diff --git a/packages/jsdoc-cli/lib/engine.js b/packages/jsdoc-cli/lib/engine.js
index 4e2b27e5..1f7b9e5c 100644
--- a/packages/jsdoc-cli/lib/engine.js
+++ b/packages/jsdoc-cli/lib/engine.js
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 */
 
 /* eslint-disable no-process-exit */
-import { Api } from '@jsdoc/core';
+import { Api, config as jsdocConfig } from '@jsdoc/core';
 import { getLogFunctions } from '@jsdoc/util';
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import ow from 'ow';
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ function validateChoice(flagInfo, choices, values) {
   }
 }
 
+const FATAL_ERROR_MESSAGE =
+  'Exiting JSDoc because an error occurred. See the previous log messages for details.';
+
 /**
  * `KNOWN_FLAGS` is a set of all known flag names, including the long and short forms.
  *
@@ -225,6 +228,7 @@ export default class Engine {
     return `Options:\n${help({ maxLength })}\n\nVisit https://jsdoc.app/ for more information.`;
   }
 
+  // TODO: Add a typedef for this.
   /**
    * Details about the command-line flags that JSDoc recognizes.
    */
@@ -232,6 +236,40 @@ export default class Engine {
     return flags;
   }
 
+  // TODO: Add details about the directory and filenames that this method looks for.
+  /**
+   * Parses command-line flags; loads the JSDoc configuration file; and adds configuration details
+   * to the JSDoc environment.
+   *
+   * For details about supported command-line flags, see the value of the
+   * {@link module:@jsdoc/cli#knownFlags} property.
+   *
+   * @returns {Promise<undefined>} A promise that is fulfilled after the configuration is loaded.
+   */
+  loadConfig() {
+    const { env } = this;
+
+    try {
+      env.opts = _.defaults({}, this.parseFlags(env.args), env.opts);
+    } catch (e) {
+      this.shouldPrintHelp = true;
+      this.exit(1, `${e.message}\n`);
+
+      return Promise.reject(e);
+    }
+
+    return jsdocConfig.load(env.opts.configure).then(
+      (conf) => {
+        env.conf = conf.config;
+        // Look for options on the command line, then in the config.
+        env.opts = _.defaults(env.opts, env.conf.opts);
+      },
+      (e) => {
+        this.exit(1, `Cannot parse the config file: ${e}\n${FATAL_ERROR_MESSAGE}`);
+      }
+    );
+  }
+
   /**
    * The log level to use. Messages are logged only if they are at or above this level.
    * Must be an enumerated value of {@link module:@jsdoc/cli.LOG_LEVELS}.
diff --git a/packages/jsdoc-cli/test/specs/lib/engine.js b/packages/jsdoc-cli/test/specs/lib/engine.js
index a0c4a14e..a3ee5f64 100644
--- a/packages/jsdoc-cli/test/specs/lib/engine.js
+++ b/packages/jsdoc-cli/test/specs/lib/engine.js
@@ -14,7 +14,10 @@
   limitations under the License.
 */
 
+/* global jsdoc */
+
 import EventEmitter from 'node:events';
+import path from 'node:path';
 
 import Engine from '../../../lib/engine.js';
 import flags from '../../../lib/flags.js';
@@ -265,6 +268,61 @@ describe('@jsdoc/cli/lib/engine', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('loadConfig', () => {
+    const configPath = path.resolve(
+      path.join(jsdoc.dirname(import.meta.url), '../../fixtures/configs/conf.json')
+    );
+    let instance;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      instance = new Engine();
+      instance.env.options.configure = configPath;
+    });
+
+    it('parses the command-line flags', async () => {
+      instance.env.args = ['-p', '-v'];
+
+      await instance.loadConfig();
+
+      expect(instance.env.options.private).toBeTrue();
+      expect(instance.env.options.version).toBeTrue();
+    });
+
+    it('exits if the command-line flags cannot be parsed', async () => {
+      instance.env.args = ['--not-a-real-flag'];
+
+      spyOn(instance, 'exit');
+      try {
+        await instance.loadConfig();
+
+        // We shouldn't get here.
+        expect(false).toBeTrue();
+      } catch (e) {
+        // Expected exit code.
+        expect(instance.exit.calls.argsFor(0)[0]).toBe(1);
+        // Expected error message.
+        expect(instance.exit.calls.argsFor(0)[1]).toContain(
+          'Unknown command-line option: --not-a-real-flag'
+        );
+      }
+    });
+
+    it('adds the config info to the JSDoc environment', async () => {
+      await instance.loadConfig();
+
+      expect(instance.env.config.sourceType).toBe('script');
+    });
+
+    it('merges the command-line flags from the config file with the real flags', async () => {
+      instance.env.args = ['-p'];
+
+      await instance.loadConfig();
+
+      expect(instance.env.options.private).toBeTrue();
+      expect(instance.env.options.version).toBeTrue();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('LOG_LEVELS', () => {
     it('is lib/logger.LEVELS', () => {
       expect(Engine.LOG_LEVELS).toBe(LEVELS);
diff --git a/packages/jsdoc/cli.js b/packages/jsdoc/cli.js
index cac2a0c2..80efafec 100644
--- a/packages/jsdoc/cli.js
+++ b/packages/jsdoc/cli.js
@@ -20,11 +20,10 @@ import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 
 import Engine from '@jsdoc/cli';
-import { config as jsdocConfig, plugins } from '@jsdoc/core';
+import { plugins } from '@jsdoc/core';
 import { augment, Package, resolveBorrows } from '@jsdoc/doclet';
 import { createParser, handlers } from '@jsdoc/parse';
 import { Dictionary } from '@jsdoc/tag';
-import _ from 'lodash';
 import stripBom from 'strip-bom';
 import stripJsonComments from 'strip-json-comments';
 
@@ -47,8 +46,6 @@ export default (() => {
   const cli = {};
   const engine = new Engine();
   const { api, env, log } = engine;
-  const FATAL_ERROR_MESSAGE =
-    'Exiting JSDoc because an error occurred. See the previous log messages for details.';
 
   // TODO: docs
   cli.setVersionInfo = () => {
@@ -69,31 +66,7 @@ export default (() => {
   };
 
   // TODO: docs
-  cli.loadConfig = async () => {
-    try {
-      env.opts = engine.parseFlags(env.args);
-    } catch (e) {
-      engine.shouldPrintHelp = true;
-      engine.exit(1, `${e.message}\n`);
-
-      return cli;
-    }
-
-    try {
-      // eslint-disable-next-line require-atomic-updates
-      env.conf = (await jsdocConfig.load(env.opts.configure)).config;
-    } catch (e) {
-      engine.exit(1, `Cannot parse the config file: ${e}\n${FATAL_ERROR_MESSAGE}`);
-
-      return cli;
-    }
-
-    // Look for options on the command line, then in the config.
-    env.opts = _.defaults(env.opts, env.conf.opts);
-    env.tags = Dictionary.fromConfig(env);
-
-    return cli;
-  };
+  cli.loadConfig = () => engine.loadConfig();
 
   // TODO: docs
   cli.configureLogger = () => {
@@ -130,6 +103,9 @@ export default (() => {
     let cmd;
     const { options } = env;
 
+    // TODO: Move to `Api`.
+    env.tags = Dictionary.fromConfig(env);
+
     // If we already need to exit with an error, don't do any more work.
     if (engine.shouldExitWithError) {
       cmd = () => Promise.resolve(0);