diff --git a/main/commands/all/api/rules_add.go b/main/commands/all/api/rules_add.go
index fc0fda6c0..a34bd8c4e 100644
--- a/main/commands/all/api/rules_add.go
+++ b/main/commands/all/api/rules_add.go
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ func executeAddRules(cmd *base.Command, args []string) {
 		if err != nil {
 			base.Fatalf("failed to perform AddRule: %s", err)
 		}
+		// if multiple files are specified, use append to merge them instead of overriding previous one
+		shouldAppend = true
 		showJSONResponse(resp)
 	}
 }