diff --git a/bin/core/imag-ref/src/main.rs b/bin/core/imag-ref/src/main.rs
index a9500beb..5aaec5ed 100644
--- a/bin/core/imag-ref/src/main.rs
+++ b/bin/core/imag-ref/src/main.rs
@@ -86,27 +86,32 @@ fn main() {
 }
 
 fn deref(rt: &Runtime) {
-    let cmd = rt.cli().subcommand_matches("deref").unwrap();
-    let ids = rt.ids::<::ui::PathProvider>().map_err_trace_exit_unwrap();
-    let cfg = get_ref_config(&rt, "imag-ref").map_err_trace_exit_unwrap();
-    let out = rt.stdout();
+    let cmd         = rt.cli().subcommand_matches("deref").unwrap();
+    let basepath    = cmd.value_of("override-basepath");
+    let ids         = rt.ids::<::ui::PathProvider>().map_err_trace_exit_unwrap();
+    let cfg         = get_ref_config(&rt, "imag-ref").map_err_trace_exit_unwrap();
+    let out         = rt.stdout();
     let mut outlock = out.lock();
 
     ids.into_iter()
         .for_each(|id| {
             match rt.store().get(id.clone()).map_err_trace_exit_unwrap() {
                 Some(entry) => {
-                    entry
-                        .as_ref_with_hasher::<DefaultHasher>()
-                        .get_path(&cfg)
-                        .map_err_trace_exit_unwrap()
-                        .to_str()
-                        .ok_or_else(|| {
-                            error!("Could not transform path into string!");
-                            exit(1)
-                        })
-                        .map(|s| writeln!(outlock, "{}", s))
-                        .ok(); // safe here because we exited already in the error case
+                    let r_entry = entry.as_ref_with_hasher::<DefaultHasher>();
+
+                    if let Some(alternative_basepath) = basepath {
+                        r_entry.get_path_with_basepath_setting(&cfg, alternative_basepath)
+                    } else {
+                        r_entry.get_path(&cfg)
+                    }
+                    .map_err_trace_exit_unwrap()
+                    .to_str()
+                    .ok_or_else(|| {
+                        error!("Could not transform path into string!");
+                        exit(1)
+                    })
+                    .map(|s| writeln!(outlock, "{}", s))
+                    .ok(); // safe here because we exited already in the error case
 
                     let _ = rt.report_touched(&id).unwrap_or_exit();
                 },
diff --git a/bin/core/imag-ref/src/ui.rs b/bin/core/imag-ref/src/ui.rs
index c14eafe2..1a264ea5 100644
--- a/bin/core/imag-ref/src/ui.rs
+++ b/bin/core/imag-ref/src/ui.rs
@@ -45,6 +45,14 @@ pub fn build_ui<'a>(app: App<'a, 'a>) -> App<'a, 'a> {
                          .required(false)
                          .multiple(false)
                          .help("Ignore store entries which are not refs and do not print error message"))
+
+                    .arg(Arg::with_name("override-basepath")
+                         .long("basepath-setting")
+                         .short("B")
+                         .takes_value(true)
+                         .required(false)
+                         .multiple(false)
+                         .help("Override the basepath key to look up in the configuration"))
                     )
 
         .subcommand(SubCommand::with_name("remove")