diff --git a/main-command/src/main/scala/sbt/BasicCommands.scala b/main-command/src/main/scala/sbt/BasicCommands.scala
index 8d4b9c34d..f647c9478 100644
--- a/main-command/src/main/scala/sbt/BasicCommands.scala
+++ b/main-command/src/main/scala/sbt/BasicCommands.scala
@@ -155,13 +155,16 @@ object BasicCommands {
   }
 
   private[sbt] def multiParserImpl(state: Option[State]): Parser[List[String]] = {
-    val nonSemi = token(charClass(_ != ';', "not ';'").+, hide = const(true))
+    val nonSemi = charClass(_ != ';', "not ';'")
     val semi = token(';' ~> OptSpace)
-    def commandParser = state.map(s => (s.combinedParser & nonSemi) | nonSemi).getOrElse(nonSemi)
-    val part = semi flatMap (
-        _ => matched(commandParser) <~ token(OptSpace)
+    val nonQuote = charClass(_ != '"', label = "not '\"'")
+    val cmdPart = token(
+      ((nonSemi & nonQuote).map(_.toString) | StringEscapable.map(c => s""""$c"""")).+,
+      hide = const(true)
     )
-    (part map (_.trim)).+ map (_.toList)
+    def commandParser = state.map(s => (s.combinedParser & cmdPart) | cmdPart).getOrElse(cmdPart)
+    val part = semi.flatMap(_ => matched(commandParser) <~ token(OptSpace)).map(_.trim)
+    part.+ map (_.toList)
   }
 
   def multiParser(s: State): Parser[List[String]] = multiParserImpl(Some(s))
diff --git a/main-command/src/test/scala/sbt/MultiParserSpec.scala b/main-command/src/test/scala/sbt/MultiParserSpec.scala
index e29eca571..06a30a179 100644
--- a/main-command/src/test/scala/sbt/MultiParserSpec.scala
+++ b/main-command/src/test/scala/sbt/MultiParserSpec.scala
@@ -33,4 +33,16 @@ class MultiParserSpec extends FlatSpec with Matchers {
     ";     foo;    bar".parse shouldBe Seq("foo", "bar")
     ";foo; bar".parse shouldBe Seq("foo", "bar")
   }
+  it should "parse command with string literal" in {
+    "; foo \"barbaz\"".parse shouldBe Seq("foo \"barbaz\"")
+    "; foo \"bar;baz\"".parse shouldBe Seq("foo \"bar;baz\"")
+    "; foo \"barbaz\"; bar".parse shouldBe Seq("foo \"barbaz\"", "bar")
+    "; foo \"barbaz\"; bar \"blah\"".parse shouldBe Seq("foo \"barbaz\"", "bar \"blah\"")
+    "; foo \"bar;baz\"; bar".parse shouldBe Seq("foo \"bar;baz\"", "bar")
+    "; foo \"bar;baz\"; bar \"buzz\"".parse shouldBe Seq("foo \"bar;baz\"", "bar \"buzz\"")
+    "; foo \"bar;baz\"; bar \"buzz;two\"".parse shouldBe Seq("foo \"bar;baz\"", "bar \"buzz;two\"")
+    """; foo "bar;\"baz\""; bar""".parse shouldBe Seq("""foo "bar;\"baz\""""", "bar")
+    """; setStringValue "foo;bar"; checkStringValue "foo;bar"""".parse shouldBe
+      Seq("""setStringValue "foo;bar"""", """checkStringValue "foo;bar"""")
+  }
 }