diff --git a/audio/decode/ad_lavc.c b/audio/decode/ad_lavc.c
index a420021f4a..8362e918f3 100644
--- a/audio/decode/ad_lavc.c
+++ b/audio/decode/ad_lavc.c
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ static bool init(struct mp_filter *da, struct mp_codec_params *codec,
                  const char *decoder)
 {
     struct priv *ctx = da->priv;
-    struct MPOpts *mpopts = mp_get_config_group(ctx, da->global, GLOBAL_CONFIG);
+    struct MPOpts *mpopts = mp_get_config_group(ctx, da->global, &mp_opt_root);
     struct ad_lavc_params *opts =
         mp_get_config_group(ctx, da->global, &ad_lavc_conf);
     AVCodecContext *lavc_context;
diff --git a/demux/demux_mkv_timeline.c b/demux/demux_mkv_timeline.c
index 60bdf3b673..5bbadc0781 100644
--- a/demux/demux_mkv_timeline.c
+++ b/demux/demux_mkv_timeline.c
@@ -515,7 +515,7 @@ void build_ordered_chapter_timeline(struct timeline *tl)
         .global = tl->global,
         .tl = tl,
         .demuxer = demuxer,
-        .opts = mp_get_config_group(ctx, tl->global, GLOBAL_CONFIG),
+        .opts = mp_get_config_group(ctx, tl->global, &mp_opt_root),
     };
 
     if (!ctx->opts->ordered_chapters || !demuxer->access_references) {
diff --git a/filters/f_decoder_wrapper.c b/filters/f_decoder_wrapper.c
index 9654af3ac9..7ce13606b6 100644
--- a/filters/f_decoder_wrapper.c
+++ b/filters/f_decoder_wrapper.c
@@ -775,7 +775,7 @@ struct mp_decoder_wrapper *mp_decoder_wrapper_create(struct mp_filter *parent,
 
     struct priv *p = f->priv;
     struct mp_decoder_wrapper *w = &p->public;
-    p->opt_cache = m_config_cache_alloc(p, f->global, GLOBAL_CONFIG);
+    p->opt_cache = m_config_cache_alloc(p, f->global, &mp_opt_root);
     p->log = f->log;
     p->f = f;
     p->header = src;
diff --git a/input/ipc-unix.c b/input/ipc-unix.c
index 94a0b4700b..bfd035298c 100644
--- a/input/ipc-unix.c
+++ b/input/ipc-unix.c
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ done:
 struct mp_ipc_ctx *mp_init_ipc(struct mp_client_api *client_api,
                                struct mpv_global *global)
 {
-    struct MPOpts *opts = mp_get_config_group(NULL, global, GLOBAL_CONFIG);
+    struct MPOpts *opts = mp_get_config_group(NULL, global, &mp_opt_root);
 
     struct mp_ipc_ctx *arg = talloc_ptrtype(NULL, arg);
     *arg = (struct mp_ipc_ctx){
diff --git a/input/ipc-win.c b/input/ipc-win.c
index 8bfbaf409b..727a8cca73 100644
--- a/input/ipc-win.c
+++ b/input/ipc-win.c
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ done:
 struct mp_ipc_ctx *mp_init_ipc(struct mp_client_api *client_api,
                                struct mpv_global *global)
 {
-    struct MPOpts *opts = mp_get_config_group(NULL, global, GLOBAL_CONFIG);
+    struct MPOpts *opts = mp_get_config_group(NULL, global, &mp_opt_root);
 
     struct mp_ipc_ctx *arg = talloc_ptrtype(NULL, arg);
     *arg = (struct mp_ipc_ctx){
diff --git a/options/m_config.c b/options/m_config.c
index 542288f06f..318ced3d34 100644
--- a/options/m_config.c
+++ b/options/m_config.c
@@ -451,23 +451,15 @@ static void config_destroy(void *p)
 }
 
 struct m_config *m_config_new(void *talloc_ctx, struct mp_log *log,
-                              size_t size, const void *defaults,
-                              const struct m_option *options)
+                              const struct m_sub_options *root)
 {
     struct m_config *config = talloc(talloc_ctx, struct m_config);
     talloc_set_destructor(config, config_destroy);
     *config = (struct m_config){.log = log,};
 
