diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/NodesImpl.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/NodesImpl.java
index d6266e78a1..a2ca870fdb 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/NodesImpl.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/NodesImpl.java
@@ -249,7 +249,8 @@ public class NodesImpl implements Nodes
 
     private final static String PARAM_ISFOLDER = "isFolder";
     private final static String PARAM_ISCONTENT = "isContent";
-    private final static String PARAM_SUBTYPES = "subTypes";
+
+    private final static String PARAM_INCLUDE_SUBTYPES = "INCLUDESUBTYPES";
 
     private final static String PARAM_NAME = "name";
     private final static String PARAM_CREATEDAT = "createdAt";
@@ -280,7 +281,7 @@ public class NodesImpl implements Nodes
 
     // list children filtering (via where clause)
     private final static Set<String> LIST_FOLDER_CHILDREN_EQUALS_QUERY_PROPERTIES =
-            new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList(new String[] {PARAM_ISFOLDER, PARAM_ISCONTENT, PARAM_NODETYPE, PARAM_SUBTYPES}));
+            new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList(new String[] {PARAM_ISFOLDER, PARAM_ISCONTENT, PARAM_NODETYPE}));
 
     /*
      * Validates that node exists.
@@ -955,24 +956,9 @@ public class NodesImpl implements Nodes
             String nodeTypeStr = propertyWalker.getProperty(PARAM_NODETYPE, WhereClauseParser.EQUALS, String.class);
             if ((nodeTypeStr != null) && (! nodeTypeStr.isEmpty()))
             {
-                filterIncludeSubTypes = false; // default nodeType filtering is without subTypes (unless subTypes = true)
-
-                filterNodeTypeQName = createQName(nodeTypeStr);
-                if (dictionaryService.getType(filterNodeTypeQName) == null)
-                {
-                    throw new InvalidArgumentException("Unknown filter nodeType: "+nodeTypeStr);
-                }
-            }
-
-            // optionally used with nodeType filter (default is *not* to include sub-types)
-            Boolean subTypes = propertyWalker.getProperty(PARAM_SUBTYPES, WhereClauseParser.EQUALS, Boolean.class);
-            if (subTypes != null)
-            {
-                if (nodeTypeStr == null)
-                {
-                    throw new InvalidArgumentException("Expected nodeType and subTypes (not just subTypes) filter: "+parentNodeRef.getId());
-                }
-                filterIncludeSubTypes = subTypes;
+                Pair<QName, Boolean> pair = parseNodeTypeFilter(nodeTypeStr);
+                filterNodeTypeQName = pair.getFirst();
+                filterIncludeSubTypes = pair.getSecond();
             }
         }
 
@@ -1052,6 +1038,30 @@ public class NodesImpl implements Nodes
         return CollectionWithPagingInfo.asPaged(paging, nodes, pagingResults.hasMoreItems(), pagingResults.getTotalResultCount().getFirst());
     }
 
+    private Pair<QName,Boolean> parseNodeTypeFilter(String nodeTypeStr)
+    {
+        boolean filterIncludeSubTypes = false; // default nodeType filtering is without subTypes (unless nodeType value is suffixed with ' INCLUDESUBTYPES')
+
+        int idx = nodeTypeStr.lastIndexOf(' ');
+        if (idx > 0)
+        {
+            String suffix = nodeTypeStr.substring(idx);
+            if (suffix.equalsIgnoreCase(" "+PARAM_INCLUDE_SUBTYPES))
+            {
+                filterIncludeSubTypes = true;
+                nodeTypeStr = nodeTypeStr.substring(0, idx);
+            }
+        }
+
+        QName filterNodeTypeQName = createQName(nodeTypeStr);
+        if (dictionaryService.getType(filterNodeTypeQName) == null)
+        {
+            throw new InvalidArgumentException("Unknown filter nodeType: "+nodeTypeStr);
+        }
+
+        return new Pair<>(filterNodeTypeQName, filterIncludeSubTypes);
+    }
+
     protected Pair<Set<QName>, Set<QName>> buildSearchTypesAndIgnoreAspects(QName filterNodeTypeQName, boolean filterIncludeSubTypes, Set<QName> ignoreQNameTypes)
     {
         Set<QName> searchTypeQNames = new HashSet<QName>(100);
diff --git a/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/NodeApiTest.java b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/NodeApiTest.java
index fd126d5374..334e5a25da 100644
--- a/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/NodeApiTest.java
+++ b/source/test-java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/NodeApiTest.java
@@ -1484,7 +1484,7 @@ public class NodeApiTest extends AbstractBaseApiTest
         n1.expected(nodeResp);
 
 
-        // filtering, via where clause (nodeType + subTypes)
+        // filtering, via where clause (nodeType + optionally including sub-types)
 
         // note: subtle issue - in order to filter by "cm:link" the qname must have been created in the DB (in a write txn)
         // otherwise query will not match a missing qname (hmm). Workaround here by forcing the create of an explicit "cm:link".
@@ -1505,11 +1505,23 @@ public class NodeApiTest extends AbstractBaseApiTest
 
         response = getAll(getChildrenUrl(f2Id), user1, paging, params, 200);
         List<Node> nodes = jacksonUtil.parseEntries(response.getJsonResponse(), Node.class);
-
         assertEquals(1, nodes.size());
 
+        // filter by including sub-types - note: includesubtypes is case-insensitive
+
         params = new HashMap<>();
-        params.put("where", "(nodeType='cm:link' and subTypes=true)");
+        params.put("where", "(nodeType='cm:link INCLUDESUBTYPES')");
+
+        paging = getPaging(0, Integer.MAX_VALUE);
+
+        response = getAll(getChildrenUrl(f2Id), user1, paging, params, 200);
+        nodes = jacksonUtil.parseEntries(response.getJsonResponse(), Node.class);
+        assertEquals(3, nodes.size());
+        assertTrue(linkIds.contains(nodes.get(0).getId()));
+        assertTrue(linkIds.contains(nodes.get(1).getId()));
+
+        params = new HashMap<>();
+        params.put("where", "(nodeType='cm:link includeSubTypes')");
 
         paging = getPaging(0, Integer.MAX_VALUE);
 
@@ -1549,6 +1561,15 @@ public class NodeApiTest extends AbstractBaseApiTest
         params = new HashMap<>();
         params.put("where", "(nodeType='my:unknown'");
         getAll(getChildrenUrl(f2Id), user1, paging, params, 400);
+
+        // -ver test - invalid node type localname format and suffix is not ' includesubtypes'
+        params = new HashMap<>();
+        params.put("where", "(nodeType='cm:link ')");
+        getAll(getChildrenUrl(f2Id), user1, paging, params, 400);
+
+        params = new HashMap<>();
+        params.put("where", "(nodeType='cm:link blah')");
+        getAll(getChildrenUrl(f2Id), user1, paging, params, 400);
     }