diff --git a/docs/cmdline-opts/_OPTIONS.md b/docs/cmdline-opts/_OPTIONS.md
index f1067377c8..2b7cb80f49 100644
--- a/docs/cmdline-opts/_OPTIONS.md
+++ b/docs/cmdline-opts/_OPTIONS.md
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ When --next is used, it resets the parser state and you start again with a
 clean option state, except for the options that are global. Global options
 retain their values and meaning even after --next.
 
+If the long option name ends with an equals sign (`=`), the argument is the
+text following on its right side. (Added in 8.16.0)
+
 The first argument that is exactly two dashes (`--`), marks the end of
 options; any argument after the end of options is interpreted as a URL
 argument even if it starts with a dash.
diff --git a/src/tool_getparam.c b/src/tool_getparam.c
index 3a1cc57fdd..c78494f76d 100644
--- a/src/tool_getparam.c
+++ b/src/tool_getparam.c
@@ -2803,6 +2803,9 @@ static ParameterError opt_filestring(struct OperationConfig *config,
   return err;
 }
 
+/* the longest command line option, excluding the leading -- */
+#define MAX_OPTION_LEN 26
+
 ParameterError getparameter(const char *flag, /* f or -long-flag */
                             const char *nextarg,    /* NULL if unset */
                             bool *usedarg,    /* set to TRUE if the arg
@@ -2816,6 +2819,7 @@ ParameterError getparameter(const char *flag, /* f or -long-flag */
   bool toggle = TRUE; /* how to switch boolean options, on or off. Controlled
                          by using --OPTION or --no-OPTION */
   bool nextalloc = FALSE; /* if nextarg is allocated */
+  bool consumearg = TRUE; /* the argument comes separate */
   const struct LongShort *a = NULL;
   struct GlobalConfig *global = config->global;
   verbose_nopts = 0; /* options processed in `flag`*/
@@ -2827,6 +2831,8 @@ ParameterError getparameter(const char *flag, /* f or -long-flag */
     const char *word = ('-' == flag[0]) ? flag + 2 : flag;
     bool noflagged = FALSE;
     bool expand = FALSE;
+    const char *p;
+    struct Curl_str out;
 
     if(!strncmp(word, "no-", 3)) {
       /* disable this option but ignore the "no-" part when looking for it */
@@ -2840,7 +2846,21 @@ ParameterError getparameter(const char *flag, /* f or -long-flag */
       expand = TRUE;
     }
 
-    a = findlongopt(word);
+    p = word;
+    /* is there an '=' ? */
+    if(!curlx_str_until(&p, &out, MAX_OPTION_LEN, '=') &&
+       !curlx_str_single(&p, '=') ) {
+      /* there's an equal sign */
+      char tempword[MAX_OPTION_LEN + 1];
+      memcpy(tempword, curlx_str(&out), curlx_strlen(&out));
+      tempword[curlx_strlen(&out)] = 0;
+      a = findlongopt(tempword);
+      nextarg = p;
+      consumearg = FALSE; /* it is not separate */
+    }
+    else
+      a = findlongopt(word);
+
     if(a) {
       longopt = TRUE;
     }
@@ -2910,7 +2930,7 @@ ParameterError getparameter(const char *flag, /* f or -long-flag */
         break;
       }
       else {
-        *usedarg = TRUE; /* mark it as used */
+        *usedarg = consumearg; /* mark it as used */
       }
       if(a->desc & ARG_DEPR) {
         opt_depr(global, a);
diff --git a/tests/data/test1333 b/tests/data/test1333
index e6dbb73a62..5a5dd63a2d 100644
--- a/tests/data/test1333
+++ b/tests/data/test1333
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ http
 HTTP POST zero length, chunked-encoded
 </name>
 <command>
--d "" --header "Transfer-Encoding: chunked" http://%HOSTIP:%HTTPPORT/%TESTNUMBER
+-d "" --header="Transfer-Encoding: chunked" http://%HOSTIP:%HTTPPORT/%TESTNUMBER
 </command>
 </client>
 
diff --git a/tests/data/test1335 b/tests/data/test1335
index a0b3aae65e..146ff6d918 100644
--- a/tests/data/test1335
+++ b/tests/data/test1335
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ http
 HTTP GET with -O without Content-Disposition, -D stdout
 </name>
 <command option="no-output,no-include">
-http://%HOSTIP:%HTTPPORT/%TESTNUMBER -O -D - --output-dir %LOGDIR
+http://%HOSTIP:%HTTPPORT/%TESTNUMBER -O -D - --output-dir="%LOGDIR"
 </command>
 </client>
 
diff --git a/tests/data/test1442 b/tests/data/test1442
index 0825a1e028..2293fdf2f7 100644
--- a/tests/data/test1442
+++ b/tests/data/test1442
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ file
 Check --write-out with trailing \
 </name>
 <command>
-file://localhost/%FILE_PWD/%LOGDIR/non-existent-file.txt --write-out '\'
+file://localhost/%FILE_PWD/%LOGDIR/non-existent-file.txt --write-out='\'
 </command>
 </client>
 
diff --git a/tests/data/test206 b/tests/data/test206
index 99a9493023..2ff05075c7 100644
--- a/tests/data/test206
+++ b/tests/data/test206
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ digest
 HTTP proxy CONNECT auth Digest
 </name>
 <command>
-http://test.remote.haxx.se.%TESTNUMBER:8990/path/%TESTNUMBER0002 --proxy http://%HOSTIP:%HTTPPORT --proxy-user silly:person --proxy-digest --proxytunnel
+http://test.remote.haxx.se.%TESTNUMBER:8990/path/%TESTNUMBER0002 --proxy=http://%HOSTIP:%HTTPPORT --proxy-user=silly:person --proxy-digest --proxytunnel
 </command>
 </client>