-    struct m_sub_options *subopts = talloc_ptrtype(config, subopts);
-    *subopts = (struct m_sub_options){
-        .opts = options,
-        .size = size,
-        .defaults = defaults,
-    };
+    config->shadow = m_config_shadow_new(root);
 
-    config->shadow = m_config_shadow_new(subopts);
-
-    if (size) {
+    if (root->size) {
         config->data = allocate_option_data(config, config->shadow, 0,
                                             config->shadow->data);
         config->optstruct = config->data->gdata[0].udata;
@@ -500,9 +492,16 @@ static struct m_config *m_config_from_obj_desc(void *talloc_ctx,
                                                struct mpv_global *global,
                                                struct m_obj_desc *desc)
 {
-    struct m_config *c =
-        m_config_new(talloc_ctx, log, desc->priv_size, desc->priv_defaults,
-                     desc->options);
+    struct m_sub_options *root = talloc_ptrtype(NULL, root);
+    *root = (struct m_sub_options){
+        .opts = desc->options,
+        // (global == NULL got repurposed to mean "no alloc")
+        .size = global ? desc->priv_size : 0,
+        .defaults = desc->priv_defaults,
+    };
+
+    struct m_config *c = m_config_new(talloc_ctx, log, root);
+    talloc_steal(c, root);
     c->global = global;
     if (desc->set_defaults && c->global)
         desc->set_defaults(c->global, c->optstruct);
@@ -513,7 +512,7 @@ struct m_config *m_config_from_obj_desc_noalloc(void *talloc_ctx,
                                                 struct mp_log *log,
                                                 struct m_obj_desc *desc)
 {
-    return m_config_new(talloc_ctx, log, 0, desc->priv_defaults, desc->options);
+    return m_config_from_obj_desc(talloc_ctx, log, NULL, desc);
 }
 
 static const struct m_config_group *find_group(struct mpv_global *global,
@@ -1365,8 +1364,7 @@ struct m_config_cache *m_config_cache_alloc(void *ta_parent,
     int group_index = -1;
 
     for (int n = 0; n < shadow->num_groups; n++) {
-        // group==NULL is special cased to root group.
-        if (shadow->groups[n].group == group || (!group && !n)) {
+        if (shadow->groups[n].group == group) {
             group_index = n;
             break;
         }
diff --git a/options/m_config.h b/options/m_config.h
index 0f05e117a3..357dca5d4d 100644
--- a/options/m_config.h
+++ b/options/m_config.h
@@ -92,16 +92,10 @@ typedef struct m_config {
 
 // Create a new config object.
 //  talloc_ctx: talloc parent context for the m_config allocation
-//  size: size of the optstruct (where option values are stored)
-//        size==0 creates a config object with no option struct allocated
-//  defaults: if not NULL, points to a struct of same type as optstruct, which
-//            contains default values for all options
-//  options: list of options. Each option defines a member of the optstruct
-//           and a corresponding option switch or sub-option field.
-// Note that the m_config object will keep pointers to defaults and options.
+//  root: description of all options
+// Note that the m_config object will keep pointers to root and log.
 struct m_config *m_config_new(void *talloc_ctx, struct mp_log *log,
-                              size_t size, const void *defaults,
-                              const struct m_option *options);
+                              const struct m_sub_options *root);
 
 // Create a m_config for the given desc. This is for --af/--vf, which have
 // different sub-options for every filter (represented by separate desc
@@ -279,8 +273,6 @@ struct m_config_cache {
     struct config_cache *internal;
 };
 
