diff --git a/picoquic/config.c b/picoquic/config.c
index 4faa54bfd..113d26ec1 100644
--- a/picoquic/config.c
+++ b/picoquic/config.c
@@ -517,36 +517,76 @@ int picoquic_config_set_option(picoquic_quic_config_t* config, picoquic_option_e
     return ret;
 }
 
-int picoquic_config_command_line(int opt, int * p_optind, int argc, char const ** argv, char const* optarg, picoquic_quic_config_t * config)
+int picoquic_config_get_option_char_index(int opt)
 {
-    int ret = 0;
     int option_index = -1;
-    option_param_t params[5];
-    int nb_params = 0;
 
-    /* Get the parameters */
     for (size_t i = 0; i < option_table_size; i++) {
         if (option_table[i].option_letter == opt) {
             option_index = (int)i;
             break;
         }
     }
+    return option_index;
+}
 
-    if (option_index == -1 || option_table[option_index].nb_params_required > 1) {
-        /* No options have more than one parameter */
-        fprintf(stderr, "Unknown or incorrect option: -%c\n", opt);
-        ret = -1;
+int picoquic_config_get_option_name_index(char const * s, size_t l)
+{
+    int option_index = -1;
+
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < option_table_size; i++) {
+        if (strncmp(s, option_table[i].option_name, l) == 0) {
+            option_index = (int)i;
+            break;
+        }
     }
-    else {
-        if (option_table[option_index].nb_params_required > 0) {
-            params[0].param = optarg;
-            if (optarg == NULL){
-                fprintf(stderr, "option -%c requires %d arguments\n", opt, option_table[option_index].nb_params_required);
-                ret = -1;
-            }
-            else {
-                params[0].length = strlen(optarg);
-                nb_params++;
+    return option_index;
+}
+
+int picoquic_config_get_command_line_option_index(char const* opt_string)
+{
+    int option_index = -1;
+
+    if (opt_string[0] == '-' && opt_string[1] != 0) {
+        if (opt_string[2] == 0) {
+            option_index = picoquic_config_get_option_char_index(opt_string[1]);
+        }
+        else if (opt_string[1] == '-' && opt_string[2] != 0) {
+            char const* opt_name = opt_string + 2;
+            option_index = picoquic_config_get_option_name_index(opt_name, strlen(opt_name));
+        }
+    }
+    return option_index;
+}
+
+int picoquic_get_command_line_option_value(int option_index, char const * opt_string, int* p_optind, const char** argv,
+    int argc, char const* optarg, picoquic_quic_config_t* config)
+{
+    int ret = 0;
+    option_param_t params[5];
+    int nb_params = 0;
+
+    if (option_table[option_index].nb_params_required > 0) {
+        params[0].param = optarg;
+        if (optarg == NULL) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "option %s requires %d arguments\n", opt_string, option_table[option_index].nb_params_required);
+            ret = -1;
+        }
+        else {
+            params[0].length = strlen(optarg);
+            nb_params++;
+            while (nb_params < option_table[option_index].nb_params_required) {
+                if (*p_optind + 1 > argc) {
+                    fprintf(stderr, "option %s requires %d arguments\n", opt_string, option_table[option_index].nb_params_required);
+                    ret = -1;
+                    break;
+                }
+                else {
+                    params[nb_params].param = argv[*p_optind];
+                    params[nb_params].length = (int)strlen(argv[*p_optind]);
+                    nb_params++;
+                    *p_optind += 1;
+                }
             }
         }
     }
@@ -558,6 +598,43 @@ int picoquic_config_command_line(int opt, int * p_optind, int argc, char const *
     return ret;
 }
 
+int picoquic_config_command_line(int opt, int * p_optind, int argc, char const ** argv, char const* optarg, picoquic_quic_config_t * config)
+{
+    int ret = 0;
+    int option_index = -1;
+    char opt_string[3] = { '-', 0, 0 };
+
+    opt_string[1] = (char)opt;
+    option_index = picoquic_config_get_option_char_index(opt);
+
+    if (option_index == -1) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Unknown option: -%c\n", opt);
+        ret = -1;
+    }
+    else {
+        ret = picoquic_get_command_line_option_value(option_index, opt_string, p_optind,
+            argv, argc, optarg, config);
+    }
+    return ret;
+}
+
+int picoquic_config_command_line_ex(char const * opt_string, int* p_optind, int argc, char const** argv, char const* optarg, picoquic_quic_config_t* config)
+{
+    int ret = 0;
+    int option_index = -1;
+
+    option_index = picoquic_config_get_command_line_option_index(opt_string);
+
+    if (option_index == -1) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Unknown option: %s\n", opt_string);
+    }
+    else {
+        ret = picoquic_get_command_line_option_value(option_index, opt_string, p_optind,
+            argv, argc, optarg, config);
+    }
+    return ret;
+}
+
 #if 0
 /* Reading parameters from a file instead of the command line.
 * Apparently never used, also not tested.
@@ -637,7 +714,6 @@ int picoquic_config_file(char const* file_name, picoquic_quic_config_t* config)
 
     return ret;
 }
-
 #endif
 
 /* Create a QUIC Context based on configuration data.
diff --git a/picoquic/picoquic_config.h b/picoquic/picoquic_config.h
index 54dc58cd8..a5fe09d85 100644
--- a/picoquic/picoquic_config.h
+++ b/picoquic/picoquic_config.h
@@ -140,7 +140,15 @@ void picoquic_config_usage_file(FILE* F);
 void picoquic_config_usage();
 int picoquic_config_set_option(picoquic_quic_config_t* config, picoquic_option_enum_t option_num, const char* opt_val);
 
