diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 06f28a8b..3d3cec7a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ $ egg-bin dev
 - `--framework` egg web framework root path.
 - `--baseDir` application's root path, default to `process.cwd()`.
 - `--port` server port, default to `7001`.
-- `--cluster` worker process number, skip this argvs will start only `1` worker, provide this without value will start `cpu` count worker.
+- `--workers` worker process number, default to `1` worker at local mode.
 - `--sticky` start a sticky cluster server, default to `false`.
 - `--typescript` / `--ts` enable typescript support, default to `false`. Also support read from `package.json`'s `egg.typescript`.
 - `--declarations` / `--dts` enable [egg-ts-helper](https://github.com/whxaxes/egg-ts-helper) support, default to `false`. Also support read from `package.json`'s `egg.declarations`.
diff --git a/lib/cmd/dev.js b/lib/cmd/dev.js
index dc7a146c..4d6248ff 100644
--- a/lib/cmd/dev.js
+++ b/lib/cmd/dev.js
@@ -19,10 +19,11 @@ class DevCommand extends Command {
         description: 'directory of application, default to `process.cwd()`',
         type: 'string',
       },
-      cluster: {
-        description: 'numbers of app workers, if not provide then only 1 worker, provide without value then `os.cpus().length`',
+      workers: {
+        description: 'numbers of app workers, default to 1 at local mode',
         type: 'number',
-        alias: 'c',
+        alias: [ 'c', 'cluster' ],
+        default: 1,
       },
       port: {
         description: 'listening port, default to 7001',
@@ -73,7 +74,7 @@ class DevCommand extends Command {
 
   /**
    * format egg startCluster args then change it to json string style
-   * @method helper#formatArgs
+   * @function helper#formatArgs
    * @param {Object} context - { cwd, argv }
    * @return {Array} pass to start-cluster, [ '{"port":7001,"framework":"egg"}' ]
    */
@@ -84,7 +85,6 @@ class DevCommand extends Command {
     /* istanbul ignore next */
     if (!path.isAbsolute(argv.baseDir)) argv.baseDir = path.join(cwd, argv.baseDir);
 
-    argv.workers = argv.cluster || 1;
     argv.port = argv.port || argv.p;
     argv.framework = utils.getFrameworkPath({
       framework: argv.framework,
diff --git a/test/lib/cmd/dev.test.js b/test/lib/cmd/dev.test.js
index d976467b..69141cc8 100644
--- a/test/lib/cmd/dev.test.js
+++ b/test/lib/cmd/dev.test.js
@@ -90,6 +90,17 @@ describe('test/lib/cmd/dev.test.js', () => {
       .end(done);
   });
 
+  it('should startCluster with --workers=2', done => {
+    coffee.fork(eggBin, [ 'dev', '--workers=2' ], { cwd })
+      // .debug()
+      .expect('stdout', /"workers":2/)
+      .expect('stdout', /"baseDir":".*?demo-app"/)
+      .expect('stdout', /"framework":".*?aliyun-egg"/)
+      .notExpect('stdout', /"cluster"/)
+      .expect('code', 0)
+      .end(done);
+  });
+
   it('should startCluster with --baseDir=root', done => {
     coffee.fork(eggBin, [ 'dev', `--baseDir=${cwd}` ])
       // .debug()