-#define GLOBAL_CONFIG NULL
-
 // Create a mirror copy from the global options.
 // Keep in mind that a m_config_cache object is not thread-safe; it merely
 // provides thread-safe access to the global options. All API functions for
@@ -290,9 +282,7 @@ struct m_config_cache {
 // time.
 //  ta_parent: parent for the returned allocation
 //  global: option data source
-//  group: the option group to return. This can be GLOBAL_CONFIG for the global
-//         option struct (MPOpts), or m_sub_options used in a certain
-//         OPT_SUBSTRUCT() item.
+//  group: the option group to return
 struct m_config_cache *m_config_cache_alloc(void *ta_parent,
                                             struct mpv_global *global,
                                             const struct m_sub_options *group);
@@ -355,7 +345,6 @@ void m_config_cache_write_opt(struct m_config_cache *cache, void *ptr);
 // Like m_config_cache_alloc(), but return the struct (m_config_cache->opts)
 // directly, with no way to update the config. Basically this returns a copy
 // with a snapshot of the current option values.
-// group==GLOBAL_CONFIG is a special case, and always returns the root group.
 void *mp_get_config_group(void *ta_parent, struct mpv_global *global,
                           const struct m_sub_options *group);
 
diff --git a/options/options.c b/options/options.c
index 6437dc81c5..ee226843c2 100644
--- a/options/options.c
+++ b/options/options.c
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ const struct m_sub_options filter_conf = {
 #undef OPT_BASE_STRUCT
 #define OPT_BASE_STRUCT struct MPOpts
 
-const m_option_t mp_opts[] = {
+static const m_option_t mp_opts[] = {
     // handled in command line pre-parser (parse_commandline.c)
     {"v", &m_option_type_dummy_flag, CONF_NOCFG | M_OPT_NOPROP,
      .offset = -1},
@@ -896,7 +896,7 @@ const m_option_t mp_opts[] = {
     {0}
 };
 
-const struct MPOpts mp_default_opts = {
+static const struct MPOpts mp_default_opts = {
     .use_terminal = 1,
     .msg_color = 1,
     .audio_decoders = NULL,
@@ -991,4 +991,10 @@ const struct MPOpts mp_default_opts = {
     .cuda_device = -1,
 };
 
+const struct m_sub_options mp_opt_root = {
+    .opts = mp_opts,
+    .size = sizeof(struct MPOpts),
+    .defaults = &mp_default_opts,
+};
+
 #endif /* MPLAYER_CFG_MPLAYER_H */
diff --git a/options/options.h b/options/options.h
index 126e4cb59a..1935888032 100644
--- a/options/options.h
+++ b/options/options.h
@@ -355,8 +355,6 @@ struct filter_opts {
     int deinterlace;
 };
 
-extern const m_option_t mp_opts[];
-extern const struct MPOpts mp_default_opts;
 extern const struct m_sub_options vo_sub_opts;
 extern const struct m_sub_options dvd_conf;
 extern const struct m_sub_options mp_subtitle_sub_opts;
@@ -364,5 +362,6 @@ extern const struct m_sub_options mp_osd_render_sub_opts;
 extern const struct m_sub_options filter_conf;
 extern const struct m_sub_options resample_conf;
 extern const struct m_sub_options stream_conf;
+extern const struct m_sub_options mp_opt_root;
 
 #endif
diff --git a/player/main.c b/player/main.c
index 3f39dad04c..f4c7348af4 100644
--- a/player/main.c
+++ b/player/main.c
@@ -296,8 +296,7 @@ struct MPContext *mp_create(void)
     mpctx->statusline = mp_log_new(mpctx, mpctx->log, "!statusline");
 
     // Create the config context and register the options
-    mpctx->mconfig = m_config_new(mpctx, mpctx->log, sizeof(struct MPOpts),
-                                  &mp_default_opts, mp_opts);
+    mpctx->mconfig = m_config_new(mpctx, mpctx->log, &mp_opt_root);
     mpctx->opts = mpctx->mconfig->optstruct;
     mpctx->global->config = mpctx->mconfig->shadow;
     mpctx->mconfig->includefunc = cfg_include;