diff --git a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtils.java b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtils.java
index b2ac489e..a7bdb01a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtils.java
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ public static String[] translateCommandline(String toProcess) throws Exception {
         final int inQuote = 1;
         final int inDoubleQuote = 2;
         int state = normal;
-        StringTokenizer tok = new StringTokenizer(toProcess, "\"\' ", true);
+        StringTokenizer tok = new StringTokenizer(toProcess, "\"\' \t\n\r", true);
         Vector<String> v = new Vector<String>();
         StringBuilder current = new StringBuilder();
 
@@ -382,7 +382,10 @@ public static String[] translateCommandline(String toProcess) throws Exception {
                         state = inQuote;
                     } else if ("\"".equals(nextTok)) {
                         state = inDoubleQuote;
-                    } else if (" ".equals(nextTok)) {
+                    } else if (" ".equals(nextTok)
+                            || "\t".equals(nextTok)
+                            || "\n".equals(nextTok)
+                            || "\r".equals(nextTok)) {
                         if (current.length() != 0) {
                             v.addElement(current.toString());
                             current.setLength(0);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtilsTest.java b/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtilsTest.java
index 77620d20..76b386f5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtilsTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/util/cli/CommandLineUtilsTest.java
@@ -98,6 +98,23 @@ void translateCommandline() throws Exception {
         assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", " ' ", "bar"}, "foo \" ' \" bar");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void translateCommandlineSplitsAtTabsAndLineBreaks() throws Exception {
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", "bar"}, "foo\tbar");
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", "bar"}, "foo\nbar");
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", "bar"}, "foo\rbar");
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", "bar"}, "foo\r\nbar");
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", "bar", "baz"}, " \t foo \t\n bar\r\n\tbaz \n");
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {}, " \t\r\n ");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void translateCommandlineKeepsWhitespaceInsideQuotes() throws Exception {
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", "a\tb\nc\r", "bar"}, "foo \"a\tb\nc\r\" bar");
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"foo", "a\tb\nc\r", "bar"}, "foo 'a\tb\nc\r' bar");
+        assertCmdLineArgs(new String[] {"a\tb", "c"}, "'a\tb'\tc");
+    }
+
     private void assertCmdLineArgs(String[] expected, String cmdLine) throws Exception {
         String[] actual = CommandLineUtils.translateCommandline(cmdLine);
         assertNotNull(actual);