diff --git a/lib/cli.js b/lib/cli.js
index 9abb086..a29c30f 100644
--- a/lib/cli.js
+++ b/lib/cli.js
@@ -289,7 +289,8 @@ CLI.prototype.do_instance_audit = require('./do_instance_audit');
 CLI.prototype.do_stop_instance = require('./do_startstop_instance')('stop');
 CLI.prototype.do_start_instance = require('./do_startstop_instance')('start');
 CLI.prototype.do_reboot_instance = require('./do_startstop_instance')('reboot');
-CLI.prototype.do_delete_instance = require('./do_startstop_instance')('delete');
+CLI.prototype.do_delete_instance =
+    require('./do_startstop_instance')({action: 'delete', aliases: ['rm']});
 CLI.prototype.do_wait_instance = require('./do_wait_instance');
 CLI.prototype.do_ssh = require('./do_ssh');
 
diff --git a/lib/do_startstop_instance.js b/lib/do_startstop_instance.js
index e844c85..7e42fa4 100644
--- a/lib/do_startstop_instance.js
+++ b/lib/do_startstop_instance.js
@@ -22,15 +22,26 @@ function perror(err) {
     console.error('error: %s', err.message);
 }
 
-function do_startstop_instance(action) {
+function do_startstop_instance(opts) {
+    if (typeof (opts) === 'string')
+        opts = {action: opts};
+    assert.object(opts, 'opts');
+    assert.string(opts.action, 'opts.action');
+    assert.optionalArrayOfString(opts.aliases, 'opts.aliases');
+    var action = opts.action;
+
     assert.ok(['start', 'stop', 'reboot', 'delete'].indexOf(action) >= 0,
         'invalid action');
 
-    function _do_startstop_instance(subcmd, opts, args, callback) {
-        return _do_instance.call(this, action, subcmd, opts, args, callback);
+    function _do_startstop_instance(subcmd, _opts, args, callback) {
+        return _do_instance.call(this, action, subcmd, _opts, args, callback);
     }
 
-    _do_startstop_instance.aliases = [action];
+    var aliases = [action];
+    if (opts.aliases)
+        aliases = aliases.concat(opts.aliases);
+    _do_startstop_instance.aliases = aliases;
+
     _do_startstop_instance.help = [
         f('%s a single instance.', common.capitalize(action)),
         f(''),