diff --git a/src/utils/ConsoleManager.cpp b/src/utils/ConsoleManager.cpp
index 64ba8473376a8975e5a7d23b4b50e22bfbf0ed5f..cec3cb2cbecf8d84a651f6a11268443904135251 100644
--- a/src/utils/ConsoleManager.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/ConsoleManager.cpp
@@ -10,25 +10,14 @@ ConsoleManager::isTerminal(std::ostream& os)
 }
 
 void
-ConsoleManager::init(const std::string& colorize)
+ConsoleManager::init(const bool& colorize)
 {
   pout() << "Console management: color ";
-  if (colorize == "auto") {
-    if (isTerminal(pout())) {
-      pout() << rang::style::bold << rang::fgB::green << "enabled" << rang::fg::reset << rang::style::reset;
-    } else {
-      pout() << "disabled";
-    }
-    pout() << " [auto]\n";
-  } else if (colorize == "yes") {
+  if (colorize) {
     rang::setControlMode(rang::control::Force);
-    pout() << rang::style::bold << rang::fgB::green << "enabled" << rang::fg::reset << rang::style::reset;
-    pout() << " [" << rang::style::bold << rang::fgB::red << "forced" << rang::fg::reset << rang::style::reset << "]\n";
-  } else if (colorize == "no") {
-    rang::setControlMode(rang::control::Off);
-    pout() << "disabled [forced]\n";
+    pout() << rang::style::bold << rang::fgB::green << "enabled" << rang::fg::reset << rang::style::reset << '\n';
   } else {
-    perr() << "Unknown colorize option: " << colorize << '\n';
-    std::exit(1);
+    rang::setControlMode(rang::control::Off);
+    pout() << "disabled\n";
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/utils/ConsoleManager.hpp b/src/utils/ConsoleManager.hpp
index 61695670c01c7b85417e7f3a47b19d4c3de7ce79..8befab9f6d78aa72c25f4c768ebda530e4545096 100644
--- a/src/utils/ConsoleManager.hpp
+++ b/src/utils/ConsoleManager.hpp
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 struct ConsoleManager
 {
   static bool isTerminal(std::ostream& os);
-  static void init(const std::string& colorize);
+  static void init(const bool& colorize);
 };
 
 #endif   // CONSOLE_MANAGER_HPP
diff --git a/src/utils/PugsUtils.cpp b/src/utils/PugsUtils.cpp
index b0092006fd7bb24743abfc3629d3b123cba17e94..4e77863d328b6c448f0db2c5cbf6376e383c125a 100644
--- a/src/utils/PugsUtils.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/PugsUtils.cpp
@@ -21,9 +21,6 @@ initialize(int& argc, char* argv[])
 {
   parallel::Messenger::create(argc, argv);
 
-  long unsigned number = 10;
-  std::string filename;
-
   pout() << "Pugs version: " << rang::style::bold << RevisionInfo::version() << rang::style::reset << '\n';
 
   pout() << "-------------------- " << rang::fg::green << "git info" << rang::fg::reset << " -------------------------"
@@ -45,29 +42,28 @@ initialize(int& argc, char* argv[])
   pout() << "kokkos:   " << rang::style::bold << BuildInfo::kokkosDevices() << rang::style::reset << '\n';
   pout() << "mpi:      " << rang::style::bold << BuildInfo::mpiLibrary() << rang::style::reset << '\n';
   pout() << "-------------------------------------------------------\n";
+
+  std::string filename;
   {
     CLI::App app{"Pugs help"};
 
-    app.add_option("-n,--number", number, "Number of cells");   //->required();
-
-    app.add_option("filename,-f,--filename", filename,
-                   "gmsh file");   //->required();
+    app.add_option("filename,-f,--filename", filename, "gmsh file");
 
     int threads = -1;
     app.add_option("--threads", threads, "Number of Kokkos threads")
       ->check(CLI::Range(1, std::numeric_limits<decltype(threads)>::max()));
 
-    std::string colorize = "auto";
-    app.add_set("--colorize", colorize, {"auto", "yes", "no"}, "Colorize console output", true);
+    bool enable_color = true;
+    app.add_flag("--color,!--no-color", enable_color, "Colorize console output [default: true]");
+
+    bool enable_fpe = true;
+    app.add_flag("--fpe,!--no-fpe", enable_fpe, "Trap floating point exceptions [default: true]");
 
-    bool disable_fpe = false;
-    app.add_flag("--no-fpe", disable_fpe, "Do not trap floating point exceptions");
-    bool disable_signals = false;
-    app.add_flag("--no-signal", disable_signals, "Do not catches signals");
+    bool enable_signals = true;
+    app.add_flag("--signal,!--no-signal", enable_signals, "Catches signals [default: true]");
 
-    std::string pause_on_error = "auto";
-    app.add_set("--pause-on-error", pause_on_error, {"auto", "yes", "no"}, "Pause for debugging on unexpected error",
-                true);
+    bool pause_on_error = false;
+    app.add_flag("-p,--pause-on-error", pause_on_error, "Pause for debugging on unexpected error [default: false]");
 
     std::atexit([]() { pout() << rang::style::reset; });
     try {
@@ -78,10 +74,10 @@ initialize(int& argc, char* argv[])
       std::exit(app.exit(e, pout(), perr()));
     }
 
-    ConsoleManager::init(colorize);
-    FPEManager::init(not disable_fpe);
+    ConsoleManager::init(enable_color);
+    FPEManager::init(enable_fpe);
     SignalManager::setPauseForDebug(pause_on_error);
-    SignalManager::init(not disable_signals);
+    SignalManager::init(enable_signals);
   }
 
   Kokkos::initialize(argc, argv);
diff --git a/src/utils/SignalManager.cpp b/src/utils/SignalManager.cpp
index 26d6ea537368187af03ba7e393517d24ca026ce3..4fc37443a27326fe7a0725f1df9ea6c501ad2fee 100644
--- a/src/utils/SignalManager.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/SignalManager.cpp
@@ -14,9 +14,10 @@
 
 #include <Messenger.hpp>
 
-std::string SignalManager::s_pause_on_error = "auto";
+bool SignalManager::s_pause_on_error = false;
+
 void
-SignalManager::setPauseForDebug(const std::string& pause_on_error)
+SignalManager::setPauseForDebug(const bool& pause_on_error)
 {
   s_pause_on_error = pause_on_error;
 }
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ void
 SignalManager::pauseForDebug(const int& signal)
 {
   if (std::string(PUGS_BUILD_TYPE) != "Release") {
-    if (s_pause_on_error == "yes") {
+    if (s_pause_on_error) {
       std::cerr << "\n======================================\n"
                 << rang::style::reset << rang::fg::reset << rang::style::bold << "to attach gdb to this process run\n"
                 << "\tgdb -pid " << rang::fg::red << getpid() << rang::fg::reset << '\n'
diff --git a/src/utils/SignalManager.hpp b/src/utils/SignalManager.hpp
index 3f015936880f82e209f87f7956c9f17be5e6387a..e1579f858d09d448200e40a0e5fc04ed6942afc0 100644
--- a/src/utils/SignalManager.hpp
+++ b/src/utils/SignalManager.hpp
@@ -6,13 +6,13 @@
 struct SignalManager
 {
  private:
-  static std::string s_pause_on_error;
+  static bool s_pause_on_error;
   static std::string signalName(const int& signal);
   static void pauseForDebug(const int& signal);
   static void handler(int signal);
 
  public:
-  static void setPauseForDebug(const std::string& pause_on_error);
+  static void setPauseForDebug(const bool& pause_on_error);
   static void init(const bool& enable);
 };