diff --git a/apps/emqx_rule_engine/src/emqx_rule_events.erl b/apps/emqx_rule_engine/src/emqx_rule_events.erl
index 26689b022..824cfdcb1 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_rule_engine/src/emqx_rule_events.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx_rule_engine/src/emqx_rule_events.erl
@@ -63,10 +63,8 @@
 -endif.
 
 load(Topic) ->
-    IgnoreSys = proplists:get_value(ignore_sys_message, env(), true),
     HookPoint = event_name(Topic),
-    emqx_hooks:put(HookPoint, {?MODULE, hook_fun(HookPoint),
-        [#{ignore_sys_message => IgnoreSys}]}).
+    emqx_hooks:put(HookPoint, {?MODULE, hook_fun(HookPoint), [[]]}).
 
 unload() ->
     lists:foreach(fun(HookPoint) ->
@@ -77,23 +75,18 @@ unload(Topic) ->
     HookPoint = event_name(Topic),
     emqx_hooks:del(HookPoint, {?MODULE, hook_fun(HookPoint)}).
 
-env() ->
-    application:get_all_env(?APP).
-
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
 %% Callbacks
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-on_message_publish(Message = #message{flags = #{event := true}},
-                   _Env) ->
-    {ok, Message};
-on_message_publish(Message = #message{flags = #{sys := true}},
-                   #{ignore_sys_message := true}) ->
-    {ok, Message};
 on_message_publish(Message = #message{topic = Topic}, _Env) ->
-    case emqx_rule_registry:get_rules_for(Topic) of
-        [] -> ok;
-        Rules -> emqx_rule_runtime:apply_rules(Rules, eventmsg_publish(Message))
+    case ignore_sys_message(Message) of
+        true ->
+            ok;
+        false ->
+            case emqx_rule_registry:get_rules_for(Topic) of
+                [] -> ok;
+                Rules -> emqx_rule_runtime:apply_rules(Rules, eventmsg_publish(Message))
+            end
     end,
     {ok, Message}.
 
@@ -113,28 +106,31 @@ on_session_unsubscribed(ClientInfo, Topic, SubOpts, Env) ->
     apply_event('session.unsubscribed',
         fun() -> eventmsg_sub_or_unsub('session.unsubscribed', ClientInfo, Topic, SubOpts) end, Env).
 
-on_message_dropped(Message = #message{flags = #{sys := true}},
-                   _, _, #{ignore_sys_message := true}) ->
-    {ok, Message};
 on_message_dropped(Message, _, Reason, Env) ->
-    apply_event('message.dropped',
-        fun() -> eventmsg_dropped(Message, Reason) end, Env),
+    case ignore_sys_message(Message) of
+        true -> ok;
+        false ->
+            apply_event('message.dropped',
+                fun() -> eventmsg_dropped(Message, Reason) end, Env)
+    end,
     {ok, Message}.
 
-on_message_delivered(_ClientInfo, Message = #message{flags = #{sys := true}},
-                   #{ignore_sys_message := true}) ->
-    {ok, Message};
 on_message_delivered(ClientInfo, Message, Env) ->
-    apply_event('message.delivered',
-        fun() -> eventmsg_delivered(ClientInfo, Message) end, Env),
+    case ignore_sys_message(Message) of
+        true -> ok;
+        false ->
+            apply_event('message.delivered',
+                fun() -> eventmsg_delivered(ClientInfo, Message) end, Env)
+    end,
     {ok, Message}.
 
-on_message_acked(_ClientInfo, Message = #message{flags = #{sys := true}},
-                   #{ignore_sys_message := true}) ->
-    {ok, Message};
 on_message_acked(ClientInfo, Message, Env) ->
-    apply_event('message.acked',
-        fun() -> eventmsg_acked(ClientInfo, Message) end, Env),
+    case ignore_sys_message(Message) of
+        true -> ok;
+        false ->
+            apply_event('message.acked',
+                fun() -> eventmsg_acked(ClientInfo, Message) end, Env)
+    end,
     {ok, Message}.
 
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -597,3 +593,7 @@ printable_maps(Headers) ->
                 };
             (K, V0, AccIn) -> AccIn#{K => V0}
         end, #{}, Headers).
+
+ignore_sys_message(#message{flags = Flags}) ->
+    maps:get(sys, Flags, false) andalso
+      emqx_config:get([emqx_rule_engine, ignore_sys_message]).