diff --git a/cobra.go b/cobra.go
index 79a433c4..075b49ef 100644
--- a/cobra.go
+++ b/cobra.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ package cobra
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
-	flag "github.com/ogier/pflag"
+	flag "github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 )
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ func (c *Command) PersistentFlags() *flag.FlagSet {
 		}
 		c.pflags.SetOutput(c.flagErrorBuf)
 	}
-	return c.flags
+	return c.pflags
 }
 
 // Intended for use in testing
@@ -265,22 +265,11 @@ func (c *Command) ResetFlags() {
 }
 
 func (c *Command) HasFlags() bool {
-	return hasFlags(c.flags)
+	return c.Flags().HasFlags()
 }
 
 func (c *Command) HasPersistentFlags() bool {
-	return hasFlags(c.pflags)
-}
-
-// Is this set of flags not empty
-func hasFlags(f *flag.FlagSet) bool {
-	if f == nil {
-		return false
-	}
-	if f.NFlag() != 0 {
-		return true
-	}
-	return false
+	return c.PersistentFlags().HasFlags()
 }
 
 // Climbs up the command tree looking for matching flag
@@ -308,10 +297,8 @@ func (c *Command) persistentFlag(name string) (flag *flag.Flag) {
 
 // Parses persistent flag tree & local flags
 func (c *Command) ParseFlags(args []string) (err error) {
-	err = c.ParsePersistentFlags(args)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
+	c.mergePersistentFlags()
+
 	err = c.Flags().Parse(args)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -319,6 +306,25 @@ func (c *Command) ParseFlags(args []string) (err error) {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (c *Command) mergePersistentFlags() {
+	var rmerge func(x *Command)
+
+	rmerge = func(x *Command) {
+		if x.HasPersistentFlags() {
+			x.PersistentFlags().VisitAll(func(f *flag.Flag) {
+				if c.Flags().Lookup(f.Name) == nil {
+					c.Flags().AddFlag(f)
+				}
+			})
+		}
+		if x.HasParent() {
+			rmerge(x.parent)
+		}
+	}
+
+	rmerge(c)
+}
+
 // Climbs up the command tree parsing flags from top to bottom
 func (c *Command) ParsePersistentFlags(args []string) (err error) {
 	if !c.HasParent() || (c.parent.HasPersistentFlags() && c.parent.PersistentFlags().Parsed()) {