diff --git a/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs b/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
index 7fa2e5cbdd7c1..17ed95841604f 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/html/render.rs
@@ -428,6 +428,7 @@ pub fn derive_id(candidate: String) -> String {
 /// Generates the documentation for `crate` into the directory `dst`
 pub fn run(mut krate: clean::Crate,
            external_html: &ExternalHtml,
+           playground_url: Option<String>,
            dst: PathBuf,
            passes: FxHashSet<String>,
            css_file_extension: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -452,12 +453,11 @@ pub fn run(mut krate: clean::Crate,
     };
 
     // If user passed in `--playground-url` arg, we fill in crate name here
-    markdown::PLAYGROUND.with(|slot| {
-        if slot.borrow().is_some() {
-            let url = slot.borrow().as_ref().unwrap().1.clone();
+    if let Some(url) = playground_url {
+        markdown::PLAYGROUND.with(|slot| {
             *slot.borrow_mut() = Some((Some(krate.name.clone()), url));
-        }
-    });
+        });
+    }
 
     // Crawl the crate attributes looking for attributes which control how we're
     // going to emit HTML
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/lib.rs b/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
index 406f9ad81c8d2..2108d3e3dccce 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/lib.rs
@@ -234,10 +234,6 @@ pub fn main_args(args: &[String]) -> isize {
         }
     };
 
-    if let Some(playground) = matches.opt_str("playground-url") {
-        html::markdown::PLAYGROUND.with(|s| { *s.borrow_mut() = Some((None, playground)); });
-    }
-
     let test_args = matches.opt_strs("test-args");
     let test_args: Vec<String> = test_args.iter()
                                           .flat_map(|s| s.split_whitespace())
@@ -266,6 +262,7 @@ pub fn main_args(args: &[String]) -> isize {
         None => return 3
     };
     let crate_name = matches.opt_str("crate-name");
+    let playground_url = matches.opt_str("playground-url");
 
     match (should_test, markdown_input) {
         (true, true) => {
@@ -287,7 +284,7 @@ pub fn main_args(args: &[String]) -> isize {
         info!("going to format");
         match output_format.as_ref().map(|s| &**s) {
             Some("html") | None => {
-                html::render::run(krate, &external_html,
+                html::render::run(krate, &external_html, playground_url,
                                   output.unwrap_or(PathBuf::from("doc")),
                                   passes.into_iter().collect(),
                                   css_file_extension,
diff --git a/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs b/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs
index b617acfabbbf1..29267960a4a81 100644
--- a/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs
+++ b/src/librustdoc/markdown.rs
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ pub fn render(input: &str, mut output: PathBuf, matches: &getopts::Matches,
         Err(LoadStringError::ReadFail) => return 1,
         Err(LoadStringError::BadUtf8) => return 2,
     };
-    if let Some(playground) = matches.opt_str("markdown-playground-url") {
+    if let Some(playground) = matches.opt_str("markdown-playground-url").or(
+                              matches.opt_str("playground-url")) {
         markdown::PLAYGROUND.with(|s| { *s.borrow_mut() = Some((None, playground)); });
     }