diff --git a/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/config.go b/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/config.go
index d462a8893d..87d8e1d48e 100644
--- a/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/config.go
+++ b/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/config.go
@@ -22,7 +22,11 @@ func installCommonConfigFlags(conf *config.Config, flags *pflag.FlagSet) {
 	flags.Var(opts.NewNamedListOptsRef("exec-opts", &conf.ExecOptions, nil), "exec-opt", "Runtime execution options")
 	flags.StringVarP(&conf.Pidfile, "pidfile", "p", defaultPidFile, "Path to use for daemon PID file")
 	flags.StringVarP(&conf.Root, "graph", "g", defaultDataRoot, "Root of the Docker runtime")
-	flags.MarkDeprecated("graph", "Please use --data-root instead")
+
+	// "--graph" is "soft-deprecated" in favor of "data-root". This flag was added
+	// before Docker 1.0, so won't be removed, only hidden, to discourage its usage.
+	flags.MarkHidden("graph")
+
 	flags.StringVar(&conf.Root, "data-root", defaultDataRoot, "Root directory of persistent Docker state")
 
 	flags.BoolVarP(&conf.AutoRestart, "restart", "r", true, "--restart on the daemon has been deprecated in favor of --restart policies on docker run")
diff --git a/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go b/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go
index cdc76f93b9..d4e9bd45e0 100644
--- a/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go
+++ b/components/engine/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go
@@ -423,6 +423,10 @@ func loadDaemonCliConfig(opts daemonOptions) (*config.Config, error) {
 		conf.CommonTLSOptions.KeyFile = opts.common.TLSOptions.KeyFile
 	}
 
+	if flags.Changed("graph") && flags.Changed("data-root") {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf(`cannot specify both "--graph" and "--data-root" option`)
+	}
+
 	if opts.configFile != "" {
 		c, err := config.MergeDaemonConfigurations(conf, flags, opts.configFile)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -441,6 +445,10 @@ func loadDaemonCliConfig(opts daemonOptions) (*config.Config, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	if flags.Changed("graph") {
+		logrus.Warnf(`the "-g / --graph" flag is deprecated. Please use "--data-root" instead`)
+	}
+
 	// Labels of the docker engine used to allow multiple values associated with the same key.
 	// This is deprecated in 1.13, and, be removed after 3 release cycles.
 	// The following will check the conflict of labels, and report a warning for deprecation.
diff --git a/components/engine/docs/deprecated.md b/components/engine/docs/deprecated.md
index 509f1607f8..b57bbbecfe 100644
--- a/components/engine/docs/deprecated.md
+++ b/components/engine/docs/deprecated.md
@@ -22,15 +22,16 @@ see [Feature Deprecation Policy](https://docs.docker.com/engine/#feature-depreca
 
 ### `-g` and `--graph` flags on `dockerd`
 
-**Deprecated In Release: v1.14.0**
-
-**Target For Removal In Release: v1.17**
+**Deprecated In Release: v17.05.0**
 
 The `-g` or `--graph` flag for the `dockerd` or `docker daemon` command was
 used to indicate the directory in which to store persistent data and resource
 configuration and has been replaced with the more descriptive `--data-root`
 flag.
 
+These flags were added before Docker 1.0, so will not be _removed_, only
+_hidden_, to discourage their use.
+
 ### Top-level network properties in NetworkSettings
 
 **Deprecated In Release: [v1.13.0](https://github.com/docker/docker/releases/tag/v1.13.0)**