diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index e4106ce20..84e9ccdbb 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -53,11 +53,11 @@ dependencies {
         build(['name':'github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir', 'version':'1111e456ffea841564ac0fa5f69c26ef44dafec9', 'transitive':false])
         build(['name':'github.com/nicksnyder/go-i18n/i18n/...', 'version':'991e81cc94f6c54209edb3192cb98e3995ad71c1', 'transitive':false])
         build(['name':'github.com/spf13/cobra', 'version':'1238ba19d24b0b9ceee2094e1cb31947d45c3e86', 'transitive':false])
-        build(['name':'github.com/spf13/pflag', 'version':'367864438f1b1a3c7db4da06a2f55b144e6784e0', 'transitive':false])
+        build(['name':'github.com/spf13/pflag', 'version':'81378bbcd8a1005f72b1e8d7579e5dd7b2d612ab', 'transitive':false])
         build(['name':'golang.org/x/sys/unix', 'version':'7f918dd405547ecb864d14a8ecbbfe205b5f930f', 'transitive':false])
         build(['name':'gopkg.in/yaml.v2', 'version':'eb3733d160e74a9c7e442f435eb3bea458e1d19f', 'transitive':false])
         build(['name':'github.com/ghodss/yaml', 'version':'0ca9ea5df5451ffdf184b4428c902747c2c11cd7', 'transitive':false])
-        build(['name':'github.com/apache/openwhisk-client-go/whisk','version':'d8ccb1442651beee6a9245913e3ca0cb182888b1','transitive':false])
+        build(['name':'github.com/apache/openwhisk-client-go/whisk','version':'44551f1f3b715e87c0319b55762d50c71d214460','transitive':false])
         build(['name':'github.com/apache/openwhisk-wskdeploy','version':'cbe7c52d99c1ead5172946d3aeb33adb5d5c40b2','transitive':false])
         // END - Imported from Godeps
         test name:'github.com/stretchr/testify', version:'b91bfb9ebec76498946beb6af7c0230c7cc7ba6c', transitive:false //, tag: 'v1.2.0'
diff --git a/commands/action.go b/commands/action.go
index 35adb33dc..6c2b11aad 100644
--- a/commands/action.go
+++ b/commands/action.go
@@ -480,6 +480,9 @@ func parseAction(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, update bool) (*whisk.Action,
 		return nil, noArtifactError()
 	}
 
+	if update {
+		action.DelAnnotations = Flags.action.delAnnotation
+	}
 	whisk.Debug(whisk.DbgInfo, "Parsed action struct: %#v\n", action)
 	return action, err
 }
@@ -573,6 +576,13 @@ func augmentWebSecureArg(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, originalAction *whis
 				augmentedAction.Annotations = augmentedAction.Annotations.AppendKeyValueArr(getWebSecureAnnotations(existingAction))
 			}
 		}
+		// when "--web-secure false", need to delete require-whisk-auth annotation
+		secureSecret := webSecureSecret(Flags.action.websecure) // will be false when "--web-secure false"
+		existingSecret := augmentedAction.Annotations.GetValue(WEB_SECURE_ANNOT)
+		_, disableSecurity := secureSecret.(bool)
+		if existingSecret != nil && disableSecurity {
+			augmentedAction.DelAnnotations = []string{"require-whisk-auth"}
+		}
 		augmentedAction.Annotations = updateWebSecureAnnotation(Flags.action.websecure, augmentedAction.Annotations)
 	}
 
@@ -1305,6 +1315,7 @@ func init() {
 	actionUpdateCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&Flags.common.paramFile, "param-file", "P", "", wski18n.T("`FILE` containing parameter values in JSON format"))
 	actionUpdateCmd.Flags().StringVar(&Flags.action.web, WEB_FLAG, "", wski18n.T("treat ACTION as a web action, a raw HTTP web action, or as a standard action; yes | true = web action, raw = raw HTTP web action, no | false = standard action"))
 	actionUpdateCmd.Flags().StringVar(&Flags.action.websecure, WEB_SECURE_FLAG, "", wski18n.T("secure the web action. where `SECRET` is true, false, or any string. Only valid when the ACTION is a web action"))
+	actionUpdateCmd.Flags().StringArrayVar(&Flags.action.delAnnotation, "del-annotation", []string{}, wski18n.T("the list of annotations to be deleted from the action, e.g. --del-annotation key1 --del-annotation key2"))
 
 	actionInvokeCmd.Flags().StringSliceVarP(&Flags.common.param, "param", "p", []string{}, wski18n.T("parameter values in `KEY VALUE` format"))
 	actionInvokeCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&Flags.common.paramFile, "param-file", "P", "", wski18n.T("`FILE` containing parameter values in JSON format"))
diff --git a/commands/flags.go b/commands/flags.go
index a4f5e05e0..9a400575f 100644
--- a/commands/flags.go
+++ b/commands/flags.go
@@ -136,22 +136,23 @@ type FlagsStruct struct {
 }
 
 type ActionFlags struct {
-	docker      string
-	native      bool
-	copy        bool
-	web         string
-	websecure   string
-	sequence    bool
-	timeout     int
-	memory      int
-	logsize     int
-	concurrency int
-	result      bool
-	kind        string
-	main        string
-	url         bool
-	save        bool
-	saveAs      string
+	docker        string
+	native        bool
+	copy          bool
+	web           string
+	websecure     string
+	sequence      bool
+	timeout       int
+	memory        int
+	logsize       int
+	concurrency   int
+	result        bool
+	kind          string
+	main          string
+	url           bool
+	save          bool
+	saveAs        string
+	delAnnotation []string
 }
 
 func IsVerbose() bool {
diff --git a/tests/src/test/scala/org/apache/openwhisk/core/cli/test/WskCliBasicUsageTests.scala b/tests/src/test/scala/org/apache/openwhisk/core/cli/test/WskCliBasicUsageTests.scala
index f907109d2..cafa46229 100644
--- a/tests/src/test/scala/org/apache/openwhisk/core/cli/test/WskCliBasicUsageTests.scala
+++ b/tests/src/test/scala/org/apache/openwhisk/core/cli/test/WskCliBasicUsageTests.scala
@@ -669,7 +669,7 @@ class WskCliBasicUsageTests extends TestHelpers with WskTestHelpers {
         Parameters(createKey, createValue) ++
         Parameters(origKey, origValue)
     }
-    val updateAnnotations = baseAnnotations ++ Parameters(updateKey, updateValue) ++ Parameters(
+    val updateAnnotations = createAnnotations ++ Parameters(updateKey, updateValue) ++ Parameters(
       origKey,
       overwrittenValue)
 
diff --git a/wski18n/resources/en_US.all.json b/wski18n/resources/en_US.all.json
index a887e0346..04f25a13d 100644
--- a/wski18n/resources/en_US.all.json
+++ b/wski18n/resources/en_US.all.json
@@ -1415,6 +1415,10 @@
     "id": "secure the web action. where `SECRET` is true, false, or any string. Only valid when the ACTION is a web action",
     "translation": "secure the web action. where `SECRET` is true, false, or any string. Only valid when the ACTION is a web action"
   },
+  {
+    "id": "the list of annotations to be deleted from the action, e.g. --del-annotation key1 --del-annotation key2",
+    "translation": "the list of annotations to be deleted from the action, e.g. --del-annotation key1 --del-annotation key2"
+  },
   {
     "id": "The --web-secure option is only valid when the --web option is enabled.",
     "translation": "The --web-secure option is only valid when the --web option is enabled."