diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config.go
index 6ad8805a9a7..f328547687a 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config.go
@@ -133,8 +133,10 @@ func newCmdConfigPrintActionDefaults(out io.Writer, action string, configBytesPr
 		},
 		Args: cobra.NoArgs,
 	}
-	cmd.Flags().StringSliceVar(&kinds, "component-configs", kinds,
-		fmt.Sprintf("A comma-separated list for component config API objects to print the default values for. Available values: %v. If this flag is not set, no component configs will be printed.", getSupportedComponentConfigKinds()))
+	if action == "init" {
+		cmd.Flags().StringSliceVar(&kinds, "component-configs", kinds,
+			fmt.Sprintf("A comma-separated list for component config API objects to print the default values for. Available values: %v. If this flag is not set, no component configs will be printed.", getSupportedComponentConfigKinds()))
+	}
 	return cmd
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config_test.go
index 82ce401d197..7cf01f19790 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/cmd/config_test.go
@@ -426,56 +426,16 @@ func TestNewCmdConfigPrintActionDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 			cmdProc:          newCmdConfigPrintInitDefaults,
 		},
 		{
-			name: "JoinConfiguration: No component configs",
+			name: "JoinConfiguration",
 			expectedKinds: []string{
 				constants.JoinConfigurationKind,
 			},
 			cmdProc: newCmdConfigPrintJoinDefaults,
 		},
 		{
-			name: "JoinConfiguration: KubeProxyConfiguration",
-			expectedKinds: []string{
-				constants.JoinConfigurationKind,
-				"KubeProxyConfiguration",
-			},
-			componentConfigs: "KubeProxyConfiguration",
-			cmdProc:          newCmdConfigPrintJoinDefaults,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "JoinConfiguration: KubeProxyConfiguration and KubeletConfiguration",
-			expectedKinds: []string{
-				constants.JoinConfigurationKind,
-				"KubeProxyConfiguration",
-				"KubeletConfiguration",
-			},
-			componentConfigs: "KubeProxyConfiguration,KubeletConfiguration",
-			cmdProc:          newCmdConfigPrintJoinDefaults,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "ResetConfiguration: No component configs",
-			expectedKinds: []string{
-				constants.ResetConfigurationKind,
-			},
-			cmdProc: newCmdConfigPrintResetDefaults,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "JoinConfiguration: KubeProxyConfiguration",
-			expectedKinds: []string{
-				"KubeProxyConfiguration",
-				constants.ResetConfigurationKind,
-			},
-			componentConfigs: "KubeProxyConfiguration",
-			cmdProc:          newCmdConfigPrintResetDefaults,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "JoinConfiguration: KubeProxyConfiguration and KubeletConfiguration",
-			expectedKinds: []string{
-				"KubeProxyConfiguration",
-				"KubeletConfiguration",
-				constants.ResetConfigurationKind,
-			},
-			componentConfigs: "KubeProxyConfiguration,KubeletConfiguration",
-			cmdProc:          newCmdConfigPrintResetDefaults,
+			name:          "ResetConfiguration",
+			expectedKinds: []string{constants.ResetConfigurationKind},
+			cmdProc:       newCmdConfigPrintResetDefaults,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -484,8 +444,10 @@ func TestNewCmdConfigPrintActionDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 			var output bytes.Buffer
 
 			command := test.cmdProc(&output)
-			if err := command.Flags().Set("component-configs", test.componentConfigs); err != nil {
-				t.Fatalf("failed to set component-configs flag")
+			if test.componentConfigs != "" {
+				if err := command.Flags().Set("component-configs", test.componentConfigs); err != nil {
+					t.Fatalf("failed to set component-configs flag")
+				}
 			}
 			if err := command.RunE(nil, nil); err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("Error from running the print command: %v", err)