diff --git a/dwarves.c b/dwarves.c
index b59f09a..59e303c 100644
--- a/dwarves.c
+++ b/dwarves.c
@@ -2670,19 +2670,37 @@ static debugging_format_loader_t debugging_formats__loader(const char *name)
 
 int cus__load(struct cus *self, struct conf_load *conf, char *filename)
 {
-	int i = 0;
+	int i = 0, err = 0;
 	debugging_format_loader_t loader;
 
 	if (conf && conf->format_path != NULL) {
-		while (conf->format_path[i] != NULL) {
-			loader = debugging_formats__loader(conf->format_path[i]);
+		char *fpath = strdup(conf->format_path);
+		if (fpath == NULL)
+			return -ENOMEM;
+		char *fp = fpath;
+		while (1) {
+			char *sep = strchr(fp, ',');
+
+			if (sep != NULL)
+				*sep = '\0';
+
+			err = -ENOTSUP;
+			loader = debugging_formats__loader(fp);
 			if (loader == NULL)
-				return -ENOTSUP;
+				break;
+
+			err = 0;
 			if (loader(self, conf, filename) == 0)
-				return 0;
-			++i;
+				break;
+
+			err = -EINVAL;
+			if (sep == NULL)
+				break;
+
+			fp = sep + 1;
 		}
-		return -EINVAL;
+		free(fpath);
+		return err;
 	}
 
 	while (debugging_formats__table[i].name != NULL) {
diff --git a/dwarves.h b/dwarves.h
index 4997aa8..627bc69 100644
--- a/dwarves.h
+++ b/dwarves.h
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ struct conf_load {
 	enum load_steal_kind	(*steal)(struct cu *self,
 					 struct conf_load *conf);
 	void			*cookie;
-	char			**format_path;
+	char			*format_path;
 };
 
 struct conf_fprintf {
diff --git a/man-pages/pahole.1 b/man-pages/pahole.1
index b2c1f00..7e6c36c 100644
--- a/man-pages/pahole.1
+++ b/man-pages/pahole.1
@@ -49,6 +49,12 @@ Set cacheline size to SIZE bytes.
 Expand class members. Useful to find in what member of inner structs where an
 offset from the beginning of a struct is.
 
+.TP
+.B \-F, \-\-format_path
+Allows specifying a list of debugging formats to try, in order. Right now this
+includes "ctf" and "dwarf". The default format path used is equivalent to
+"-F dwarf,ctf".
+
 .TP
 .B \-r, \-\-rel_offset
 Show relative offsets of members in inner structs.
diff --git a/pahole.c b/pahole.c
index a63b9ff..8710f0d 100644
--- a/pahole.c
+++ b/pahole.c
@@ -728,6 +728,12 @@ static const struct argp_option pahole__options[] = {
 		.arg  = "CLASS_NAME",
 		.doc  = "Find pointers to CLASS_NAME"
 	},
+	{
+		.name = "format_path",
+		.key  = 'F',
+		.arg  = "FORMAT_LIST",
+		.doc  = "List of debugging formats to try"
+	},
 	{
 		.name = "contains",
 		.key  = 'i',
@@ -919,6 +925,7 @@ static error_t pahole__options_parser(int key, char *arg,
 	case 'E': conf.expand_types = 1;		break;
 	case 'f': find_pointers_in_structs = 1;
 		  class_name = arg;			break;
+	case 'F': conf_load.format_path = arg;		break;
 	case 'H': nr_holes = atoi(arg);			break;
 	case 'I': conf.show_decl_info = 1;
 		  conf_load.extra_dbg_info = 1;		break;