+/* picoquic_config_command_line:
+* parse options, with the restriction that all options must be identified by a single character, as in '-x'
+ */
 int picoquic_config_command_line(int opt, int* p_optind, int argc, char const** argv, char const* optarg, picoquic_quic_config_t* config);
+/* picoquic_config_command_line:
+* parse options, allowing both single character options (e.g. -X)
+* and named option (e.g. --disable_block)
+ */
+int picoquic_config_command_line_ex(char const* opt_string, int* p_optind, int argc, char const** argv, char const* optarg, picoquic_quic_config_t* config);
 
 #if 0
 /* It does not seem anyone uses this, and it is not tested */
diff --git a/picoquictest/config_test.c b/picoquictest/config_test.c
index d98e66988..c75214545 100644
--- a/picoquictest/config_test.c
+++ b/picoquictest/config_test.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+#include "picoquic.h"
 #include "picoquic_internal.h"
 #include "picoquic_utils.h"
 #include "picoquic_config.h"
@@ -216,6 +217,29 @@ static const char* config_argv2[] = {
     NULL
 };
 
+static const char * config_two[] = {
+    "--sni", "test.example.com",
+    "--alpn", "test",
+    "--outdir", "/data/w_out",
+    "--root_trust_file", "data/certs/root.pem",
+    "--cipher_suite", "20",
+    "--proposed_version", "ff000020",
+    "--force_zero_share",
+    "--idle_timeout", "1234567",
+    "--no_disk",
+    "--large_client_hello",
+    "--disable_block",
+#ifndef PICOQUIC_WITHOUT_SSLKEYLOG
+    "--sslkeylog",
+#endif
+    "--cnxid_length", "5",
+    "--ticket_file", "/data/tickets.bin",
+    "--token_file", "/data/tokens.bin",
+    "--version_upgrade", "00000002",
+    "--cwin_max", "1000000",
+    NULL
+};
+
 typedef struct st_config_error_test_t {
     int nb_args;
     char const* err_args[2];
@@ -433,6 +457,56 @@ static int config_parse_command_line_test(const picoquic_quic_config_t* expected
     return (ret);
 }
 
+int config_test_parse_command_line_ex(const picoquic_quic_config_t* expected, const char** argv, int argc)
+{
+    int ret = 0;
+    int opt_ind = 0;
+    picoquic_quic_config_t actual;
+
+    picoquic_config_init(&actual);
+
+    while (opt_ind < argc && ret == 0) {
+        const char* x = argv[opt_ind];
+        const char* optval = NULL;
+
+        if (x == NULL) {
+            /* could not parse to the end! */
+            DBG_PRINTF("Unexpected stop after %d arguments, expected %d", opt_ind, argc);
+            ret = -1;
+            break;
+        }
+        else if (x[0] != '-' || x[1] == 0 || 
+            (x[2] != 0 && x[1] != '-')) {
+            /* could not parse to the end! */
+            DBG_PRINTF("Unexpected argument: %s", x);
+            ret = -1;
+            break;
+        }
+        opt_ind++;
+        if (opt_ind < argc) {
+            optval = argv[opt_ind];
+            if (optval[0] == '-') {
+                optval = NULL;
+            }
+            else {
+                opt_ind++;
+            }
+        }
+        ret = picoquic_config_command_line_ex(x, &opt_ind, argc, argv, optval, &actual);
+        if (ret != 0) {
+            DBG_PRINTF("Could not parse opt %s", x);
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (ret == 0) {
+        ret = config_test_compare(expected, &actual);
+    }
+
+    picoquic_config_clear(&actual);
+  
+    return (ret);
+}
+
 int config_set_option_test_one()
 {
     int ret = 0;
@@ -465,18 +539,18 @@ int config_option_test()
     if (ret != 0) {
         DBG_PRINTF("First config option test returns %d", ret);
     }
-    
-    if (ret == 0){
+    if (ret == 0) {
         ret = config_parse_command_line_test(&param2, config_argv2, (int)(sizeof(config_argv2) / sizeof(char const*)) - 1);
+
         if (ret != 0) {
             DBG_PRINTF("Second config option test returns %d", ret);
         }
     }
 
     if (ret == 0) {
-        ret = config_set_option_test_one();
+        ret = config_test_parse_command_line_ex(&param2, config_two, (int)(sizeof(config_two) / sizeof(char const*)) - 1);
         if (ret != 0) {
-            DBG_PRINTF("Config set option test returns %d", ret);
+            DBG_PRINTF("Two dash config option test returns %d", ret);
         }
     }