diff --git a/invokeai/app/services/config/config_base.py b/invokeai/app/services/config/config_base.py
index 37d84f57bf..3301f191eb 100644
--- a/invokeai/app/services/config/config_base.py
+++ b/invokeai/app/services/config/config_base.py
@@ -11,11 +11,12 @@ the command line.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import argparse
+import json
 import os
 import sys
 from argparse import ArgumentParser
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, ClassVar, Dict, List, Literal, Optional, Union, get_args, get_origin, get_type_hints
+from typing import Any, ClassVar, Dict, List, Literal, Optional, Union, Type, get_args, get_origin, get_type_hints
 
 from omegaconf import DictConfig, DictKeyType, ListConfig, OmegaConf
 from pydantic import BaseModel
@@ -23,6 +24,23 @@ from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings, SettingsConfigDict
 
 from invokeai.app.services.config.config_common import PagingArgumentParser, int_or_float_or_str
 
+class ParseModelListAction(argparse.Action):
+    """An argparse action that parses a JSON string into a list of Pydantic models."""
+
+    model_type: Type[BaseModel]
+
+    def __init__(self, model_type: Type[BaseModel], *args, **kwargs): # type: ignore
+        super(ParseModelListAction, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs) # type: ignore
+        self.model_type = model_type
+
+    def __call__(self, parser, namespace, values, option_string=None): # type: ignore
+        try:
+            items_data = json.loads(values) # type: ignore
+            items = [self.model_type(**item_data) for item_data in items_data]
+            setattr(namespace, self.dest, items)
+        except Exception as e:
+            parser.error(f"Could not parse models: {e}")
+
 
 class InvokeAISettings(BaseSettings):
     """Runtime configuration settings in which default values are read from an omegaconf .yaml file."""
@@ -152,7 +170,7 @@ class InvokeAISettings(BaseSettings):
     @classmethod
     def _excluded(cls) -> List[str]:
         # internal fields that shouldn't be exposed as command line options
-        return ["type", "initconf", "remote_api_tokens"]
+        return ["type", "initconf"]
 
     @classmethod
     def _excluded_from_yaml(cls) -> List[str]:
@@ -194,7 +212,28 @@ class InvokeAISettings(BaseSettings):
         else:
             argparse_group = command_parser
 
-        if get_origin(field_type) == Literal:
+        def matches_optional_list_of_basemodel_subclasses(field_type):
+            args = get_args(field_type)
+            for arg in args:
+                list_origin = get_origin(arg)
+                if list_origin is list:
+                    list_args = get_args(arg)
+                    if len(list_args) == 1 and issubclass(list_args[0], BaseModel):
+                        return list_args[0]
+            return None
+        if name == "remote_api_tokens":
+            pass
+        if bm_type:=matches_optional_list_of_basemodel_subclasses(field_type):
+            argparse_group.add_argument(
+                f"--{name}",
+                dest=name,
+                action=ParseModelListAction,
+                model_type=bm_type,
+                type=str,
+                default=default,
+                help=field.description,
+            )
+        elif get_origin(field_type) == Literal:
             allowed_values = get_args(field.annotation)
             allowed_types = set()
             for val in allowed_values: