diff --git a/lib/common.js b/lib/common.js
index d85f7cd..37457f8 100644
--- a/lib/common.js
+++ b/lib/common.js
@@ -125,6 +125,40 @@ function jsonStream(arr, stream) {
     });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Parses the string "filterComponent" of the form 'key=value' and returns an
+ * object that represents it with the form {'key': 'value'}. If "key"" in the
+ * "filterComponent" string is not included in the list "validKeys", it throws
+ * an error. It also throws an error if the string "filterComponent" is
+ * malformed.
+ *
+ * @param {String} filterComponent
+ * @param {arrayOfString} validKeys: Optional
+ */
+function _parseFilterKeyAndValue(filterComponent, validKeys) {
+    assert.string(filterComponent, 'filterComponent');
+    assert.optionalArrayOfString(validKeys, 'validKeys');
+
+    var idx = filterComponent.indexOf('=');
+    if (idx === -1) {
+            throw new errors.UsageError(format(
+            'invalid filter: "%s" (must be of the form "field=value")',
+            filterComponent));
+    }
+    var k = filterComponent.slice(0, idx);
+    var v = filterComponent.slice(idx + 1);
+    if (validKeys && validKeys.indexOf(k) === -1) {
+            throw new errors.UsageError(format(
+            'invalid filter name: "%s" (must be one of "%s")',
+            k, validKeys.join('", "')));
+    }
+
+    return {
+        key: k,
+        value: v
+    };
+}
+
 /**
  * given an array of key=value pairs, break them into an object
  *
@@ -138,20 +172,11 @@ function kvToObj(kvs, valid) {
     assert.optionalArrayOfString(valid, 'valid');
 
     var o = {};
+    var parsedKeyValue;
+
     for (var i = 0; i < kvs.length; i++) {
-        var kv = kvs[i];
-        var idx = kv.indexOf('=');
-        if (idx === -1)
-             throw new errors.UsageError(format(
-                'invalid filter: "%s" (must be of the form "field=value")',
-                kv));
-        var k = kv.slice(0, idx);
-        var v = kv.slice(idx + 1);
-        if (valid && valid.indexOf(k) === -1)
-             throw new errors.UsageError(format(
-                'invalid filter name: "%s" (must be one of "%s")',
-                k, valid.join('", "')));
-        o[k] = v;
+        parsedKeyValue = _parseFilterKeyAndValue(kvs[i], valid);
+        o[parsedKeyValue.key] = parsedKeyValue.value;
     }
     return o;
 }
@@ -174,24 +199,23 @@ function jsonPredFromKv(kvs, validKeys, compositionType) {
         'compositionType');
 
     var predicate = {};
-    predicate[compositionType] = [];
+    var parsedKeyValue;
 
-    for (var i = 0; i < kvs.length; i++) {
-        var kv = kvs[i];
-        var idx = kv.indexOf('=');
-        if (idx === -1) {
-             throw new errors.UsageError(format(
-                'invalid filter: "%s" (must be of the form "field=value")',
-                kv));
+    if (kvs.length === 0) {
+        return predicate;
+    }
+
+    if (kvs.length === 1) {
+        parsedKeyValue = _parseFilterKeyAndValue(kvs[0], validKeys);
+        predicate.eq = [parsedKeyValue.key, parsedKeyValue.value];
+    } else {
+        predicate[compositionType] = [];
+        for (var i = 0; i < kvs.length; i++) {
+            parsedKeyValue = _parseFilterKeyAndValue(kvs[i], validKeys);
+            predicate[compositionType].push({
+                eq: [parsedKeyValue.key, parsedKeyValue.value]
+            });
         }
-        var k = kv.slice(0, idx);
-        var v = kv.slice(idx + 1);
-        if (validKeys && validKeys.indexOf(k) === -1) {
-             throw new errors.UsageError(format(
-                'invalid filter name: "%s" (must be one of "%s")',
-                k, validKeys.join('", "')));
-        }
-        predicate[compositionType].push({eq: [k, v]});
     }
 
     return predicate;
diff --git a/lib/do_volume/do_list.js b/lib/do_volume/do_list.js
index 65d0e99..51e040d 100644
--- a/lib/do_volume/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_volume/do_list.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
  */
 
 var format = require('util').format;
+var jsprim = require('jsprim');
 var tabula = require('tabula');
 
 var common = require('../common');
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ function do_list(subcmd, opts, args, callback) {
         }
     }
 
-    if (opts.all === undefined) {
+    if (jsprim.deepEqual(filterPredicate, {})) {
         filterPredicate = {
             and: [
                 { ne: ['state', 'deleted']},
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bff9b76..8427e06 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@
     "bunyan": "1.5.1",
     "cmdln": "4.1.2",
     "extsprintf": "1.0.2",
-    "getpass":  "0.1.6",
+    "getpass": "0.1.6",
+    "jsprim": "^1.4.0",
     "lomstream": "1.1.0",
     "mkdirp": "0.5.1",
     "once": "1.3.2",