diff --git a/bin/emqx b/bin/emqx
index 167cd5cf1..69994389b 100755
--- a/bin/emqx
+++ b/bin/emqx
@@ -260,15 +260,43 @@ if [ -z "$RELX_CONFIG_PATH" ]; then
     fi
 fi
 
+IS_BOOT_COMMAND='no'
+case "$1" in
+    start|start_boot)
+        IS_BOOT_COMMAND='yes'
+        ;;
+    console|console_clean|console_boot)
+        IS_BOOT_COMMAND='yes'
+        ;;
+    foreground)
+        IS_BOOT_COMMAND='yes'
+        ;;
+esac
+
+
 if [ -z "$NAME_ARG" ]; then
     NODENAME="${EMQX_NODE_NAME:-}"
     # compatible with docker entrypoint
     [ -z "$NODENAME" ] && [ -n "$EMQX_NAME" ] && [ -n "$EMQX_HOST" ] && NODENAME="${EMQX_NAME}@${EMQX_HOST}"
-    [ -z "$NODENAME" ] && NODENAME=$(grep -E '^[ \t]*node.name[ \t]*=[ \t]*' "$RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf" 2> /dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d = -f 2-)
+    if [ -z "$NODENAME" ] && [ "$IS_BOOT_COMMAND" = 'no' ]; then
+        # for non-boot commands, inspect vm.<time>.args for node name
+        LATEST_VM_ARGS="$(ls -t $RUNNER_DATA_DIR/configs/vm.*.args | head -1)"
+        if [ -z "$LATEST_VM_ARGS" ]; then
+            echo "For command $1, there is no vm.*.args config file found in $RUNNER_DATA_DIR/configs/"
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        NODENAME="$(grep -E '^-name' $LATEST_VM_ARGS | awk '{print $2}')"
+    else
+        # for boot commands, inspect emqx.conf for node name
+        NODENAME=$(grep -E '^[ \t]*node.name[ \t]*=[ \t]*' "$RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf" 2> /dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d = -f 2-)
+    fi
     if [ -z "$NODENAME" ]; then
-        echoerr "vm.args needs to have a -name parameter."
-        echoerr "  -sname is not supported."
-        echoerr "perhaps you do not have read permissions on $RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf"
+        echoerr "Failed to resolve emqx node name"
+        if [ "$IS_BOOT_COMMAND" = 'yes' ]; then
+            echoerr "Make user emqx has read permissions on $RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf"
+        fi
+        echoerr "Maybe set environment variable ENQX_NODE_NAME='name@host.name'"
+        echoerr "or set EMQX_NAME='name' EMQX_HOST='host.name'"
         exit 1
     else
         NAME_ARG="-name ${NODENAME# *}"
@@ -283,22 +311,23 @@ export ESCRIPT_NAME="$NODENAME"
 
 PIPE_DIR="${PIPE_DIR:-/$RUNNER_DATA_DIR/${WHOAMI}_erl_pipes/$NAME/}"
 
-# Extract the target cookie
-if [ -z "$COOKIE_ARG" ]; then
-    COOKIE="${EMQX_NODE_COOKIE:-}"
-    [ -z "$COOKIE" ] && COOKIE=$(grep -E '^[ \t]*node.cookie[ \t]*=[ \t]*' "$RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf" 2> /dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d = -f 2-)
-    if [ -z "$COOKIE" ]; then
-        echoerr "vm.args needs to have a -setcookie parameter."
-        echoerr "please check $RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf"
+# COOKIE is only needed for non-boot commands
+# so, either read environment variable override
+# or inspect vm.<time>.args
+COOKIE="${EMQX_NODE_COOKIE:-}"
+if [ -z "$COOKIE" ] && [ "$IS_BOOT_COMMAND" = 'no' ]; then
+    LATEST_VM_ARGS="$(ls -t $RUNNER_DATA_DIR/configs/vm.*.args | head -1)"
+    if [ -z "$LATEST_VM_ARGS" ]; then
+        echo "For command $1, there is no vm.*.args config file found in $RUNNER_DATA_DIR/configs/"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    COOKIE="$(grep -E '^-setcookie' $LATEST_VM_ARGS | awk '{print $2}')"
+    if [ -z "$COOKIE" ]; then
+        echoerr "Please set node.cookie in $RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf or override from environment variable EMQX_NODE_COOKIE"
         exit 1
-    else
-        COOKIE_ARG="-setcookie $COOKIE"
     fi
 fi
 
