diff --git a/pycbc/events/coinc.py b/pycbc/events/coinc.py
index 9b348bd80a3..f4949e33817 100644
--- a/pycbc/events/coinc.py
+++ b/pycbc/events/coinc.py
@@ -948,12 +948,16 @@ def from_cli(cls, args, num_templates, analysis_chunk, ifos):
 
         # Allow None inputs
         stat_files = args.statistic_files or []
+        stat_features = args.statistic_features or []
         stat_keywords = args.statistic_keywords or []
 
         # flatten the list of lists of filenames to a single list (may be empty)
         stat_files = sum(stat_files, [])
 
-        kwargs = stat.parse_statistic_feature_options(stat_keywords)
+        kwargs = stat.parse_statistic_feature_options(
+            stat_features,
+            stat_keywords,
+        )
 
         return cls(num_templates, analysis_chunk,
                    args.ranking_statistic,
diff --git a/pycbc/events/stat.py b/pycbc/events/stat.py
index 13c9576bf51..d5e661ce46a 100644
--- a/pycbc/events/stat.py
+++ b/pycbc/events/stat.py
@@ -1568,7 +1568,7 @@ def insert_statistic_option_group(parser, default_ranking_statistic=None):
     return statistic_opt_group
 
 
-def parse_statistic_feature_options(opts):
+def parse_statistic_feature_options(stat_features, stat_kwarg_list):
     """
     Parse the list of statistic keywords into an appropriate dictionary.
 
@@ -1586,7 +1586,17 @@ def parse_statistic_feature_options(opts):
         Statistic keywords in dict format
     """
     stat_kwarg_dict = {}
-    stat_kwarg_list = opts.statistic_keywords
+
+    # Check that the statistic keywords are allowed
+    for feature in stat_features:
+        if feature not in _allowed_statistic_features:
+            err_msg = f"--statistic-feature {feature} not recognised"
+            raise NotImplementedError(err_msg)
+
+    # Set values for each feature key to a boolean of whether we want them
+    for feature in _allowed_statistic_features:
+        stat_kwarg_dict[feature] = feature in stat_features
+
     for inputstr in stat_kwarg_list:
         try:
             key, value = inputstr.split(':')
@@ -1597,16 +1607,6 @@ def parse_statistic_feature_options(opts):
                       "Received {}".format(' '.join(stat_kwarg_list))
             raise ValueError(err_txt)
 
-    # Check that the statistic keywords are allowed
-    for feature in opts.statistic_features:
-        if feature not in _allowed_statistic_features:
-            err_msg = f"--statistic-feature {feature} not recognised"
-            raise NotImplementedError(err_msg)
-
-    # Set values for each feature key to a boolean of whether we want them
-    for feature in _allowed_statistic_features:
-        stat_kwarg_dict[feature] = feature in opts.statistic_features
-
     return stat_kwarg_dict
 
 
@@ -1639,7 +1639,10 @@ def get_statistic_from_opts(opts, ifos):
     # flatten the list of lists of filenames to a single list (may be empty)
     opts.statistic_files = sum(opts.statistic_files, [])
 
-    extra_kwargs = parse_statistic_feature_options(opts)
+    extra_kwargs = parse_statistic_feature_options(
+        opts.statistic_features,
+        opts.statistic_keywords,
+    )
 
     stat_class = get_statistic(opts.ranking_statistic)(
         opts.sngl_ranking,
diff --git a/test/test_live_coinc_compare.py b/test/test_live_coinc_compare.py
index 9c42d68b999..3615f858f11 100644
--- a/test/test_live_coinc_compare.py
+++ b/test/test_live_coinc_compare.py
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ def setUp(self, *args):
             ranking_statistic="phasetd",
             statistic_files=[stat_file_paths],
             statistic_keywords=None,
+            statistic_features=None,
             timeslide_interval=0.1,
             background_ifar_limit=100,
             store_background=True