-            server.loginfo(plugin, 'using server.notes.redis');
-            plugin.db = server.notes.redis;
-            return nextOnce();
-        }
+    if (plugin.cfg.redis.db !== undefined) {
+        plugin.db = plugin.get_redis_client(plugin.cfg.redis, nextOnce);
+        return;
     }
 
-    plugin.db = plugin.get_redis_client(plugin.cfg.redis, nextOnce);
+    // use server-wide redis connection when DB not specified
+    if (server.notes.redis) {
+        server.loginfo(plugin, 'using server.notes.redis');
+        plugin.db = server.notes.redis;
+        nextOnce();
+    }
 }
 
 exports.shutdown = function () {
@@ -150,7 +133,7 @@ function getUriStr (client, opts) {
     let msg = `redis://${opts.host}:${opts.port}`;
     if (opts.db) msg += `/${opts.db}`;
     if (client && client.server_info && client.server_info.redis_version) {
-        msg += ` v${client.server_info.redis_version}`;
+        msg += `\tv${client.server_info.redis_version}`;
     }
     return msg;
 }
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index f84b7ef..3d2960e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "haraka-plugin-redis",
-  "version": "1.0.9",
+  "version": "1.0.10",
   "description": "Redis plugin for Haraka & other plugins to inherit from",
   "main": "index.js",
   "directories": {
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "lint": "./node_modules/.bin/eslint *.js test/*.js",
     "lintfix": "./node_modules/.bin/eslint --fix *.js test/*.js",
-    "test": "./run_tests"
+    "test": "node run_tests"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/test/config/redis.ini b/test/config/redis.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f190a84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/config/redis.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+
+; host=127.0.0.1
+; port=6379
+; db=0
+
+[pubsub]
+; host=127.0.0.1
+; port=6379
+
+[opts]
+db=5
+password=dontUseThisOne
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/redis.js b/test/redis.js
index f578bfa..185d454 100644
--- a/test/redis.js
+++ b/test/redis.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 'use strict';
 
-const fixtures     = require('haraka-test-fixtures');
+const path = require('path');
+
+const fixtures = require('haraka-test-fixtures');
 
 function _set_up_redis (done) {
 
@@ -30,6 +32,28 @@ exports.redis = {
         test.equal(this.plugin.redisCfg.server.port, 6379);
         test.done();
     },
+    'merges [opts] into server config': function (test) {
+        this.plugin.config = this.plugin.config.module_config(path.resolve('test'));
+        this.plugin.load_redis_ini();
+        test.expect(1);
+        test.deepEqual(this.plugin.redisCfg, {
+            main: {},
+            pubsub: {
+                host: '127.0.0.1',
+                port: '6379',
+                db: 5,
+                password: 'dontUseThisOne'
+            },
+            opts: { db: 5, password: 'dontUseThisOne' },
+            server: {
+                host: '127.0.0.1',
+                port: '6379',
+                db: 5,
+                password: 'dontUseThisOne'
+            }
+        });
+        test.done();
+    },
     'connects' : function (test) {
         test.expect(1);
         const redis = this.plugin.get_redis_client({
@@ -46,7 +70,7 @@ exports.redis = {
         test.expect(2);
         test.equal(this.plugin.cfg, undefined);
         this.plugin.merge_redis_ini();
-        test.deepEqual(this.plugin.cfg.redis, { host: '127.0.0.1', port: '6379', db: undefined });
+        test.deepEqual(this.plugin.cfg.redis, { host: '127.0.0.1', port: '6379' });
         test.done();
     },
     'connects to a different redis db' : function (test) {