-# Extract cookie name from COOKIE_ARG
-COOKIE="$(echo "$COOKIE_ARG" | awk '{print $2}')"
-
 # Support for IPv6 Dist. See: https://github.com/emqtt/emqttd/issues/1460
 PROTO_DIST=$(grep -E '^[ \t]*cluster.proto_dist[ \t]*=[ \t]*' "$RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf" 2> /dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d = -f 2-)
 if [ -z "$PROTO_DIST" ]; then
diff --git a/bin/emqx_ctl b/bin/emqx_ctl
index 7acb61782..eedaccc2f 100755
--- a/bin/emqx_ctl
+++ b/bin/emqx_ctl
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@ ROOT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$(readlink "$0" || echo "$0")")"/..; pwd -P)"
 # shellcheck disable=SC1090
 . "$ROOT_DIR"/releases/emqx_vars
 
+LATEST_VM_ARGS="$(ls -t $RUNNER_DATA_DIR/configs/vm.*.args | head -1)"
+if [ -z "$LATEST_VM_ARGS" ]; then
+    echo "No vm.*.args config file found in $RUNNER_DATA_DIR/configs/"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
 # Echo to stderr on errors
 echoerr() { echo "$@" 1>&2; }
 
@@ -34,9 +40,8 @@ relx_nodetool() {
 
 if [ -z "$NAME_ARG" ]; then
     NODENAME="${EMQX_NODE_NAME:-}"
-    # compatible with docker entrypoint
     [ -z "$NODENAME" ] && [ -n "$EMQX_NAME" ] && [ -n "$EMQX_HOST" ] && NODENAME="${EMQX_NAME}@${EMQX_HOST}"
-    [ -z "$NODENAME" ] && NODENAME=$(grep -E '^[ \t]*node.name[ \t]*=[ \t]*' "$RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf" 2> /dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d = -f 2-)
+    [ -z "$NODENAME" ] && NODENAME="$(grep -E '^-name' $LATEST_VM_ARGS | awk '{print $2}')"
     if [ -z "$NODENAME" ]; then
         echoerr "vm.args needs to have a -name parameter."
         echoerr "  -sname is not supported."
@@ -51,22 +56,13 @@ fi
 NAME_TYPE="$(echo "$NAME_ARG" | awk '{print $1}')"
 NAME="$(echo "$NAME_ARG" | awk '{print $2}')"
 
-# Extract the target cookie
-if [ -z "$COOKIE_ARG" ]; then
-    COOKIE="${EMQX_NODE_COOKIE:-}"
-    [ -z "$COOKIE" ] && COOKIE=$(grep -E '^[ \t]*node.cookie[ \t]*=[ \t]*' "$RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf" 2> /dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d = -f 2-)
-    if [ -z "$COOKIE" ]; then
-        echoerr "vm.args needs to have a -setcookie parameter."
-        echoerr "please check $RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf"
-        exit 1
-    else
-        COOKIE_ARG="-setcookie $COOKIE"
-    fi
+COOKIE="${EMQX_NODE_COOKIE:-}"
+[ -z "$COOKIE" ] && COOKIE="$(grep -E '^-setcookie' $LATEST_VM_ARGS | awk '{print $2}')"
+if [ -z "$COOKIE" ]; then
+    echoerr "Please set node.cookie in $RUNNER_ETC_DIR/emqx.conf or override from environment variable EMQX_NODE_COOKIE"
+    exit 1
 fi
 
-# Extract cookie name from COOKIE_ARG
-COOKIE="$(echo "$COOKIE_ARG" | awk '{print $2}')"
-
 # Support for IPv6 Dist. See: https://github.com/emqtt/emqttd/issues/1460
 PROTO_DIST=$(grep -E '^[ \t]*cluster.proto_dist[ \t]*=[ \t]*' "$RUNNER_ETC_DIR"/emqx.conf 2> /dev/null | tail -1 | cut -d = -f 2-)
 if [ -z "$PROTO_DIST" ]; then