diff --git a/onionshare/__init__.py b/onionshare/__init__.py
index 138c03a5..11d2521b 100644
--- a/onionshare/__init__.py
+++ b/onionshare/__init__.py
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ def main(cwd=None):
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
     parser.add_argument('--local-only', action='store_true', dest='local_only', help=strings._("help_local_only"))
     parser.add_argument('--stay-open', action='store_true', dest='stay_open', help=strings._("help_stay_open"))
-    parser.add_argument('--shutdown-timeout', metavar='shutdown_timeout', dest='shutdown_timeout', help=strings._("help_shutdown_timeout"))
+    parser.add_argument('--shutdown-timeout', metavar='shutdown_timeout', dest='shutdown_timeout', default=0, help=strings._("help_shutdown_timeout"))
     parser.add_argument('--stealth', action='store_true', dest='stealth', help=strings._("help_stealth"))
     parser.add_argument('--debug', action='store_true', dest='debug', help=strings._("help_debug"))
     parser.add_argument('--config', metavar='config', default=False, help=strings._('help_config'))
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def main(cwd=None):
     local_only = bool(args.local_only)
     debug = bool(args.debug)
     stay_open = bool(args.stay_open)
-    shutdown_timeout = float(args.shutdown_timeout)
+    shutdown_timeout = int(args.shutdown_timeout)
     stealth = bool(args.stealth)
     config = args.config
 
diff --git a/onionshare_gui/__init__.py b/onionshare_gui/__init__.py
index cc752d3e..108e711f 100644
--- a/onionshare_gui/__init__.py
+++ b/onionshare_gui/__init__.py
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def main():
 
     local_only = bool(args.local_only)
     stay_open = bool(args.stay_open)
-    shutdown_timeout = float(args.shutdown_timeout)
+    shutdown_timeout = int(args.shutdown_timeout)
     debug = bool(args.debug)
 
     # Debug mode?
diff --git a/share/locale/en.json b/share/locale/en.json
index 27f4dab5..21282589 100644
--- a/share/locale/en.json
+++ b/share/locale/en.json
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
     "systray_download_canceled_message": "The user canceled the download",
     "help_local_only": "Do not attempt to use tor: for development only",
     "help_stay_open": "Keep onion service running after download has finished",
-    "help_shutdown_timeout": "Shut down the onion service after N hours",
+    "help_shutdown_timeout": "Shut down the onion service after N seconds",
     "help_transparent_torification": "My system is transparently torified",
     "help_stealth": "Create stealth onion service (advanced)",
     "help_debug": "Log application errors to stdout, and log web errors to disk",