diff --git a/nova/cmd/common.py b/nova/cmd/common.py
index 260685ef77..494483f97b 100644
--- a/nova/cmd/common.py
+++ b/nova/cmd/common.py
@@ -102,14 +102,20 @@ def add_command_parsers(subparsers, categories):
 
             action_kwargs = []
             for args, kwargs in getattr(action_fn, 'args', []):
-                # FIXME(markmc): hack to assume dest is the arg name without
-                # the leading hyphens if no dest is supplied
-                kwargs.setdefault('dest', args[0][2:])
-                if kwargs['dest'].startswith('action_kwarg_'):
-                    action_kwargs.append(kwargs['dest'][len('action_kwarg_'):])
+                # we must handle positional parameters (ARG) separately from
+                # positional parameters (--opt). Detect this by checking for
+                # the presence of leading '--'
+                if args[0] != args[0].lstrip('-'):
+                    kwargs.setdefault('dest', args[0].lstrip('-'))
+                    if kwargs['dest'].startswith('action_kwarg_'):
+                        action_kwargs.append(
+                            kwargs['dest'][len('action_kwarg_'):])
+                    else:
+                        action_kwargs.append(kwargs['dest'])
+                        kwargs['dest'] = 'action_kwarg_' + kwargs['dest']
                 else:
-                    action_kwargs.append(kwargs['dest'])
-                    kwargs['dest'] = 'action_kwarg_' + kwargs['dest']
+                    action_kwargs.append(args[0])
+                    args = ['action_kwarg_' + arg for arg in args]
 
                 parser.add_argument(*args, **kwargs)
 
diff --git a/nova/cmd/manage.py b/nova/cmd/manage.py
index 83ecfa85c1..4fae174a60 100644
--- a/nova/cmd/manage.py
+++ b/nova/cmd/manage.py
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import print_function
 
+import argparse
 import functools
 import os
 import re
@@ -670,12 +671,20 @@ class DbCommands(object):
     def __init__(self):
         pass
 
-    @args('--version', metavar='<version>', help='Database version')
+    @args('--version', metavar='<version>', help=argparse.SUPPRESS)
     @args('--local_cell', action='store_true',
           help='Only sync db in the local cell: do not attempt to fan-out'
                'to all cells')
-    def sync(self, version=None, local_cell=False):
+    @args('version2', metavar='VERSION', nargs='?', help='Database version')
+    def sync(self, version=None, local_cell=False, version2=None):
         """Sync the database up to the most recent version."""
+        if version and not version2:
+            print(_("DEPRECATED: The '--version' parameter was deprecated in "
+                    "the Pike cycle and will not be supported in future "
+                    "versions of nova. Use the 'VERSION' positional argument "
+                    "instead"))
+            version2 = version
+
         if not local_cell:
             ctxt = context.RequestContext()
             # NOTE(mdoff): Multiple cells not yet implemented. Currently
@@ -684,7 +693,7 @@ class DbCommands(object):
                 cell_mapping = objects.CellMapping.get_by_uuid(ctxt,
                                             objects.CellMapping.CELL0_UUID)
                 with context.target_cell(ctxt, cell_mapping) as cctxt:
-                    migration.db_sync(version, context=cctxt)
+                    migration.db_sync(version2, context=cctxt)
             except exception.CellMappingNotFound:
                 print(_('WARNING: cell0 mapping not found - not'
                         ' syncing cell0.'))
@@ -853,10 +862,18 @@ class ApiDbCommands(object):
     def __init__(self):
         pass
 
-    @args('--version', metavar='<version>', help='Database version')
-    def sync(self, version=None):
+    @args('--version', metavar='<version>', help=argparse.SUPPRESS)
+    @args('version2', metavar='VERSION', nargs='?', help='Database version')
+    def sync(self, version=None, version2=None):
         """Sync the database up to the most recent version."""
-        return migration.db_sync(version, database='api')
+        if version and not version2:
+            print(_("DEPRECATED: The '--version' parameter was deprecated in "
+                    "the Pike cycle and will not be supported in future "
+                    "versions of nova. Use the 'VERSION' positional argument "
+                    "instead"))
+            version2 = version
+
+        return migration.db_sync(version2, database='api')
 
     def version(self):
         """Print the current database version."""
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/reworked-nova-manage-db-commands-b958b0a41a4004a6.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/reworked-nova-manage-db-commands-b958b0a41a4004a6.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1112b93e86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/reworked-nova-manage-db-commands-b958b0a41a4004a6.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+---
+upgrade:
+  - |
+    The ``nova-manage api_db sync`` and ``nova-manage db sync`` commands
+    previously took an optional ``--version`` parameter to determine which
+    version to sync to. For example::
+
+        $ nova-manage api_db sync --version some-version
+
+    This is now an optional positional argument. For example::
+
+        $ nova-manage api_db sync some-version
+
+    Aliases are provided but these are marked as deprecated and will be removed
+    in the next release of nova.
+deprecations:
+  - |
+    The ``--version`` parameters of the ``nova-manage api_db sync`` and
+    ``nova-manage db sync`` commands has been deprecated in favor of
+    positional arguments.