diff --git a/src/lib-program-client/program-client-remote.c b/src/lib-program-client/program-client-remote.c
index 6341da30d6..63687e2b02 100644
--- a/src/lib-program-client/program-client-remote.c
+++ b/src/lib-program-client/program-client-remote.c
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include "lib.h"
 #include "ioloop.h"
 #include "str.h"
+#include "strescape.h"
 #include "net.h"
 #include "write-full.h"
 #include "eacces-error.h"
@@ -236,7 +237,7 @@ void program_client_remote_connected(struct program_client *pclient)
 		str_append(str, "-\n");
 	if (args != NULL) {
 		for(; *args != NULL; args++) {
-			str_append(str, *args);
+			str_append_tabescaped(str, *args);
 			str_append_c(str, '\n');
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/util/script.c b/src/util/script.c
index bae5af2dd8..0ad756fb10 100644
--- a/src/util/script.c
+++ b/src/util/script.c
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "lib.h"
 #include "array.h"
 #include "str.h"
+#include "strescape.h"
 #include "env-util.h"
 #include "execv-const.h"
 #include "write-full.h"
@@ -51,8 +52,10 @@ exec_child(struct master_service_connection *conn, const char *const *args)
 	if (close(conn->fd) < 0)
 		i_error("close(conn->fd) failed: %m");
 
-	for (; *args != NULL; args++)
-		array_append(&exec_args, args, 1);
+	for (; *args != NULL; args++) {
+		const char *arg = t_str_tabunescape(*args);
+		array_append(&exec_args, &arg, 1);
+	}
 	array_append_zero(&exec_args);
 
 	env_clean();