diff --git a/cmd/aem/instance_list_int_test.go b/cmd/aem/instance_list_int_test.go
index f26a98e..f427708 100644
--- a/cmd/aem/instance_list_int_test.go
+++ b/cmd/aem/instance_list_int_test.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func TestPublishInstances(t *testing.T) {
 	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-P", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"local_publish"})
 }
 
-func TestInstanceByID(t *testing.T) {
+func TestIDInstance(t *testing.T) {
 	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-I", "local_author", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"local_author"})
 }
 
@@ -60,10 +60,6 @@ func TestInstanceByURL(t *testing.T) {
 	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-U", "http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "-U", "http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4503", "-U", "test_author=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"remote_adhoc_1", "remote_adhoc_2", "test_author"})
 }
 
-func TestInstanceByIDOrURL(t *testing.T) {
-	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-I", "local_publish", "-U", "http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"local_publish", "remote_adhoc"})
-}
-
 func TestAuthorInstanceByURL(t *testing.T) {
 	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-U", "dev-auth_author=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "-U", "dev-pub1_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4503", "-U", "dev-pub2_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4504", "-A", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"dev-auth_author"})
 }
@@ -71,3 +67,15 @@ func TestAuthorInstanceByURL(t *testing.T) {
 func TestPublishInstanceByURL(t *testing.T) {
 	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-U", "dev-auth_author=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "-U", "dev-pub1_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4503", "-U", "dev-pub2_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4504", "-P", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"dev-pub1_publish", "dev-pub2_publish"})
 }
+
+func TestAuthorIDInstanceByURL(t *testing.T) {
+	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-U", "dev-auth_author=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "-U", "dev-pub1_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4503", "-U", "dev-pub2_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4504", "-A", "-I", "dev-auth_author", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"dev-auth_author"})
+}
+
+func TestPublishIDInstanceByURL(t *testing.T) {
+	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-U", "dev-auth_author=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "-U", "dev-pub1_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4503", "-U", "dev-pub2_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4504", "-P", "-I", "dev-pub1_publish", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"dev-pub1_publish"})
+}
+
+func TestIDInstanceByURL(t *testing.T) {
+	testInstanceList(t, []string{"instance", "list", "-U", "dev-auth_author=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4502", "-U", "dev-pub1_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4503", "-U", "dev-pub2_publish=http://admin:admin@127.0.0.1:4504", "-I", "dev-auth_author", "-I", "dev-pub1_publish", "--output-value", "NONE"}, []string{"dev-auth_author", "dev-pub1_publish"})
+}
diff --git a/cmd/aem/root.go b/cmd/aem/root.go
index 107fdcf..de77da5 100644
--- a/cmd/aem/root.go
+++ b/cmd/aem/root.go
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ func (c *CLI) rootFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	cmd.PersistentFlags().BoolP("instance-publish", "P", cv.GetBool("instance.filter.publishes"), "Use only AEM publish instance(s)")
 	_ = cv.BindPFlag("instance.filter.publishes", cmd.PersistentFlags().Lookup("instance-publish"))
 
+	cmd.MarkFlagsMutuallyExclusive("instance-author", "instance-publish")
+
 	cmd.PersistentFlags().String("instance-processing", cv.GetString("instance.processing_mode"), "Controls processing mode for instances ("+(strings.Join(instance.ProcessingModes(), "|")+")"))
 	_ = cv.BindPFlag("instance.processing_mode", cmd.PersistentFlags().Lookup("instance-processing"))
 }
diff --git a/pkg/instance_manager.go b/pkg/instance_manager.go
index 515982c..0a24c0e 100644
--- a/pkg/instance_manager.go
+++ b/pkg/instance_manager.go
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ func (im *InstanceManager) All() []Instance {
 }
 
 func (im *InstanceManager) newAdHocOrFromConfig() []Instance {
-	var result []Instance
 	if len(im.AdHocURLs) > 0 {
+		var result []Instance
 		for adHocIndex, adHocValue := range im.AdHocURLs {
 			iURL, err := im.newAdhoc(adHocValue, adHocIndex, len(im.AdHocURLs))
 			if err != nil {
@@ -93,36 +93,24 @@ func (im *InstanceManager) newAdHocOrFromConfig() []Instance {
 			}
 			result = append(result, *iURL)
 		}
+		return result
 	}
-	var instances []Instance
 	cv := im.aem.config.Values()
 	configIDs := maps.Keys(cv.GetStringMap("instance.config"))
 	if len(configIDs) > 0 {
+		var result []Instance
 		for _, id := range configIDs {
 			cv.SetDefault(fmt.Sprintf("instance.config.%s.active", id), true)
 			active := cv.GetBool(fmt.Sprintf("instance.config.%s.active", id))
 			if active {
 				if i := im.newFromConfig(id); i != nil {
-					instances = append(instances, *i)
+					result = append(result, *i)
 				}
 			}
 		}
-	} else {
-		instances = im.NewLocalPair()
+		return result
 	}
-	if len(im.FilterIDs) > 0 {
-		for _, i := range instances {
-			for _, filterID := range im.FilterIDs {
-				if i.id == filterID {
-					result = append(result, i)
-					break
-				}
-			}
-		}
-	} else if len(im.AdHocURLs) == 0 {
-		result = instances
-	}
-	return result
+	return im.NewLocalPair()
 }
 
 func (im *InstanceManager) newAdhoc(value string, current int, total int) (*Instance, error) {
@@ -179,7 +167,16 @@ func (im *InstanceManager) filter(instances []Instance) []Instance {
 	result := []Instance{}
 	for _, i := range instances {
 		if im.FilterAuthors == im.FilterPublishes || im.FilterAuthors && i.IsAuthor() || im.FilterPublishes && i.IsPublish() {
-			result = append(result, i)
+			if len(im.FilterIDs) == 0 {
+				result = append(result, i)
+			} else {
+				for _, filterID := range im.FilterIDs {
+					if i.id == filterID {
+						result = append(result, i)
+						break
+					}
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	sort.SliceStable(result, func(i, j int) bool {