diff --git a/config/cmdline/cmdline.go b/config/cmdline/cmdline.go
index 4dcb49cb..09f448cb 100644
--- a/config/cmdline/cmdline.go
+++ b/config/cmdline/cmdline.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package cmdline
 import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"strings"
+	"unicode"
 
 	"github.com/rancher/os/pkg/util"
 
@@ -125,11 +126,34 @@ func UnmarshalOrReturnString(value string) (result interface{}) {
 	return
 }
 
+//splitCmdLine splits on spaces except when a space is within a quoted or bracketed string.
+func splitCmdLine(cmdLine string) []string {
+	lastRune := rune(0)
+	f := func(c rune) bool {
+		switch {
+		case c == lastRune:
+			lastRune = rune(0)
+			return false
+		case lastRune != rune(0):
+			return false
+		case unicode.In(c, unicode.Quotation_Mark):
+			lastRune = c
+			return false
+		case c == '[':
+			lastRune = ']'
+			return false
+		default:
+			return c == ' '
+		}
+	}
+	return strings.FieldsFunc(cmdLine, f)
+}
+
 func Parse(cmdLine string, parseAll bool) map[interface{}]interface{} {
 	result := map[interface{}]interface{}{}
 
 outer:
-	for _, part := range strings.Split(cmdLine, " ") {
+	for _, part := range splitCmdLine(cmdLine) {
 		if strings.HasPrefix(part, "cc.") {
 			part = part[3:]
 		} else if !strings.HasPrefix(part, "rancher.") {
diff --git a/config/config_test.go b/config/config_test.go
index a74f3779..37145ca8 100644
--- a/config/config_test.go
+++ b/config/config_test.go
@@ -123,6 +123,12 @@ func TestCmdlineParse(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}, cmdline.Parse("rancher.key=a\nb", false), false)
 
+	assert.Equal(map[interface{}]interface{}{
+		"rancher": map[interface{}]interface{}{
+			"key": "a b",
+		},
+	}, cmdline.Parse("rancher.key='a b'", false), false)
+
 	assert.Equal(map[interface{}]interface{}{
 		"rancher": map[interface{}]interface{}{
 			"key": "a:b",
@@ -158,6 +164,24 @@ func TestCmdlineParse(t *testing.T) {
 			"strArray": []interface{}{"url:http://192.168.1.100/cloud-config?a=b"},
 		},
 	}, cmdline.Parse("rancher.strArray=[url:http://192.168.1.100/cloud-config?a=b]", false), false)
+
+	assert.Equal(map[interface{}]interface{}{
+		"rancher": map[interface{}]interface{}{
+			"strArray": []interface{}{"part1 part2", "part3"},
+		},
+	}, cmdline.Parse("rancher.strArray=['part1 part2',part3]", false), false)
+
+	assert.Equal(map[interface{}]interface{}{
+		"rancher": map[interface{}]interface{}{
+			"strArray": []interface{}{"part1 part2", "part3"},
+		},
+	}, cmdline.Parse("rancher.strArray=[\"part1 part2\",part3]", false), false)
+
+	assert.Equal(map[interface{}]interface{}{
+		"rancher": map[interface{}]interface{}{
+			"strArray": []interface{}{"part1 part2", "part3"},
+		},
+	}, cmdline.Parse("rancher.strArray=[ \"part1 part2\", part3 ]", false), false)
 }
 
 func TestGet(t *testing.T) {