diff --git a/app.go b/app.go
index d03ec5d..16b0b19 100644
--- a/app.go
+++ b/app.go
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ func (a *App) Run(arguments []string) (err error) {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err = parseIter(set, a, arguments[1:])
+	err = parseIter(set, a, arguments[1:], shellComplete)
 	nerr := normalizeFlags(a.Flags, set)
 	context := NewContext(a, set, nil)
 	if nerr != nil {
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ func (a *App) RunAsSubcommand(ctx *Context) (err error) {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err = parseIter(set, a, ctx.Args().Tail())
+	err = parseIter(set, a, ctx.Args().Tail(), ctx.shellComplete)
 	nerr := normalizeFlags(a.Flags, set)
 	context := NewContext(a, set, ctx)
 
diff --git a/command.go b/command.go
index a99da0a..db6c802 100644
--- a/command.go
+++ b/command.go
@@ -184,9 +184,8 @@ func (c *Command) parseFlags(args Args, shellComplete bool) (*flag.FlagSet, erro
 		return set, set.Parse(append([]string{"--"}, args.Tail()...))
 	}
 
-	err = parseIter(set, c, args.Tail())
-	// Continue parsing flags on failure during shell completion
-	if err != nil && !shellComplete {
+	err = parseIter(set, c, args.Tail(), shellComplete)
+	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
diff --git a/parse.go b/parse.go
index 660f538..e77568d 100644
--- a/parse.go
+++ b/parse.go
@@ -11,19 +11,24 @@ type iterativeParser interface {
 }
 
 // To enable short-option handling (e.g., "-it" vs "-i -t") we have to
-// iteratively catch parsing errors.  This way we achieve LR parsing without
+// iteratively catch parsing errors. This way we achieve LR parsing without
 // transforming any arguments. Otherwise, there is no way we can discriminate
 // combined short options from common arguments that should be left untouched.
-func parseIter(set *flag.FlagSet, ip iterativeParser, args []string) error {
+// Pass `ignoreErrors` to continue parsing options on failure, for example
+// during shell completion when the user-supplied options may be incomplete.
+func parseIter(set *flag.FlagSet, ip iterativeParser, args []string, ignoreErrors bool) error {
 	for {
 		err := set.Parse(args)
 		if !ip.useShortOptionHandling() || err == nil {
+			if ignoreErrors {
+				return nil
+			}
 			return err
 		}
 
 		errStr := err.Error()
 		trimmed := strings.TrimPrefix(errStr, "flag provided but not defined: -")
-		if errStr == trimmed {
+		if !ignoreErrors && errStr == trimmed {
 			return err
 		}