diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index 9d1d734..bfa2c70 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -784,7 +784,8 @@ If only one file is given to ripgrep, then only the count is printed if there
 is a match. The --with-filename flag can be used to force printing the file
 path in this case.
 
-This overrides the --count-matches flag.
+This overrides the --count-matches flag. Note that when --count is combined
+with --only-matching, then ripgrep behaves as if --count-matches was given.
 ");
     let arg = RGArg::switch("count").short("c")
         .help(SHORT).long_help(LONG).overrides("count-matches");
@@ -805,7 +806,8 @@ If only one file is given to ripgrep, then only the count is printed if there
 is a match. The --with-filename flag can be used to force printing the file
 path in this case.
 
-This overrides the --count flag.
+This overrides the --count flag. Note that when --count is combined with
+--only-matching, then ripgrep behaves as if --count-matches was given.
 ");
     let arg = RGArg::switch("count-matches")
         .help(SHORT).long_help(LONG).overrides("count");
diff --git a/src/args.rs b/src/args.rs
index 309f5db..a5e1341 100644
--- a/src/args.rs
+++ b/src/args.rs
@@ -747,10 +747,16 @@ impl<'a> ArgMatches<'a> {
         let count = self.is_present("count");
         let count_matches = self.is_present("count-matches");
         let invert_matches = self.is_present("invert-match");
+        let only_matching = self.is_present("only-matching");
         if count_matches && invert_matches {
-            return (true, false);
+            // Treat `-v --count-matches` as `-v -c`.
+            (true, false)
+        } else if count && only_matching {
+            // Treat `-c --only-matching` as `--count-matches`.
+            (false, true)
+        } else {
+            (count, count_matches)
         }
-        (count, count_matches)
     }
 
     /// Returns the user's color choice based on command line parameters and
diff --git a/tests/tests.rs b/tests/tests.rs
index b35f23f..4ffb6d6 100644
--- a/tests/tests.rs
+++ b/tests/tests.rs
@@ -426,6 +426,13 @@ sherlock!(count_matches_inverted, "Sherlock", ".", |wd: WorkDir, mut cmd: Comman
     assert_eq!(lines, expected);
 });
 
+sherlock!(count_matches_via_only, "the", ".", |wd: WorkDir, mut cmd: Command| {
+    cmd.arg("--count").arg("--only-matching");
+    let lines: String = wd.stdout(&mut cmd);
+    let expected = "sherlock:4\n";
+    assert_eq!(lines, expected);
+});
+
 sherlock!(files_with_matches, "Sherlock", ".", |wd: WorkDir, mut cmd: Command| {
     cmd.arg("--files-with-matches");
     let lines: String = wd.stdout(&mut cmd);