diff --git a/src/app/app.rs b/src/app/app.rs
index ca94a3f9..060f939e 100644
--- a/src/app/app.rs
+++ b/src/app/app.rs
@@ -158,43 +158,66 @@ impl<'a, 'v, 'ab, 'u, 'h, 'ar> App<'a, 'v, 'ab, 'u, 'h, 'ar>{
     /// let app = App::from_yaml(yml);
     /// ```
     #[cfg(feature = "yaml")]
-    pub fn from_yaml<'y>(doc: &'y Yaml) -> App<'y, 'y, 'y, 'y, 'y, 'y> {
+    pub fn from_yaml<'y>(mut yaml: &'y Yaml) -> App<'y, 'y, 'y, 'y, 'y, 'y> {
         // We WANT this to panic on error...so expect() is good.
-        let mut a = App::new(doc["name"].as_str().unwrap());
-        if let Some(v) = doc["version"].as_str() {
+        let mut is_sc = None;
+        let mut a = if let Some(name) = yaml["name"].as_str() {
+            App::new(name)
+        } else {
+            let yaml_hash = yaml.as_hash().unwrap();
+            let sc_key = yaml_hash.keys().nth(0).unwrap();
+            is_sc = Some(yaml_hash.get(sc_key).unwrap());
+            App::new(sc_key.as_str().unwrap())
+        };
+        yaml = if let Some(sc) = is_sc {
+            sc
+        } else {
+            yaml
+        };
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["version"].as_str() {
             a = a.version(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["author"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["author"].as_str() {
             a = a.author(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["bin_name"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["bin_name"].as_str() {
             a = a.bin_name(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["about"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["about"].as_str() {
             a = a.about(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["after_help"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["after_help"].as_str() {
             a = a.after_help(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["usage"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["usage"].as_str() {
             a = a.usage(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["help"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["help"].as_str() {
             a = a.help(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["help_short"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["help_short"].as_str() {
             a = a.help_short(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["version_short"].as_str() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["version_short"].as_str() {
             a = a.version_short(v);
         }
-        if let Some(v) = doc["settings"].as_vec() {
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["settings"].as_vec() {
             for ys in v {
                 if let Some(s) = ys.as_str() {
                     a = a.setting(s.parse().ok().expect("unknown AppSetting found in YAML file"));
                 }
             }
         }
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["args"].as_vec() {
+            for arg_yaml in v {
+                a = a.arg(Arg::from_yaml(&arg_yaml.as_hash().unwrap()));
+            }
+        }
+        if let Some(v) = yaml["subcommands"].as_vec() {
+            for sc_yaml in v {
+                a = a.subcommand(SubCommand::from_yaml(&sc_yaml));
+            }
+        }
 
         a
     }
diff --git a/src/args/subcommand.rs b/src/args/subcommand.rs
index 6fa468e5..36def9ed 100644
--- a/src/args/subcommand.rs
+++ b/src/args/subcommand.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#[cfg(feature = "yaml")]
+use yaml_rust::Yaml;
+
 use App;
 use ArgMatches;
 
@@ -42,4 +45,18 @@ impl<'n, 'a> SubCommand<'n, 'a> {
     pub fn with_name<'au, 'v, 'ab, 'u, 'h, 'ar>(name: &'ar str) -> App<'au, 'v, 'ab, 'u, 'h, 'ar> {
         App::new(name)
     }
+
+    /// Creates a new instance of a subcommand from a YAML (.yml) document
+    ///
+    /// # Example
+    ///
+    /// ```ignore
+    /// # use clap::{App, Arg, SubCommand};
+    /// let sc_yaml = load_yaml!("test_subcommand.yml");
+    /// let sc = SubCommand::from_yaml(sc_yaml);
+    /// ```
+    #[cfg(feature = "yaml")]
+    pub fn from_yaml<'y>(yaml: &'y Yaml) -> App<'y, 'y, 'y, 'y, 'y, 'y> {
+        App::from_yaml(yaml)
+    }
 }