diff --git a/mercurial/templater.py b/mercurial/templater.py
--- a/mercurial/templater.py
+++ b/mercurial/templater.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 from i18n import _
 import sys, os, re
 import util, config, templatefilters, templatekw, parser, error
+import revset as revsetmod
 import types
 import minirst
 
@@ -370,16 +371,20 @@ def revset(context, mapping, args):
     ctx = mapping['ctx']
     repo = ctx._repo
 
+    def query(expr):
+        m = revsetmod.match(repo.ui, expr)
+        return m(repo, revsetmod.spanset(repo))
+
     if len(args) > 1:
         formatargs = list([a[0](context, mapping, a[1]) for a in args[1:]])
-        revs = repo.revs(raw, *formatargs)
+        revs = query(revsetmod.formatspec(raw, *formatargs))
         revs = list([str(r) for r in revs])
     else:
         revsetcache = mapping['cache'].setdefault("revsetcache", {})
         if raw in revsetcache:
             revs = revsetcache[raw]
         else:
-            revs = repo.revs(raw)
+            revs = query(raw)
             revs = list([str(r) for r in revs])
             revsetcache[raw] = revs
 
diff --git a/tests/test-command-template.t b/tests/test-command-template.t
--- a/tests/test-command-template.t
+++ b/tests/test-command-template.t
@@ -1834,6 +1834,15 @@ Test revset function
   1 Parents: 0
   0 Parents: 
 
+  $ cat >> .hg/hgrc <<EOF
+  > [revsetalias]
+  > myparents(\$1) = parents(\$1)
+  > EOF
+  $ hg log --template '{rev} Parents: {revset("myparents(%s)", rev)}\n'
+  2 Parents: 1
+  1 Parents: 0
+  0 Parents: 
+
   $ hg log --template 'Rev: {rev}\n{revset("::%s", rev) % "Ancestor: {revision}\n"}\n'
   Rev: 2
   Ancestor: 0