diff --git a/mycli/main.py b/mycli/main.py
index ae6ca3c5..04ba278a 100755
--- a/mycli/main.py
+++ b/mycli/main.py
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
 from mycli.main_modes.list_dsn import main_list_dsn
 from mycli.main_modes.list_ssh_config import main_list_ssh_config
 from mycli.main_modes.repl import get_prompt, main_repl, set_all_external_titles
-from mycli.packages import special
+from mycli.packages import cli_utils, special
 from mycli.packages.cli_utils import filtered_sys_argv, is_valid_connection_scheme
 from mycli.packages.filepaths import dir_path_exists, guess_socket_location
 from mycli.packages.interactive_utils import confirm_destructive_query
@@ -1490,6 +1490,11 @@ def get_password_from_file(password_file: str | None) -> str | None:
             click.secho(f"Error reading password file '{password_file}': {str(e)}", err=True, fg="red")
             sys.exit(1)
 
+    # pick up a password that was extracted from argv before Click parsing
+    # (passwords starting with '-' can't survive Click's option parsing)
+    if cli_args.password is None and cli_utils._extracted_password is not None:
+        cli_args.password = cli_utils._extracted_password
+
     # if the password value looks like a DSN, treat it as such and
     # prompt for password
     if cli_args.database is None and isinstance(cli_args.password, str) and "://" in cli_args.password:
diff --git a/mycli/packages/cli_utils.py b/mycli/packages/cli_utils.py
index 65950130..66b6141e 100644
--- a/mycli/packages/cli_utils.py
+++ b/mycli/packages/cli_utils.py
@@ -2,12 +2,70 @@
 
 import sys
 
+# Stash for a password extracted from argv before Click parsing.
+# Click cannot handle passwords that start with a dash (e.g. --password -mypass)
+# because it interprets them as option flags.  _normalize_password_args strips
+# such values from argv and stores them here so click_entrypoint can pick them up.
+_extracted_password: str | None = None
+
 
 def filtered_sys_argv() -> list[str]:
     args = sys.argv[1:]
     if args == ['-h']:
         args = ['--help']
-    return args
+    return _normalize_password_args(args)
+
+
+def _normalize_password_args(args: list[str]) -> list[str]:
+    """Extract --password/--pass/-p values that start with a dash before Click
+    sees them.
+
+    Click treats tokens starting with "-" as option flags, so
+    "--password -mypass" and "-p-mypass" fail. This function removes the
+    password from the arg list and stashes it in "_extracted_password" for
+    later retrieval.
+
+    Handled forms:
+    - "--password -mypass" / "--pass -mypass" / "-p -mypass"
+    - "--password=-mypass" / "--pass=-mypass"
+    - "-p-mypass"
+    """
+    global _extracted_password
+    _extracted_password = None
+
+    result: list[str] = []
+    i = 0
+    while i < len(args):
+        arg = args[i]
+
+        # --password=-mypass / --pass=-mypass
+        for prefix in ('--password=', '--pass='):
+            if arg.startswith(prefix):
+                value = arg[len(prefix) :]
+                if value.startswith('-'):
+                    _extracted_password = value
+                    break
+        else:
+            # -p-mypass (short option with dash-prefixed value glued on)
+            if arg.startswith('-p-'):
+                _extracted_password = arg[2:]
+                i += 1
+                continue
+
+            # "--password -mypass" / "--pass -mypass" (two separate tokens)
+            if arg in ('--password', '--pass') and i + 1 < len(args):
+                next_arg = args[i + 1]
+                if next_arg.startswith('-') and next_arg != '--':
+                    _extracted_password = next_arg
+                    i += 2
+                    continue
+
+            result.append(arg)
+            i += 1
+            continue
+        i += 1
+
+    return result
 
 
 def is_valid_connection_scheme(text: str) -> tuple[bool, str | None]:
diff --git a/test/pytests/test_cli_utils.py b/test/pytests/test_cli_utils.py
index 1d01d3e6..77465545 100644
--- a/test/pytests/test_cli_utils.py
+++ b/test/pytests/test_cli_utils.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 from mycli.packages import cli_utils
 from mycli.packages.cli_utils import (
+    _normalize_password_args,
     filtered_sys_argv,
     is_valid_connection_scheme,
 )
@@ -37,3 +38,35 @@ def test_filtered_sys_argv(monkeypatch, argv, expected):
 )
 def test_is_valid_connection_scheme(text, is_valid, invalid_scheme):
     assert is_valid_connection_scheme(text) == (is_valid, invalid_scheme)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ('args', 'expected_args', 'expected_password'),
+    [
+        # --password / --pass with a dash-prefixed value: extracted from args
+        (['--password', '-mypass'], [], '-mypass'),
+        (['--pass', '-mypass'], [], '-mypass'),
+        # --password=-mypass / --pass=-mypass: extracted from args
+        (['--password=-mypass'], [], '-mypass'),
+        (['--pass=-mypass'], [], '-mypass'),
+        # -p-mypass: extracted from args
+        (['-p-mypass'], [], '-mypass'),
+        # --password with a normal value is left for Click
+        (['--password', 'mypass'], ['--password', 'mypass'], None),
+        (['--password=mypass'], ['--password=mypass'], None),
+        # --password with -- (end of options) is left alone
+        (['--password', '--'], ['--password', '--'], None),
+        # --password at end of args (used as flag) is left alone
+        (['--password'], ['--password'], None),
+        # -p at end of args (used as flag) is left alone
+        (['-p'], ['-p'], None),
+        # other args are preserved, only the password pair is extracted
+        (['-u', 'root', '--password', '-mypass', '-h', 'localhost'], ['-u', 'root', '-h', 'localhost'], '-mypass'),
+        (['-u', 'root', '-p-mypass', '-h', 'localhost'], ['-u', 'root', '-h', 'localhost'], '-mypass'),
+        # -p as a flag does not absorb the next option
+        (['-p', '-u', 'root'], ['-p', '-u', 'root'], None),
+    ],
+)
+def test_normalize_password_args(args, expected_args, expected_password):
+    assert _normalize_password_args(args) == expected_args
+    assert cli_utils._extracted_password == expected_password