diff --git a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/init.go b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/init.go
index eac1c87ff4e..68e2c020b95 100644
--- a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/init.go
+++ b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/init.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/mysqlctl"
+	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/utils"
 )
 
 var Init = &cobra.Command{
@@ -64,8 +65,8 @@ func commandInit(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	Init.Flags().DurationVar(&initArgs.WaitTime, "wait_time", initArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld startup.")
-	Init.Flags().StringVar(&initArgs.InitDbSQLFile, "init_db_sql_file", initArgs.InitDbSQLFile, "Path to .sql file to run after mysqld initiliaztion.")
+	utils.SetFlagDurationVar(Init.Flags(), &initArgs.WaitTime, "wait-time", initArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld startup.")
+	utils.SetFlagStringVar(Init.Flags(), &initArgs.InitDbSQLFile, "init-db-sql-file", initArgs.InitDbSQLFile, "Path to .sql file to run after mysqld initiliaztion.")
 
 	Root.AddCommand(Init)
 }
diff --git a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/shutdown.go b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/shutdown.go
index 725fc061b88..9f30088dcb4 100644
--- a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/shutdown.go
+++ b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/shutdown.go
@@ -24,13 +24,14 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/mysqlctl"
+	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/utils"
 )
 
 var Shutdown = &cobra.Command{
 	Use:   "shutdown",
 	Short: "Shuts down mysqld, without removing any files.",
 	Long: "Stop a `mysqld` instance that was previously started with `init` or `start`.\n\n" +
-		"For large `mysqld` instances, you may need to extend the `wait_time` to shutdown cleanly.",
+		"For large `mysqld` instances, you may need to extend the `wait-time` to shutdown cleanly.",
 	Example: `mysqlctl --tablet-uid 101 --alsologtostderr shutdown`,
 	Args:    cobra.NoArgs,
 	RunE:    commandShutdown,
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ func commandShutdown(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	Shutdown.Flags().DurationVar(&shutdownArgs.WaitTime, "wait_time", shutdownArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld shutdown.")
+	utils.SetFlagDurationVar(Shutdown.Flags(), &shutdownArgs.WaitTime, "wait-time", shutdownArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld shutdown.")
 
 	Root.AddCommand(Shutdown)
 }
diff --git a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/start.go b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/start.go
index 662a110c8cd..872443fe2e6 100644
--- a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/start.go
+++ b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/start.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/flagutil"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/mysqlctl"
+	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/utils"
 )
 
 var Start = &cobra.Command{
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ func commandStart(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	Start.Flags().DurationVar(&startArgs.WaitTime, "wait_time", startArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld startup.")
+	utils.SetFlagDurationVar(Start.Flags(), &startArgs.WaitTime, "wait-time", startArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld startup.")
 	Start.Flags().Var(&startArgs.MySQLdArgs, "mysqld_args", "List of comma-separated flags to pass additionally to mysqld.")
 
 	Root.AddCommand(Start)
diff --git a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/teardown.go b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/teardown.go
index 77a653bd030..a9bd659916c 100644
--- a/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/teardown.go
+++ b/go/cmd/mysqlctl/command/teardown.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/mysqlctl"
+	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/utils"
 )
 
 var Teardown = &cobra.Command{
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ func commandTeardown(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 }
 
 func init() {
-	Teardown.Flags().DurationVar(&teardownArgs.WaitTime, "wait_time", teardownArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld shutdown.")
+	utils.SetFlagDurationVar(Teardown.Flags(), &teardownArgs.WaitTime, "wait-time", teardownArgs.WaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld shutdown.")
 	Teardown.Flags().BoolVarP(&teardownArgs.Force, "force", "f", teardownArgs.Force, "Remove the root directory even if mysqld shutdown fails.")
 
