diff --git a/src/Commands/config/ConfigPullCommands.php b/src/Commands/config/ConfigPullCommands.php
index 58f7062fc1..b94e02bd94 100644
--- a/src/Commands/config/ConfigPullCommands.php
+++ b/src/Commands/config/ConfigPullCommands.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 use Consolidation\AnnotatedCommand\CommandData;
 use Drush\Commands\DrushCommands;
 use Drush\Drush;
+use Drush\SiteAlias\HostPath;
 use Drush\SiteAlias\SiteAliasManagerAwareInterface;
 use Drush\SiteAlias\SiteAliasManagerAwareTrait;
 
@@ -24,6 +25,8 @@ class ConfigPullCommands extends DrushCommands implements SiteAliasManagerAwareI
      *   Export config from @prod and transfer to @stage.
      * @usage drush config:pull @prod @self --label=vcs
      *   Export config from @prod and transfer to the 'vcs' config directory of current site.
+     * @usage drush config:pull @prod @self:../config/sync
+     *   Export config to a custom directory. Relative paths are calculated from Drupal root.
      * @aliases cpull,config-pull
      * @topics docs:aliases,docs:config-exporting
      *
@@ -57,23 +60,27 @@ public function pull($source, $destination, $options = ['safe' => false, 'label'
             '--delete',
             '--exclude=.htaccess',
         ];
-        $label = $options['label'];
+        if (strpos($destination, ':') === false) {
+            $destination .= ':%config-' . $options['label'];
+        }
+        $destinationHostPath = HostPath::create($this->siteAliasManager(), $destination);
+
         if (!$runner = $options['runner']) {
             $sourceRecord = $this->siteAliasManager()->get($source);
-            $destinationRecord = $this->siteAliasManager()->get($destination);
-            $runner = $sourceRecord->isRemote() && $destinationRecord->isRemote() ? $destination : '@self';
+            $destinationRecord = $destinationHostPath->getAliasRecord();
+            $runner = $sourceRecord->isRemote() && $destinationRecord->isRemote() ? $destinationRecord : '@self';
         }
         $this->logger()
           ->notice(dt('Starting to rsync configuration files from !source to !dest.', [
           '!source' => $source,
-          '!dest' => $destination
+          '!dest' => $destinationHostPath->getOriginal(),
           ]));
         // This comment applies similarly to sql-sync's use of core-rsync.
         // Since core-rsync is a strict-handling command and drush_invoke_process() puts options at end, we can't send along cli options to rsync.
         // Alternatively, add options like ssh.options to a site alias (usually on the machine that initiates the sql-sync).
         $return = drush_invoke_process($runner, 'core-rsync', array_merge([
             "$source:$export_path",
-            "$destination:%config-$label",
+            $destinationHostPath->getOriginal(),
             '--'
         ], $rsync_options), ['yes' => true], $backend_options);
         if ($return['error_status']) {
diff --git a/src/SiteAlias/HostPath.php b/src/SiteAlias/HostPath.php
index f6d88662cb..48831e7279 100644
--- a/src/SiteAlias/HostPath.php
+++ b/src/SiteAlias/HostPath.php
@@ -125,7 +125,17 @@ public function getOriginal()
     }
 
     /**
-     * Return just the path portion of the host path
+     * Return just the path portion, without considering the alias root.
+     *
+     * @return string
+     */
+    public function getOriginalPath()
+    {
+        return $this->path;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the original path
      *
      * @return string
      */
diff --git a/tests/ConfigPullTest.php b/tests/ConfigPullTest.php
index e6db01853b..c068f18da6 100644
--- a/tests/ConfigPullTest.php
+++ b/tests/ConfigPullTest.php
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 <?php
-
 namespace Unish;
 
+use Webmozart\PathUtil\Path;
+
 /**
  * Tests for config-pull command. Sets up two Drupal sites.
  * @group commands
@@ -30,9 +31,15 @@ public function testConfigPull()
         $this->drush('config-set', ['system.site', 'uuid', $uuid], ['yes' => null], $destination);
 
         $this->drush('config-set', ['system.site', 'name', 'testConfigPull'], ['yes' => null], $source);
-        $this->drush('config-pull', [$source, $destination], []);
+        $this->drush('config-pull', [$source, $destination]);
         $this->drush('config-import', [], ['yes' => null], $destination);
         $this->drush('config-get', ['system.site', 'name'], [], $source);
         $this->assertEquals("'system.site:name': testConfigPull", $this->getOutput(), 'Config was successfully pulled.');
+
+        // Test that custom target dir works
+        $target = Path::join($this->getSandbox(), __CLASS__);
+        $this->mkdir($target);
+        $this->drush('config-pull', [$source, "$destination:$target"]);
+        $this->assertFileExists(Path::join($target, 'system.site.yml'));
     }
 }