diff --git a/python/ray/autoscaler/commands.py b/python/ray/autoscaler/commands.py
index 9a89261be7de..faaef8c6a153 100644
--- a/python/ray/autoscaler/commands.py
+++ b/python/ray/autoscaler/commands.py
@@ -423,6 +423,8 @@ def rsync(config_file, source, target, override_cluster_name, down):
         override_cluster_name: set the name of the cluster
         down: whether we're syncing remote -> local
     """
+    assert bool(source) == bool(target), (
+        "Must either provide both or neither source and target.")
 
     config = yaml.load(open(config_file).read())
     if override_cluster_name is not None:
@@ -448,7 +450,12 @@ def rsync(config_file, source, target, override_cluster_name, down):
             rsync = updater.rsync_down
         else:
             rsync = updater.rsync_up
-        rsync(source, target, check_error=False)
+
+        if source and target:
+            rsync(source, target, check_error=False)
+        else:
+            updater.sync_file_mounts(rsync)
+
     finally:
         provider.cleanup()
 
diff --git a/python/ray/autoscaler/updater.py b/python/ray/autoscaler/updater.py
index 9fff0c767467..c86750fe399d 100644
--- a/python/ray/autoscaler/updater.py
+++ b/python/ray/autoscaler/updater.py
@@ -183,25 +183,9 @@ def wait_for_ssh(self, deadline):
 
         return False
 
-    def do_update(self):
-        self.provider.set_node_tags(self.node_id,
-                                    {TAG_RAY_NODE_STATUS: "waiting-for-ssh"})
-
-        deadline = time.time() + NODE_START_WAIT_S
-        self.set_ssh_ip_if_required()
-
-        # Wait for SSH access
-        with LogTimer("NodeUpdater: " "{}: Got SSH".format(self.node_id)):
-            ssh_ok = self.wait_for_ssh(deadline)
-            assert ssh_ok, "Unable to SSH to node"
-
+    def sync_file_mounts(self, sync_cmd):
         # Rsync file mounts
-        self.provider.set_node_tags(self.node_id,
-                                    {TAG_RAY_NODE_STATUS: "syncing-files"})
         for remote_path, local_path in self.file_mounts.items():
-            logger.info("NodeUpdater: "
-                        "{}: Syncing {} to {}...".format(
-                            self.node_id, local_path, remote_path))
             assert os.path.exists(local_path), local_path
             if os.path.isdir(local_path):
                 if not local_path.endswith("/"):
@@ -217,7 +201,23 @@ def do_update(self):
                         "mkdir -p {}".format(os.path.dirname(remote_path)),
                         redirect=redirect,
                     )
-                    self.rsync_up(local_path, remote_path, redirect=redirect)
+                    sync_cmd(local_path, remote_path, redirect=redirect)
+
+    def do_update(self):
+        self.provider.set_node_tags(self.node_id,
+                                    {TAG_RAY_NODE_STATUS: "waiting-for-ssh"})
+
+        deadline = time.time() + NODE_START_WAIT_S
+        self.set_ssh_ip_if_required()
+
+        # Wait for SSH access
+        with LogTimer("NodeUpdater: " "{}: Got SSH".format(self.node_id)):
+            ssh_ok = self.wait_for_ssh(deadline)
+            assert ssh_ok, "Unable to SSH to node"
+
+        self.provider.set_node_tags(self.node_id,
+                                    {TAG_RAY_NODE_STATUS: "syncing-files"})
+        self.sync_file_mounts(self.rsync_up)
 
         # Run init commands
         self.provider.set_node_tags(self.node_id,
@@ -236,6 +236,9 @@ def do_update(self):
                     self.ssh_cmd(cmd, redirect=redirect)
 
     def rsync_up(self, source, target, redirect=None, check_error=True):
+        logger.info("NodeUpdater: "
+                    "{}: Syncing {} to {}...".format(self.node_id, source,
+                                                     target))
         self.set_ssh_ip_if_required()
         self.get_caller(check_error)(
             [
@@ -247,6 +250,9 @@ def rsync_up(self, source, target, redirect=None, check_error=True):
             stderr=redirect or sys.stderr)
 
     def rsync_down(self, source, target, redirect=None, check_error=True):
+        logger.info("NodeUpdater: "
+                    "{}: Syncing {} from {}...".format(self.node_id, source,
+                                                       target))
         self.set_ssh_ip_if_required()
         self.get_caller(check_error)(
             [
diff --git a/python/ray/scripts/scripts.py b/python/ray/scripts/scripts.py
index 1951af208573..e993478c1011 100644
--- a/python/ray/scripts/scripts.py
+++ b/python/ray/scripts/scripts.py
@@ -529,8 +529,8 @@ def attach(cluster_config_file, start, tmux, cluster_name, new):
 
 @cli.command()
 @click.argument("cluster_config_file", required=True, type=str)
-@click.argument("source", required=True, type=str)
-@click.argument("target", required=True, type=str)
+@click.argument("source", required=False, type=str)
+@click.argument("target", required=False, type=str)
 @click.option(
     "--cluster-name",
     "-n",
@@ -543,8 +543,8 @@ def rsync_down(cluster_config_file, source, target, cluster_name):
 
 @cli.command()
 @click.argument("cluster_config_file", required=True, type=str)
-@click.argument("source", required=True, type=str)
-@click.argument("target", required=True, type=str)
+@click.argument("source", required=False, type=str)
+@click.argument("target", required=False, type=str)
 @click.option(
     "--cluster-name",
     "-n",
diff --git a/python/ray/tune/examples/mnist_pytorch_trainable.py b/python/ray/tune/examples/mnist_pytorch_trainable.py
index ac26d0353a98..7163dcfd6a01 100644
--- a/python/ray/tune/examples/mnist_pytorch_trainable.py
+++ b/python/ray/tune/examples/mnist_pytorch_trainable.py
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@
     action="store_true",
     default=False,
     help="disables CUDA training")
+parser.add_argument(
+    "--redis-address",
+    default=None,
+    type=str,
+    help="The Redis address of the cluster.")
 parser.add_argument(
     "--seed",
     type=int,
@@ -173,7 +178,7 @@ def _restore(self, checkpoint_path):
     from ray import tune
     from ray.tune.schedulers import HyperBandScheduler
 
-    ray.init()
+    ray.init(redis_address=args.redis_address)
     sched = HyperBandScheduler(
         time_attr="training_iteration", reward_attr="neg_mean_loss")
     tune.run(