 	Root.AddCommand(Teardown)
diff --git a/go/cmd/mysqlctld/cli/mysqlctld.go b/go/cmd/mysqlctld/cli/mysqlctld.go
index 94861edf27c..e4f63b9c57f 100644
--- a/go/cmd/mysqlctld/cli/mysqlctld.go
+++ b/go/cmd/mysqlctld/cli/mysqlctld.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ var (
 	--log_dir=${VTDATAROOT}/logs \
 	--tablet-uid=100 \
 	--mysql-port=17100 \
-	--socket_file=/path/to/socket_file`,
+	--socket-file=/path/to/socket-file`,
 		Args:    cobra.NoArgs,
 		Version: servenv.AppVersion.String(),
 		PreRunE: servenv.CobraPreRunE,
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ func init() {
 	utils.SetFlagIntVar(Main.Flags(), &mysqlPort, "mysql-port", mysqlPort, "MySQL port")
 	utils.SetFlagUint32Var(Main.Flags(), &tabletUID, "tablet-uid", tabletUID, "Tablet UID")
 	utils.SetFlagStringVar(Main.Flags(), &mysqlSocket, "mysql-socket", mysqlSocket, "Path to the mysqld socket file")
-	Main.Flags().DurationVar(&waitTime, "wait_time", waitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld startup")
-	Main.Flags().StringVar(&initDBSQLFile, "init_db_sql_file", initDBSQLFile, "Path to .sql file to run after mysqld initialization")
+	utils.SetFlagDurationVar(Main.Flags(), &waitTime, "wait-time", waitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld startup")
+	utils.SetFlagStringVar(Main.Flags(), &initDBSQLFile, "init-db-sql-file", initDBSQLFile, "Path to .sql file to run after mysqld initialization")
 	Main.Flags().DurationVar(&shutdownWaitTime, "shutdown-wait-time", shutdownWaitTime, "How long to wait for mysqld shutdown")
 
 	acl.RegisterFlags(Main.Flags())
diff --git a/go/cmd/vtbackup/cli/vtbackup.go b/go/cmd/vtbackup/cli/vtbackup.go
index a4e7fba9798..2f2654c0586 100644
--- a/go/cmd/vtbackup/cli/vtbackup.go
+++ b/go/cmd/vtbackup/cli/vtbackup.go
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ func init() {
 	Main.Flags().DurationVar(&minBackupInterval, "min_backup_interval", minBackupInterval, "Only take a new backup if it's been at least this long since the most recent backup.")
 	Main.Flags().DurationVar(&minRetentionTime, "min_retention_time", minRetentionTime, "Keep each old backup for at least this long before removing it. Set to 0 to disable pruning of old backups.")
 	Main.Flags().IntVar(&minRetentionCount, "min_retention_count", minRetentionCount, "Always keep at least this many of the most recent backups in this backup storage location, even if some are older than the min_retention_time. This must be at least 1 since a backup must always exist to allow new backups to be made")
-	Main.Flags().BoolVar(&initialBackup, "initial_backup", initialBackup, "Instead of restoring from backup, initialize an empty database with the provided init_db_sql_file and upload a backup of that for the shard, if the shard has no backups yet. This can be used to seed a brand new shard with an initial, empty backup. If any backups already exist for the shard, this will be considered a successful no-op. This can only be done before the shard exists in topology (i.e. before any tablets are deployed).")
+	Main.Flags().BoolVar(&initialBackup, "initial_backup", initialBackup, "Instead of restoring from backup, initialize an empty database with the provided init-db-sql-file and upload a backup of that for the shard, if the shard has no backups yet. This can be used to seed a brand new shard with an initial, empty backup. If any backups already exist for the shard, this will be considered a successful no-op. This can only be done before the shard exists in topology (i.e. before any tablets are deployed).")
 	Main.Flags().BoolVar(&allowFirstBackup, "allow_first_backup", allowFirstBackup, "Allow this job to take the first backup of an existing shard.")
 	Main.Flags().BoolVar(&restartBeforeBackup, "restart_before_backup", restartBeforeBackup, "Perform a mysqld clean/full restart after applying binlogs, but before taking the backup. Only makes sense to work around xtrabackup bugs.")
 	Main.Flags().BoolVar(&upgradeSafe, "upgrade-safe", upgradeSafe, "Whether to use innodb_fast_shutdown=0 for the backup so it is safe to use for MySQL upgrades.")
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ func init() {
 	utils.SetFlagStringVar(Main.Flags(), &mysqlSocket, "mysql-socket", mysqlSocket, "Path to the mysqld socket file")
 	Main.Flags().DurationVar(&mysqlTimeout, "mysql_timeout", mysqlTimeout, "how long to wait for mysqld startup")
 	Main.Flags().DurationVar(&mysqlShutdownTimeout, "mysql-shutdown-timeout", mysqlShutdownTimeout, "how long to wait for mysqld shutdown")
-	Main.Flags().StringVar(&initDBSQLFile, "init_db_sql_file", initDBSQLFile, "path to .sql file to run after mysql_install_db")
+	utils.SetFlagStringVar(Main.Flags(), &initDBSQLFile, "init-db-sql-file", initDBSQLFile, "path to .sql file to run after mysql_install_db")
 	Main.Flags().BoolVar(&detachedMode, "detach", detachedMode, "detached mode - run backups detached from the terminal")
 	Main.Flags().DurationVar(&keepAliveTimeout, "keep-alive-timeout", keepAliveTimeout, "Wait until timeout elapses after a successful backup before shutting down.")
 	Main.Flags().BoolVar(&disableRedoLog, "disable-redo-log", disableRedoLog, "Disable InnoDB redo log during replication-from-primary phase of backup.")
diff --git a/go/cmd/vtctl/vtctl.go b/go/cmd/vtctl/vtctl.go
index ba84369620a..78fd403deec 100644
--- a/go/cmd/vtctl/vtctl.go
+++ b/go/cmd/vtctl/vtctl.go
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import (
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/logutil"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/servenv"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/topo"
+	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/utils"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/vtctl"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/vtctl/grpcvtctldserver"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/vtctl/localvtctldclient"
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ func init() {
 			vtctl.PrintAllCommands(logger)
 		}
 
