diff --git a/scrapy/command.py b/scrapy/command.py
index 5fe884abe..b2eb9cf8f 100644
--- a/scrapy/command.py
+++ b/scrapy/command.py
@@ -103,20 +103,21 @@ class ScrapyCommand(object):
 
     def process_options(self, args, opts):
         try:
-            self.settings.overrides.update(arglist_to_dict(opts.set))
+            self.settings.setdict(arglist_to_dict(opts.set),
+                                  priority='cmdline')
         except ValueError:
             raise UsageError("Invalid -s value, use -s NAME=VALUE", print_help=False)
 
         if opts.logfile:
-            self.settings.overrides['LOG_ENABLED'] = True
-            self.settings.overrides['LOG_FILE'] = opts.logfile
+            self.settings.set('LOG_ENABLED', True, priority='cmdline')
+            self.settings.set('LOG_FILE', opts.logfile, priority='cmdline')
 
         if opts.loglevel:
-            self.settings.overrides['LOG_ENABLED'] = True
-            self.settings.overrides['LOG_LEVEL'] = opts.loglevel
+            self.settings.set('LOG_ENABLED', True, priority='cmdline')
+            self.settings.set('LOG_LEVEL', opts.loglevel, priority='cmdline')
 
         if opts.nolog:
-            self.settings.overrides['LOG_ENABLED'] = False
+            self.settings.set('LOG_ENABLED', False, priority='cmdline')
 
         if opts.pidfile:
             with open(opts.pidfile, "w") as f:
diff --git a/scrapy/commands/crawl.py b/scrapy/commands/crawl.py
index 1cd40469b..5797fd81b 100644
--- a/scrapy/commands/crawl.py
+++ b/scrapy/commands/crawl.py
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ class Command(ScrapyCommand):
             raise UsageError("Invalid -a value, use -a NAME=VALUE", print_help=False)
         if opts.output:
             if opts.output == '-':
-                self.settings.overrides['FEED_URI'] = 'stdout:'
+                self.settings.set('FEED_URI', 'stdout:', priority='cmdline')
             else:
-                self.settings.overrides['FEED_URI'] = opts.output
+                self.settings.set('FEED_URI', opts.output, priority='cmdline')
             valid_output_formats = self.settings['FEED_EXPORTERS'].keys() + self.settings['FEED_EXPORTERS_BASE'].keys()
             if not opts.output_format:
                 opts.output_format = os.path.splitext(opts.output)[1].replace(".", "")
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class Command(ScrapyCommand):
                                  " using the '-t' switch or as a file extension"
                                  " from the supported list %s" % (opts.output_format,
                                                                   tuple(valid_output_formats)))
-            self.settings.overrides['FEED_FORMAT'] = opts.output_format
+            self.settings.set('FEED_FORMAT', opts.output_format, priority='cmdline')
 
     def run(self, args, opts):
         if len(args) < 1:
diff --git a/scrapy/commands/runspider.py b/scrapy/commands/runspider.py
index 2d537dee7..89d3337b6 100644
--- a/scrapy/commands/runspider.py
+++ b/scrapy/commands/runspider.py
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ class Command(ScrapyCommand):
             raise UsageError("Invalid -a value, use -a NAME=VALUE", print_help=False)
         if opts.output:
             if opts.output == '-':
-                self.settings.overrides['FEED_URI'] = 'stdout:'
+                self.settings.set('FEED_URI', 'stdout:', priority='cmdline')
             else:
-                self.settings.overrides['FEED_URI'] = opts.output
+                self.settings.set('FEED_URI', opts.output, priority='cmdline')
             valid_output_formats = self.settings['FEED_EXPORTERS'].keys() + self.settings['FEED_EXPORTERS_BASE'].keys()
             if not opts.output_format:
                 opts.output_format = os.path.splitext(opts.output)[1].replace(".", "")
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class Command(ScrapyCommand):
                                  " using the '-t' switch or as a file extension"
                                  " from the supported list %s" % (opts.output_format,
                                                                   tuple(valid_output_formats)))
-            self.settings.overrides['FEED_FORMAT'] = opts.output_format
+            self.settings.set('FEED_FORMAT', opts.output_format, priority='cmdline')
 
     def run(self, args, opts):
         if len(args) != 1: