diff --git a/bin/compose-core b/bin/compose-core
index 8994ff2..b0c0cbb 100755
--- a/bin/compose-core
+++ b/bin/compose-core
@@ -3698,8 +3698,7 @@ while read-0 arg; do
                 -f|--file)
                     read-0 value
                     [ -e "$value" ] || die "File $value doesn't exists"
-                    export DEFAULT_COMPOSE_FILE="$value"
-                    compose_opts+=("--file $value")
+                    export COMPOSE_YML_FILE="$value"
                     shift
                     ;;
                 -p|--project-name)