-		fs.DurationVar(&waitTime, "wait-time", waitTime, "time to wait on an action")
+		utils.SetFlagDurationVar(fs, &waitTime, "wait-time", waitTime, "time to wait on an action")
 		fs.BoolVar(&detachedMode, "detach", detachedMode, "detached mode - run vtcl detached from the terminal")
 
 		acl.RegisterFlags(fs)
diff --git a/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctl.txt b/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctl.txt
index 8d0890887c5..c3dc4b920ff 100644
--- a/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctl.txt
+++ b/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctl.txt
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ Flags:
       --replication-connect-retry duration                          how long to wait in between replica reconnect attempts. Only precise to the second. (default 10s)
       --security-policy string                                      the name of a registered security policy to use for controlling access to URLs - empty means allow all for anyone (built-in policies: deny-all, read-only)
       --service-map strings                                         comma separated list of services to enable (or disable if prefixed with '-') Example: grpc-queryservice
-      --socket_file string                                          Local unix socket file to listen on
+      --socket-file string                                          Local unix socket file to listen on
       --stderrthreshold severityFlag                                logs at or above this threshold go to stderr (default 1)
       --table-refresh-interval int                                  interval in milliseconds to refresh tables in status page with refreshRequired class
       --tablet-dir string                                           The directory within the vtdataroot to store vttablet/mysql files. Defaults to being generated by the tablet uid.
diff --git a/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctld.txt b/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctld.txt
index a0d3edf6ef0..e728e1561d2 100644
--- a/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctld.txt
+++ b/go/flags/endtoend/mysqlctld.txt
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ mysqlctld \
 	--log_dir=${VTDATAROOT}/logs \
 	--tablet-uid=100 \
 	--mysql-port=17100 \
-	--socket_file=/path/to/socket_file
+	--socket-file=/path/to/socket-file
 
