diff --git a/include/components/config.hpp b/include/components/config.hpp
index 3177c7eb..df296740 100644
--- a/include/components/config.hpp
+++ b/include/components/config.hpp
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ class config {
     } else if (path.find("xrdb:") == 0) {
       return dereference_xrdb<T>(path.substr(5), value);
     } else if ((pos = path.find(".")) != string::npos) {
-      return dereference_local<T>(path.substr(0, pos), path.substr(pos + 1));
+      return dereference_local<T>(path.substr(0, pos), path.substr(pos + 1), section);
     } else {
       throw value_error("Invalid reference defined at [" + build_path(section, key) + "]");
     }
@@ -142,13 +142,13 @@ class config {
    *  ${section.key}
    */
   template <typename T>
-  T dereference_local(string section, string key) const {
+  T dereference_local(string section, string key, string current_section) const {
     if (section == "BAR")
       m_logger.warn("${BAR.key} is deprecated. Use ${root.key} instead");
 
-    section = string_util::replace(section, "BAR", bar_section());
-    section = string_util::replace(section, "root", bar_section());
-    section = string_util::replace(section, "self", section);
+    section = string_util::replace(section, "BAR", bar_section(), 0, 3);
+    section = string_util::replace(section, "root", bar_section(), 0, 4);
+    section = string_util::replace(section, "self", current_section, 0, 4);
 
     auto path = build_path(section, key);
     auto result = m_ptree.get_optional<T>(path);
diff --git a/include/utils/string.hpp b/include/utils/string.hpp
index a7163a1b..ba2b737f 100644
--- a/include/utils/string.hpp
+++ b/include/utils/string.hpp
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ namespace string_util {
   string upper(const string& s);
   string lower(const string& s);
   bool compare(const string& s1, const string& s2);
-  string replace(const string& haystack, string needle, string replacement);
-  string replace_all(const string& haystack, string needle, string replacement);
+  string replace(const string& haystack, string needle, string repl, size_t start = 0, size_t end = string::npos);
+  string replace_all(const string& haystack, string needle, string repl, size_t start = 0, size_t end = string::npos);
   string squeeze(const string& haystack, char needle);
   string strip(const string& haystack, char needle);
   string strip_trailing_newline(const string& haystack);
diff --git a/src/utils/string.cpp b/src/utils/string.cpp
index 51ff962e..dbf949cc 100644
--- a/src/utils/string.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/string.cpp
@@ -41,27 +41,40 @@ namespace string_util {
   /**
    * Replace first occurence of needle in haystack
    */
-  string replace(const string& haystack, string needle, string replacement) {
+  string replace(const string& haystack, string needle, string reply, size_t start, size_t end) {
     string str(haystack);
     string::size_type pos;
-    if (needle != replacement && (pos = str.find(needle)) != string::npos)
-      str = str.replace(pos, needle.length(), replacement);
+
+    if (needle != reply && (pos = str.find(needle, start)) != string::npos) {
+      if (end == string::npos || pos < end)
+        str = str.replace(pos, needle.length(), reply);
+    }
+
     return str;
   }
 
   /**
    * Replace all occurences of needle in haystack
    */
-  string replace_all(const string& haystack, string needle, string replacement) {
+  string replace_all(const string& haystack, string needle, string reply, size_t start, size_t end) {
     string replaced;
+
+    if (end == string::npos)
+      end = haystack.length();
+
     for (size_t i = 0; i < haystack.length(); i++) {
-      if (haystack.compare(i, needle.length(), needle) == 0) {
-        replaced += replacement;
+      if (i < start) {
+        replaced += haystack[i];
+      } else if (i + needle.length() > end) {
+        replaced += haystack[i];
+      } else if (haystack.compare(i, needle.length(), needle) == 0) {
+        replaced += reply;
         i += needle.length() - 1;
       } else {
         replaced += haystack[i];
       }
     }
+
     return replaced;
   }
 
@@ -70,8 +83,7 @@ namespace string_util {
    */
   string squeeze(const string& haystack, char needle) {
     string result = haystack;
-    while (result.find({needle, needle}) != string::npos)
-      result = replace_all(result, {needle, needle}, {needle});
+    while (result.find({needle, needle}) != string::npos) result = replace_all(result, {needle, needle}, {needle});
     return result;
   }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/utils/string.cpp b/tests/unit_tests/utils/string.cpp
index 8bae85c1..0ea92662 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/utils/string.cpp
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/utils/string.cpp
@@ -14,11 +14,21 @@ int main() {
     expect(!string_util::compare("foo", "bar"));
   };
 
-  "replace"_test = [] { expect(string_util::replace("Foo bar baz", "a", "x") == "Foo bxr baz"); };
+  "replace"_test = [] {
+    expect(string_util::replace("abc", "b", ".") == "a.c");
+    expect(string_util::replace("aaa", "a", ".", 1, 2) == "a.a");
+    expect(string_util::replace("aaa", "a", ".", 0, 2) == ".aa");
+    expect(string_util::replace("Foo bar baz", "a", "x") == "Foo bxr baz");
+    expect(string_util::replace("foooobar", "o", "x", 2, 3) == "foxoobar");
+    expect(string_util::replace("foooobar", "o", "x", 0, 1) == "foooobar");
+  };
 
   "replace_all"_test = [] {
-    expect(string_util::replace_all("Foo bar baz", "a", "x") == "Foo bxr bxz");
+    expect(string_util::replace_all("Foo bar baza", "a", "x") == "Foo bxr bxzx");
     expect(string_util::replace_all("hehehe", "he", "hoo") == "hoohoohoo");
+    expect(string_util::replace_all("hehehe", "he", "hoo", 0, 2) == "hoohehe");
+    expect(string_util::replace_all("hehehe", "he", "hoo", 4) == "hehehoo");
+    expect(string_util::replace_all("hehehe", "he", "hoo", 0, 1) == "hehehe");
     expect(string_util::replace_all("131313", "3", "13") == "113113113");
   };