diff --git a/contrib/dokku_client.sh b/contrib/dokku_client.sh
index 590d3d0dc8c..d2c7c4f047a 100755
--- a/contrib/dokku_client.sh
+++ b/contrib/dokku_client.sh
@@ -188,9 +188,14 @@ main() {
   [[ " storage:ensure-directory " == *" $CMD "* ]] && unset APP
   [[ "$CMD" =~ events*|plugin*|ssh-keys* ]] && unset APP
   [[ -n "$APP_ARG" ]] && [[ "$APP_ARG" == "--global" ]] && unset APP
-  [[ -n "$@" ]] && [[ -n "$APP" ]] && app_arg="--app $APP"
+  if [[ -n "$@" ]] && [[ -n "$APP" ]]; then
+    set -- "$APP" "$@"
+    set -- "--app" "$@"
+  fi
   # echo "ssh -o LogLevel=QUIET -p $DOKKU_PORT -t dokku@$DOKKU_REMOTE_HOST -- $app_arg $@"
-  ssh -o LogLevel=QUIET -p $DOKKU_PORT -t dokku@$DOKKU_REMOTE_HOST -- $app_arg $@ || {
+  local ssh_args=("-o" "LogLevel=QUIET" "-p" "$DOKKU_PORT" "-t" "dokku@$DOKKU_REMOTE_HOST" "--")
+  ssh_args+=("$@")
+  ssh "${ssh_args[@]}" || {
     ssh_exit_code="$?"
     echo " !     Failed to execute dokku command over ssh: exit code $?" 1>&2
     echo " !     If there was no output from Dokku, ensure your configured SSH Key can connect to the remote server" 1>&2
diff --git a/dokku b/dokku
index 46f8d6f9297..755e652e6d7 100755
--- a/dokku
+++ b/dokku
@@ -106,15 +106,20 @@ fi
 
 if [[ -n "$SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND" ]]; then
   export -n SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND
-  if [[ $1 =~ config-* ]] || [[ $1 =~ docker-options* ]]; then
-    xargs $0 <<<$SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND
-    exit $?
-  else
+  exit_code=0
+  if [[ $1 =~ git-* ]] || [[ $1 =~ git:* ]]; then
     set -f
     $0 $SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND
+    exit_code=$?
+    set +f
+  else
+    readarray -t -O "${#ssh_arg_array[@]}" ssh_arg_array < <(printf '%s' "$SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND" | xargs -n 1)
+    set -f
+    $0 "${ssh_arg_array[@]}"
+    exit_code=$?
     set +f
-    exit $?
   fi
+  exit $exit_code
 fi
 
 if ! dokku_auth "$@"; then
diff --git a/tests/unit/client.bats b/tests/unit/client.bats
index bfb51a64d90..0c0610ea934 100644
--- a/tests/unit/client.bats
+++ b/tests/unit/client.bats
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@ setup() {
   global_setup
   export "DOKKU_HOST=${DOKKU_DOMAIN}"
   create_app
+  clone_test_plugin
 }
 
 teardown() {
+  remove_test_plugin || true
   destroy_app
   unset DOKKU_HOST
   global_teardown
@@ -311,3 +313,22 @@ teardown() {
   assert_success
   assert_output "dokku"
 }
+
+@test "(client) test-args" {
+  run /bin/bash -c "dokku plugin:install $TEST_PLUGIN_GIT_REPO --name $TEST_PLUGIN_NAME"
+  echo "output: $output"
+  echo "status: $status"
+  assert_success
+
+  run /bin/bash -c "dokku smoke-test-plugin:args bash -c 'echo Hello'"
+  echo "output: $output"
+  echo "status: $status"
+  assert_success
+  assert_output "triggered smoke-test-plugin:args with args: smoke-test-plugin:args, bash, -c, echo Hello"
+
+  run /bin/bash -c "${BATS_TEST_DIRNAME}/../../contrib/dokku_client.sh 'smoke-test-plugin:args bash -c \"echo Hello\"'"
+  echo "output: $output"
+  echo "status: $status"
+  assert_success
+  assert_output_contains "triggered smoke-test-plugin:args with args: smoke-test-plugin:args, bash, -c, echo Hello"
+}
diff --git a/tests/unit/plugin.bats b/tests/unit/plugin.bats
index 10761acf84f..9323bb41748 100644
--- a/tests/unit/plugin.bats
+++ b/tests/unit/plugin.bats
@@ -1,24 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bats
 
 load test_helper
-TEST_PLUGIN_NAME=smoke-test-plugin
-TEST_PLUGIN_GIT_REPO=https://github.com/dokku/${TEST_PLUGIN_NAME}.git
-TEST_PLUGIN_LOCAL_REPO="$(mktemp -d)/$TEST_PLUGIN_NAME"
-
-clone_test_plugin() {
-  git clone "$TEST_PLUGIN_GIT_REPO" "$TEST_PLUGIN_LOCAL_REPO"
-}
 
 setup() {
   global_setup
   clone_test_plugin
 }
 
-remove_test_plugin() {
-  rm -rf $PLUGIN_ENABLED_PATH/$TEST_PLUGIN_NAME $PLUGIN_AVAILABLE_PATH/$TEST_PLUGIN_NAME
-  rm -rf $TEST_PLUGIN_LOCAL_REPO
-}
-
 teardown() {
   remove_test_plugin || true
   global_teardown
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_helper.bash b/tests/unit/test_helper.bash
index 56dba8a8714..cb5af752b1f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_helper.bash
+++ b/tests/unit/test_helper.bash
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ UUID=$(uuidgen)
 TEST_APP="rdmtestapp-${UUID}"
 TEST_NETWORK="test-network-${UUID}"
 SKIPPED_TEST_ERR_MSG="previous test failed! skipping remaining tests..."
+TEST_PLUGIN_NAME=smoke-test-plugin
+TEST_PLUGIN_GIT_REPO=https://github.com/dokku/${TEST_PLUGIN_NAME}.git
+TEST_PLUGIN_LOCAL_REPO="$(mktemp -d)/$TEST_PLUGIN_NAME"
 
 # global setup() and teardown()
 # skips remaining tests on first failure
@@ -45,6 +48,15 @@ cleanup_containers() {
   fi
 }
 
+clone_test_plugin() {
+  git clone "$TEST_PLUGIN_GIT_REPO" "$TEST_PLUGIN_LOCAL_REPO"
+}
+
+remove_test_plugin() {
+  rm -rf "${PLUGIN_ENABLED_PATH:?}/$TEST_PLUGIN_NAME" "${PLUGIN_AVAILABLE_PATH:?}/$TEST_PLUGIN_NAME"
+  rm -rf "$TEST_PLUGIN_LOCAL_REPO"
+}
+
 # test functions
 flunk() {
   {