diff --git a/src/datahike/api/specification.cljc b/src/datahike/api/specification.cljc
index b16e0eed..1328bdba 100644
--- a/src/datahike/api/specification.cljc
+++ b/src/datahike/api/specification.cljc
@@ -8,22 +8,26 @@
   [name]
   (.replace (str name) "?" ""))
 
-(defn spec-args->argslist [args]
-  (if-not (seq? args)
-    args
-    (cond (= (first args) 's/cat)
-          [[(symbol (name (second args)))]]
-
-          (= (first args) 's/alt)
-          (mapv (fn [s]
-                  (if (= s :nil)
-                    []
-                    [(symbol (name s))]))
-                (take-nth 2 (rest args))))))
-
-(comment
-  (spec-args->argslist '(s/alt :config (s/cat :config spec/SConfig)
-                               :nil (s/cat))))
+(defn spec-args->argslist
+  "This function is a helper to translate a spec into a list of arguments. It is only complete enough to deal with the specs in this namespace."
+  [s]
+  (if-not (seq? s)
+    (if (= :nil s) [] [(symbol (name s))])
+    (let [[op & args] s]
+      (cond
+        (= op 's/cat)
+        [(vec (mapcat (fn [[k v]]
+                        (if (and (seq? v) (= (first v) 's/*))
+                          (vec (concat ['&] (spec-args->argslist k)))
+                          (spec-args->argslist k)))
+                      (partition 2 args)))]
+
+        (= op 's/alt)
+        (vec (mapcat (fn [[_k v]]
+                       (spec-args->argslist v))
+                     (partition 2 args)))
+        :else
+        []))))
 
 (def api-specification
   '{database-exists?
diff --git a/test/datahike/test/specification_test.cljc b/test/datahike/test/specification_test.cljc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3612c478
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/datahike/test/specification_test.cljc
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+(ns datahike.test.specification-test
+  (:require
+   #?(:cljs [cljs.test :as t :refer-macros [is are deftest testing]]
+      :clj  [clojure.test :as t :refer [is are deftest testing]])
+   [datahike.api.specification :refer [spec-args->argslist]]))
+
+(deftest spec-to-argslist-translation
+  (testing "Testing core cases of spec to argslist translator."
+    (is (= (spec-args->argslist '(s/alt :config (s/cat :config spec/SConfig)
+                                        :nil (s/cat)))
+           '[[config] []]))
+
+    (is (= (spec-args->argslist '(s/cat :conn spec/SConnection :txs spec/STransactions))
+           '[[conn txs]]))
+
+    (is (= (spec-args->argslist '(s/alt :argmap (s/cat :map spec/SQueryArgs)
+                                        :with-params (s/cat :q (s/or :vec vector? :map map?) :args (s/* any?))))
+           '[[map] [q & args]]))
+
+    (is (= (spec-args->argslist '(s/alt :simple (s/cat :db spec/SDB :opts spec/SPullOptions)
+                                        :full (s/cat :db spec/SDB :selector coll? :eid spec/SEId)))
+           '[[db opts] [db selector eid]]))))