diff --git a/cmd/gost/peer.go b/cmd/gost/peer.go
index e2cb495..9e1d00f 100644
--- a/cmd/gost/peer.go
+++ b/cmd/gost/peer.go
@@ -13,11 +13,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ginuerzh/gost"
 )
 
-const (
-	defaultMaxFails    = 1
-	defaultFailTimeout = 30 * time.Second
-)
-
 type peerConfig struct {
 	Strategy    string `json:"strategy"`
 	MaxFails    int    `json:"max_fails"`
@@ -36,12 +31,6 @@ func newPeerConfig() *peerConfig {
 }
 
 func (cfg *peerConfig) Validate() {
-	if cfg.MaxFails <= 0 {
-		cfg.MaxFails = defaultMaxFails
-	}
-	if cfg.FailTimeout <= 0 {
-		cfg.FailTimeout = defaultFailTimeout // seconds
-	}
 }
 
 func (cfg *peerConfig) Reload(r io.Reader) error {
diff --git a/cmd/gost/route.go b/cmd/gost/route.go
index 38721da..b4e358a 100644
--- a/cmd/gost/route.go
+++ b/cmd/gost/route.go
@@ -51,20 +51,11 @@ func (r *route) parseChain() (*gost.Chain, error) {
 		}
 		ngroup.AddNode(nodes...)
 
-		maxFails := nodes[0].GetInt("max_fails")
-		if maxFails == 0 {
-			maxFails = defaultMaxFails
-		}
-		failTimeout := nodes[0].GetDuration("fail_timeout")
-		if failTimeout == 0 {
-			failTimeout = defaultFailTimeout
-		}
-
 		ngroup.SetSelector(nil,
 			gost.WithFilter(
 				&gost.FailFilter{
-					MaxFails:    maxFails,
-					FailTimeout: failTimeout,
+					MaxFails:    nodes[0].GetInt("max_fails"),
+					FailTimeout: nodes[0].GetDuration("fail_timeout"),
 				},
 				&gost.InvalidFilter{},
 			),
@@ -444,6 +435,8 @@ func (r *route) GenRouters() ([]router, error) {
 			gost.WhitelistHandlerOption(whitelist),
 			gost.BlacklistHandlerOption(blacklist),
 			gost.StrategyHandlerOption(gost.NewStrategy(node.Get("strategy"))),
+			gost.MaxFailsHandlerOption(node.GetInt("max_fails")),
+			gost.FailTimeoutHandlerOption(node.GetDuration("fail_timeout")),
 			gost.BypassHandlerOption(node.Bypass),
 			gost.ResolverHandlerOption(resolver),
 			gost.HostsHandlerOption(hosts),
diff --git a/forward.go b/forward.go
index e9d1f4c..d403102 100644
--- a/forward.go
+++ b/forward.go
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ func (h *baseForwardHandler) Init(options ...HandlerOption) {
 	h.group.SetSelector(&defaultSelector{},
 		WithStrategy(h.options.Strategy),
 		WithFilter(&FailFilter{
-			MaxFails:    1,
-			FailTimeout: 30 * time.Second,
+			MaxFails:    h.options.MaxFails,
+			FailTimeout: h.options.FailTimeout,
 		}),
 	)
 
diff --git a/handler.go b/handler.go
index b0521fe..66f894d 100644
--- a/handler.go
+++ b/handler.go
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ type HandlerOptions struct {
 	Whitelist     *Permissions
 	Blacklist     *Permissions
 	Strategy      Strategy
+	MaxFails      int
+	FailTimeout   time.Duration
 	Bypass        *Bypass
 	Retries       int
 	Timeout       time.Duration
@@ -116,6 +118,20 @@ func StrategyHandlerOption(strategy Strategy) HandlerOption {
 	}
 }
 
+// MaxFailsHandlerOption sets the max_fails option of HandlerOptions.
+func MaxFailsHandlerOption(n int) HandlerOption {
+	return func(opts *HandlerOptions) {
+		opts.MaxFails = n
+	}
+}
+
+// FailTimeoutHandlerOption sets the fail_timeout option of HandlerOptions.
+func FailTimeoutHandlerOption(d time.Duration) HandlerOption {
+	return func(opts *HandlerOptions) {
+		opts.FailTimeout = d
+	}
+}
+
 // RetryHandlerOption sets the retry option of HandlerOptions.
 func RetryHandlerOption(retries int) HandlerOption {
 	return func(opts *HandlerOptions) {
diff --git a/selector.go b/selector.go
index 10efa04..12545ac 100644
--- a/selector.go
+++ b/selector.go
@@ -162,6 +162,12 @@ type Filter interface {
 	String() string
 }
 
+// default options for FailFilter
+const (
+	DefaultMaxFails    = 1
+	DefaultFailTimeout = 30 * time.Second
+)
+
 // FailFilter filters the dead node.
 // A node is marked as dead if its failed count is greater than MaxFails.
 type FailFilter struct {
@@ -171,15 +177,24 @@ type FailFilter struct {
 
 // Filter filters dead nodes.
 func (f *FailFilter) Filter(nodes []Node) []Node {
-	if len(nodes) <= 1 || f.MaxFails <= 0 {
+	maxFails := f.MaxFails
+	if maxFails == 0 {
+		maxFails = DefaultMaxFails
+	}
+	failTimeout := f.FailTimeout
+	if failTimeout == 0 {
+		failTimeout = DefaultFailTimeout
+	}
+
+	if len(nodes) <= 1 || maxFails < 0 {
 		return nodes
 	}
 	nl := []Node{}
 	for i := range nodes {
 		marker := nodes[i].marker.Clone()
 		// log.Logf("%s: %d/%d %v/%v", nodes[i], marker.FailCount(), f.MaxFails, marker.FailTime(), f.FailTimeout)
-		if marker.FailCount() < uint32(f.MaxFails) ||
-			time.Since(time.Unix(marker.FailTime(), 0)) >= f.FailTimeout {
+		if marker.FailCount() < uint32(maxFails) ||
+			time.Since(time.Unix(marker.FailTime(), 0)) >= failTimeout {
 			nl = append(nl, nodes[i])
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/selector_test.go b/selector_test.go
index 41fe95f..5da667c 100644
--- a/selector_test.go
+++ b/selector_test.go
@@ -97,13 +97,14 @@ func TestFailFilter(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("unexpected node", v)
 	}
 
-	filter.MaxFails = 1
+	filter.MaxFails = -1
+	nodes[0].MarkDead()
 	if v := filter.Filter(nodes); !isEqual(v, nodes) {
 		t.Error("unexpected node", v)
 	}
 
-	nodes[0].MarkDead()
-	if v := filter.Filter(nodes); !isEqual(v, nodes) {
+	filter.MaxFails = 0
+	if v := filter.Filter(nodes); isEqual(v, nodes) {
 		t.Error("unexpected node", v)
 	}