diff --git a/providers/os/connection/docker_container.go b/providers/os/connection/docker_container.go
index 0da495edab..6d76b564c3 100644
--- a/providers/os/connection/docker_container.go
+++ b/providers/os/connection/docker_container.go
@@ -372,3 +372,31 @@ func NewDockerContainerImageConnection(id uint32, conf *inventory.Config, asset
 	tarConn.Metadata.Labels = ii.Labels
 	return tarConn, nil
 }
+
+// based on the target, try and find out what kind of connection we are dealing with, this can be either a
+// 1. a container, referenced by name or id
+// 2. a locally present image, referenced by tag or digest
+// 3. a remote image, referenced by tag or digest
+func FetchConnectionType(target string) (string, error) {
+	ded, err := docker_discovery.NewDockerEngineDiscovery()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	if ded != nil {
+		_, err = ded.ContainerInfo(target)
+		if err == nil {
+			return "docker-container", nil
+		}
+		_, err = ded.ImageInfo(target)
+		if err == nil {
+			return "docker-image", nil
+		}
+	}
+	_, err = name.ParseReference(target, name.WeakValidation)
+	if err == nil {
+		return "docker-image", nil
+	}
+
+	return "", errors.New("could not find container or image " + target)
+}
diff --git a/providers/os/provider/provider.go b/providers/os/provider/provider.go
index 51a157f04d..aa8f7a7273 100644
--- a/providers/os/provider/provider.go
+++ b/providers/os/provider/provider.go
@@ -88,7 +88,31 @@ func (s *Service) ParseCLI(req *plugin.ParseCLIReq) (*plugin.ParseCLIRes, error)
 		port = 5985
 	case "vagrant":
 		conf.Type = "vagrant"
-	case "container", "docker":
+	case "docker":
+		if len(req.Args) > 1 {
+			switch req.Args[0] {
+			case "image":
+				conf.Type = "docker-image"
+				conf.Host = req.Args[1]
+			case "registry":
+				conf.Type = "docker-registry"
+				conf.Host = req.Args[1]
+			case "tar":
+				conf.Type = "docker-snapshot"
+				conf.Path = req.Args[1]
+			case "container":
+				conf.Type = "docker-container"
+				conf.Host = req.Args[1]
+			}
+		} else {
+			connType, err := connection.FetchConnectionType(req.Args[0])
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			conf.Type = connType
+			containerID = req.Args[0]
+		}
+	case "container":
 		if len(req.Args) > 1 {
 			switch req.Args[0] {
 			case "image":