 Flags:
       --alsologtostderr                                                  log to standard error as well as files
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Flags:
       --grpc-server-keepalive-time duration                              After a duration of this time, if the server doesn't see any activity, it pings the client to see if the transport is still alive. (default 10s)
       --grpc-server-keepalive-timeout duration                           After having pinged for keepalive check, the server waits for a duration of Timeout and if no activity is seen even after that the connection is closed. (default 10s)
   -h, --help                                                             help for mysqlctld
-      --init_db_sql_file string                                          Path to .sql file to run after mysqld initialization
+      --init-db-sql-file string                                          Path to .sql file to run after mysqld initialization
       --keep-logs duration                                               keep logs for this long (using ctime) (zero to keep forever)
       --keep-logs-by-mtime duration                                      keep logs for this long (using mtime) (zero to keep forever)
       --lameduck-period duration                                         keep running at least this long after SIGTERM before stopping (default 50ms)
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ Flags:
       --security-policy string                                           the name of a registered security policy to use for controlling access to URLs - empty means allow all for anyone (built-in policies: deny-all, read-only)
       --service-map strings                                              comma separated list of services to enable (or disable if prefixed with '-') Example: grpc-queryservice
       --shutdown-wait-time duration                                      How long to wait for mysqld shutdown (default 5m0s)
-      --socket_file string                                               Local unix socket file to listen on
+      --socket-file string                                               Local unix socket file to listen on
       --stderrthreshold severityFlag                                     logs at or above this threshold go to stderr (default 1)
       --table-refresh-interval int                                       interval in milliseconds to refresh tables in status page with refreshRequired class
       --tablet-dir string                                                The directory within the vtdataroot to store vttablet/mysql files. Defaults to being generated by the tablet uid.
@@ -124,4 +124,4 @@ Flags:
       --v Level                                                          log level for V logs
   -v, --version                                                          print binary version
       --vmodule vModuleFlag                                              comma-separated list of pattern=N settings for file-filtered logging
-      --wait_time duration                                               How long to wait for mysqld startup (default 5m0s)
+      --wait-time duration                                               How long to wait for mysqld startup (default 5m0s)
diff --git a/go/flags/endtoend/vtbackup.txt b/go/flags/endtoend/vtbackup.txt
index 0481df556d5..f6ca6b679cd 100644
--- a/go/flags/endtoend/vtbackup.txt
+++ b/go/flags/endtoend/vtbackup.txt
@@ -147,10 +147,10 @@ Flags:
   -h, --help                                                        help for vtbackup
       --incremental_from_pos string                                 Position, or name of backup from which to create an incremental backup. Default: empty. If given, then this backup becomes an incremental backup from given position or given backup. If value is 'auto', this backup will be taken from the last successful backup position.
       --init-db-name-override string                                (init parameter) override the name of the db used by vttablet
+      --init-db-sql-file string                                     path to .sql file to run after mysql_install_db
       --init-keyspace string                                        (init parameter) keyspace to use for this tablet
       --init-shard string                                           (init parameter) shard to use for this tablet
-      --init_db_sql_file string                                     path to .sql file to run after mysql_install_db
-      --initial_backup                                              Instead of restoring from backup, initialize an empty database with the provided init_db_sql_file and upload a backup of that for the shard, if the shard has no backups yet. This can be used to seed a brand new shard with an initial, empty backup. If any backups already exist for the shard, this will be considered a successful no-op. This can only be done before the shard exists in topology (i.e. before any tablets are deployed).
+      --initial_backup                                              Instead of restoring from backup, initialize an empty database with the provided init-db-sql-file and upload a backup of that for the shard, if the shard has no backups yet. This can be used to seed a brand new shard with an initial, empty backup. If any backups already exist for the shard, this will be considered a successful no-op. This can only be done before the shard exists in topology (i.e. before any tablets are deployed).
       --keep-alive-timeout duration                                 Wait until timeout elapses after a successful backup before shutting down.
       --keep-logs duration                                          keep logs for this long (using ctime) (zero to keep forever)
       --keep-logs-by-mtime duration                                 keep logs for this long (using mtime) (zero to keep forever)
diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctl_process.go b/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctl_process.go
index 397d0631788..ca741c2814c 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctl_process.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctl_process.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ type MysqlctlProcess struct {
 // InitDb executes mysqlctl command to add cell info
 func (mysqlctl *MysqlctlProcess) InitDb() (err error) {
 	args := []string{"--log_dir", mysqlctl.LogDirectory,
-		//TODO: Remove underscore(_) flags in v25, replace them with dashed(-) notation
+		//todo: Remove underscore(_) flags in v25, replace them with dashed(-) notation
 		"--tablet_uid", fmt.Sprintf("%d", mysqlctl.TabletUID),
 		"--mysql_port", fmt.Sprintf("%d", mysqlctl.MySQLPort),
 		"init",
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ func (mysqlctl *MysqlctlProcess) InitDb() (err error) {
 		args = append(args, "--")
 	}
 
+	//TODO: Remove underscore(_) flags in v25, replace them with dashed(-) notation
 	args = append(args, "--init_db_sql_file", mysqlctl.InitDBFile)
 	if *isCoverage {
 		args = append([]string{"--test.coverprofile=" + getCoveragePath("mysql-initdb.out"), "--test.v"}, args...)
@@ -156,7 +157,7 @@ ssl_key={{.ServerKey}}
 			if mysqlctl.MajorVersion < 18 {
 				tmpProcess.Args = append(tmpProcess.Args, "--")
 			}
-
+			//TODO: Remove underscore(_) flags in v25, replace them with dashed(-) notation
 			tmpProcess.Args = append(tmpProcess.Args, "--init_db_sql_file", mysqlctl.InitDBFile)
 		} else {
 			tmpProcess.Args = append(tmpProcess.Args, "start")
diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctld_process.go b/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctld_process.go
index 003df184bb6..8a25b7bcffe 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctld_process.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/cluster/mysqlctld_process.go
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ func (mysqlctld *MysqlctldProcess) Start() error {
 		"--mysql_port", fmt.Sprintf("%d", mysqlctld.MySQLPort),
 	}
 	if mysqlctld.SocketFile != "" {
+		//TODO: Remove underscore(_) flags in v25, replace them with dashed(-) notation
 		args = append(args, "--socket_file", mysqlctld.SocketFile)
 	}
 	tempProcess := exec.Command(
@@ -91,6 +92,7 @@ func (mysqlctld *MysqlctldProcess) Start() error {
 
 	if mysqlctld.InitMysql {
 		tempProcess.Args = append(tempProcess.Args,
+			//TODO: Remove underscore(_) flags in v25, replace them with dashed(-) notation
 			"--init_db_sql_file", mysqlctld.InitDBFile)
 	}
 
diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/cluster/vtbackup_process.go b/go/test/endtoend/cluster/vtbackup_process.go
index 6e3e10a444b..77ea3c2b6a7 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/cluster/vtbackup_process.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/cluster/vtbackup_process.go
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (vtbackup *VtbackupProcess) Setup() (err error) {
 
