diff --git a/lib/event/app.c b/lib/event/app.c
index 0d309fa6c..6254248c1 100644
--- a/lib/event/app.c
+++ b/lib/event/app.c
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@
 
 struct spdk_app {
 	struct spdk_conf		*config;
+	const char			*json_config_file;
+	const char			*rpc_addr;
 	int				shm_id;
 	spdk_app_shutdown_cb		shutdown_cb;
 	int				rc;
@@ -354,21 +356,18 @@ spdk_app_start_application(void)
 static void
 spdk_app_start_rpc(void *arg1, void *arg2)
 {
-	const char *rpc_addr = arg1;
-
-	spdk_rpc_initialize(rpc_addr);
+	spdk_rpc_initialize(g_spdk_app.rpc_addr);
 	if (!g_delay_subsystem_init) {
 		spdk_app_start_application();
 	}
 }
 
 static void
-_spdk_app_json_config_load(void *_app_opts, void *_event_done)
+_spdk_app_json_config_load(void *arg1, void *arg2)
 {
-	struct spdk_app_opts *app_opts = _app_opts;
-	struct spdk_event *event_done = _event_done;
+	struct spdk_event *event_done = arg1;
 
-	spdk_app_json_config_load(app_opts, event_done);
+	spdk_app_json_config_load(g_spdk_app.json_config_file, g_spdk_app.rpc_addr, event_done);
 }
 
 static struct spdk_conf *
@@ -666,6 +665,8 @@ spdk_app_start(struct spdk_app_opts *opts, spdk_event_fn start_fn,
 
 	memset(&g_spdk_app, 0, sizeof(g_spdk_app));
 	g_spdk_app.config = config;
+	g_spdk_app.json_config_file = opts->json_config_file;
+	g_spdk_app.rpc_addr = opts->rpc_addr;
 	g_spdk_app.shm_id = opts->shm_id;
 	g_spdk_app.shutdown_cb = opts->shutdown_cb;
 	g_spdk_app.rc = 0;
@@ -675,12 +676,12 @@ spdk_app_start(struct spdk_app_opts *opts, spdk_event_fn start_fn,
 	event = spdk_event_allocate(g_init_lcore, bootstrap_fn, NULL, NULL);
 	g_app_start_event = spdk_event_allocate(g_init_lcore, start_fn, arg1, NULL);
 	g_rpc_start_event = spdk_event_allocate(g_init_lcore, spdk_app_start_rpc,
-						(void *)opts->rpc_addr, NULL);
+						NULL, NULL);
 
 	if (opts->json_config_file) {
 		g_delay_subsystem_init = false;
 		g_config_load_event = spdk_event_allocate(g_init_lcore, _spdk_app_json_config_load,
-				      opts, g_rpc_start_event);
+				      g_rpc_start_event, NULL);
 	}
 
 	spdk_event_call(event);
diff --git a/lib/event/json_config.c b/lib/event/json_config.c
index f1b86a2f5..b56ce9baa 100644
--- a/lib/event/json_config.c
+++ b/lib/event/json_config.c
@@ -562,10 +562,10 @@ err:
 }
 
 void
-spdk_app_json_config_load(const struct spdk_app_opts *opts, struct spdk_event *done_event)
+spdk_app_json_config_load(const char *json_config_file, const char *rpc_addr,
+			  struct spdk_event *done_event)
 {
 	struct load_json_config_ctx *ctx = calloc(1, sizeof(*ctx));
-	const char *rpc_addr;
 	int rc;
 
 	assert(done_event);
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ spdk_app_json_config_load(const struct spdk_app_opts *opts, struct spdk_event *d
 	ctx->done_event = done_event;
 	ctx->thread = spdk_get_thread();
 
-	rc = spdk_app_json_config_read(opts->json_config_file, ctx);
+	rc = spdk_app_json_config_read(json_config_file, ctx);
 	if (rc) {
 		goto fail;
 	}
@@ -594,7 +594,6 @@ spdk_app_json_config_load(const struct spdk_app_opts *opts, struct spdk_event *d
 		}
 	}
 
-	rpc_addr = opts->rpc_addr;
 	/* If rpc_addr is not an Unix socket use default address as prefix. */
 	if (rpc_addr == NULL || rpc_addr[0] != '/') {
 		rpc_addr = SPDK_DEFAULT_RPC_ADDR;
diff --git a/lib/event/json_config.h b/lib/event/json_config.h
index 4ebd75307..f25c6a268 100644
--- a/lib/event/json_config.h
+++ b/lib/event/json_config.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 
 #include "spdk/event.h"
 
-void spdk_app_json_config_load(const struct spdk_app_opts *opts, struct spdk_event *done_event);
+void spdk_app_json_config_load(const char *json_config_file, const char *rpc_addr,
+			       struct spdk_event *done_event);
 
 #endif /* SPDK_JSON_CONFIG_H */
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/event/app.c/app_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/event/app.c/app_ut.c
index 35380ea28..3b84068f3 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/event/app.c/app_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/event/app.c/app_ut.c
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ DEFINE_STUB_V(spdk_rpc_register_method, (const char *method, spdk_rpc_method_han
 		uint32_t state_mask));
 DEFINE_STUB_V(spdk_rpc_set_state, (uint32_t state));
 DEFINE_STUB(spdk_rpc_get_state, uint32_t, (void), SPDK_RPC_RUNTIME);
-DEFINE_STUB_V(spdk_app_json_config_load, (const struct spdk_app_opts *opts,
+DEFINE_STUB_V(spdk_app_json_config_load, (const char *json_config_file, const char *rpc_addr,
 		struct spdk_event *done_event));
 
 static void