diff --git a/src/cmds.cc b/src/cmds.cc
index 04bfd852c91..a561792569b 100644
--- a/src/cmds.cc
+++ b/src/cmds.cc
@@ -170,7 +170,10 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
       }
       dout(0) << "requesting oneshot_replay for mds" << r << dendl;
       shadow = MDSMap::STATE_ONESHOT_REPLAY;
-      g_conf->mds_standby_for_rank = r;
+      char rb[32];
+      snprintf(rb, sizeof(rb), "%d", r);
+      g_conf->set_val("mds_standby_for_rank", rb);
+      g_conf->apply_changes(NULL);
     }
     else if (ceph_argparse_witharg(args, i, &val, "--hot-standby", (char*)NULL)) {
       int r = parse_rank("hot-standby", val);
@@ -180,7 +183,10 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
       }
       dout(0) << "requesting standby_replay for mds" << r << dendl;
       shadow = MDSMap::STATE_STANDBY_REPLAY;
-      g_conf->mds_standby_for_rank = r;
+      char rb[32];
+      snprintf(rb, sizeof(rb), "%d", r);
+      g_conf->set_val("mds_standby_for_rank", rb);
+      g_conf->apply_changes(NULL);
     }
     else {
       derr << "Error: can't understand argument: " << *i << "\n" << dendl;
diff --git a/src/common/config.h b/src/common/config.h
index 8419cfca16b..e946e951bae 100644
--- a/src/common/config.h
+++ b/src/common/config.h
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ private:
 
 public:
   EntityName name;
-#define OPTION_OPT_INT(name) int name;
+#define OPTION_OPT_INT(name) const int name;
 #define OPTION_OPT_LONGLONG(name) long long name;
 #define OPTION_OPT_STR(name) std::string name;
 #define OPTION_OPT_DOUBLE(name) double name;
diff --git a/src/mds/MDCache.cc b/src/mds/MDCache.cc
index cf76362a8af..a7a93c692dc 100644
--- a/src/mds/MDCache.cc
+++ b/src/mds/MDCache.cc
@@ -6151,10 +6151,14 @@ void MDCache::shutdown_check()
   dout(0) << "shutdown_check at " << ceph_clock_now(g_ceph_context) << dendl;
 
   // cache
-  int o = g_conf->debug_mds;
-  g_conf->debug_mds = 10;
+  char old_val[32] = { 0 };
+  char *o = old_val;
+  g_conf->get_val("debug_mds", &o, sizeof(old_val));
+  g_conf->set_val("debug_mds", "10");
+  g_conf->apply_changes(NULL);
   show_cache();
-  g_conf->debug_mds = o;
+  g_conf->set_val("debug_mds", old_val);
+  g_conf->apply_changes(NULL);
   mds->timer.add_event_after(g_conf->mds_shutdown_check, new C_MDC_ShutdownCheck(this));
 
   // this
diff --git a/src/rgw/librgw.cc b/src/rgw/librgw.cc
index b1d14d2e4b9..9c82db99587 100644
--- a/src/rgw/librgw.cc
+++ b/src/rgw/librgw.cc
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ int librgw_create(librgw_t *rgw, const char * const id)
     iparams.name.set(CEPH_ENTITY_TYPE_CLIENT, id);
   }
   CephContext *cct = common_preinit(iparams, CODE_ENVIRONMENT_LIBRARY, 0);
-  cct->_conf->log_to_stderr = 1; // quiet by default
+  cct->_conf->set_val("log_to_stderr", "1"); // quiet by default
   cct->_conf->parse_env(); // environment variables override
   cct->_conf->apply_changes(NULL);
 
diff --git a/src/rgw/rgw_op.cc b/src/rgw/rgw_op.cc
index 641c89be2bf..42fa61af9c5 100644
--- a/src/rgw/rgw_op.cc
+++ b/src/rgw/rgw_op.cc
@@ -1501,9 +1501,12 @@ int RGWHandler::init(struct req_state *_s, FCGX_Request *fcgx)
 
   RGWConf *conf = s->env->conf;
 
-  if (conf->log_level >= 0)
-    g_conf->rgw_log = conf->log_level;
-
+  if (conf->log_level >= 0) {
+    char buf[32];
+    snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%d", conf->log_level);
+    g_conf->set_val("rgw_log", buf);
+    g_conf->apply_changes(NULL);
+  }
   if (g_conf->rgw_log >= 20) {
     char *p;
     for (int i=0; (p = fcgx->envp[i]); ++i) {
diff --git a/src/test/store_test.cc b/src/test/store_test.cc
index f4fc7eb4db5..4ddb042c587 100644
--- a/src/test/store_test.cc
+++ b/src/test/store_test.cc
@@ -527,7 +527,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
   
   global_init(args, CEPH_ENTITY_TYPE_CLIENT, CODE_ENVIRONMENT_UTILITY, 0);
   common_init_finish(g_ceph_context);
-  g_ceph_context->_conf->osd_journal_size = 400;
+  g_ceph_context->_conf->set_val("osd_journal_size", "400");
+  g_ceph_context->_conf->apply_changes(NULL);
 
   ::testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
   return RUN_ALL_TESTS();