 		//initDBfile is required to run vtbackup
 		"--mysql-port":       fmt.Sprintf("%d", vtbackup.MysqlPort),
-		"--init_db_sql_file": vtbackup.initDBfile,
+		"--init-db-sql-file": vtbackup.initDBfile,
 		"--init-keyspace":    vtbackup.Keyspace,
 		"--init-shard":       vtbackup.Shard,
 
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ func (vtbackup *VtbackupProcess) Setup() (err error) {
 	utils.SetFlagVariantsForTests(flags, "--topo-global-server-address", vtbackup.TopoGlobalAddress)
 	utils.SetFlagVariantsForTests(flags, "--topo-global-root", vtbackup.TopoGlobalRoot)
 	utils.SetFlagVariantsForTests(flags, "--mysql-port", fmt.Sprintf("%d", vtbackup.MysqlPort))
+	utils.SetFlagVariantsForTests(flags, "--init-db-sql-file", vtbackup.initDBfile)
 	utils.SetFlagVariantsForTests(flags, "--init-keyspace", vtbackup.Keyspace)
 	utils.SetFlagVariantsForTests(flags, "--init-shard", vtbackup.Shard)
 	utils.SetFlagVariantsForTests(flags, "--backup-storage-implementation", vtbackup.BackupStorageImplementation)
diff --git a/go/vt/mysqlctl/mysqld.go b/go/vt/mysqlctl/mysqld.go
index def10c3a1ea..7d964ef3c89 100644
--- a/go/vt/mysqlctl/mysqld.go
+++ b/go/vt/mysqlctl/mysqld.go
@@ -802,15 +802,15 @@ func (mysqld *Mysqld) Init(ctx context.Context, cnf *Mycnf, initDBSQLFile string
 	// else, user specified an init db file
 	sqlFile, err := os.Open(initDBSQLFile)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("can't open init_db_sql_file (%v): %v", initDBSQLFile, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't open init-db-sql-file (%v): %v", initDBSQLFile, err)
 	}
 	defer sqlFile.Close()
 	script, err := io.ReadAll(sqlFile)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("can't read init_db_sql_file (%v): %v", initDBSQLFile, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't read init-db-sql-file (%v): %v", initDBSQLFile, err)
 	}
 	if err := mysqld.executeMysqlScript(ctx, params, string(script)); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("can't run init_db_sql_file (%v): %v", initDBSQLFile, err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't run init-db-sql-file (%v): %v", initDBSQLFile, err)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/go/vt/servenv/unix_socket.go b/go/vt/servenv/unix_socket.go
index 64b21537bfa..059b38458bd 100644
--- a/go/vt/servenv/unix_socket.go
+++ b/go/vt/servenv/unix_socket.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/log"
+	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/utils"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -59,6 +60,6 @@ func serveSocketFile() {
 // to a socket. This needs to be called before flags are parsed.
 func RegisterDefaultSocketFileFlags() {
 	OnParse(func(fs *pflag.FlagSet) {
-		fs.StringVar(&socketFile, "socket_file", socketFile, "Local unix socket file to listen on")
+		utils.SetFlagStringVar(fs, &socketFile, "socket-file", socketFile, "Local unix socket file to listen on")
 	})
 }
diff --git a/go/vt/vttest/mysqlctl.go b/go/vt/vttest/mysqlctl.go
index 751da56f3d8..ab7d21a0894 100644
--- a/go/vt/vttest/mysqlctl.go
+++ b/go/vt/vttest/mysqlctl.go
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func (ctl *Mysqlctl) Setup() error {
 		"--tablet-uid", fmt.Sprintf("%d", ctl.UID),
 		"--mysql-port", fmt.Sprintf("%d", ctl.Port),
 		"init",
-		"--init_db_sql_file", ctl.InitFile,
+		"--init-db-sql-file", ctl.InitFile,
 	)
 
 	myCnf := strings.Join(ctl.MyCnf, ":")