diff --git a/lib/pure/os.nim b/lib/pure/os.nim
index fd618e93cf9d5..019caa0b2bfbd 100644
--- a/lib/pure/os.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/os.nim
@@ -2735,6 +2735,9 @@ proc exclFilePermissions*(filename: string,
   ##   setFilePermissions(filename, getFilePermissions(filename)-permissions)
   setFilePermissions(filename, getFilePermissions(filename)-permissions)
 
+when not defined(windows):
+  import std/private/shlexutils
+
 proc parseCmdLine*(c: string): seq[string] {.
   noSideEffect, rtl, extern: "nos$1".} =
   ## Splits a `command line`:idx: into several components.
@@ -2774,16 +2777,17 @@ proc parseCmdLine*(c: string): seq[string] {.
   ## * `paramCount proc <#paramCount>`_
   ## * `paramStr proc <#paramStr,int>`_
   ## * `commandLineParams proc <#commandLineParams>`_
-
-  result = @[]
-  var i = 0
-  var a = ""
-  while true:
-    setLen(a, 0)
-    # eat all delimiting whitespace
-    while i < c.len and c[i] in {' ', '\t', '\l', '\r'}: inc(i)
-    if i >= c.len: break
-    when defined(windows):
+  when not defined(windows):
+    result = parseCmdLineImpl(c)
+  else:
+    result = @[]
+    var i = 0
+    var a = ""
+    while true:
+      setLen(a, 0)
+      # eat all delimiting whitespace
+      while i < c.len and c[i] in {' ', '\t', '\l', '\r'}: inc(i)
+      if i >= c.len: break
       # parse a single argument according to the above rules:
       var inQuote = false
       while i < c.len:
@@ -2817,20 +2821,7 @@ proc parseCmdLine*(c: string): seq[string] {.
         else:
           a.add(c[i])
           inc(i)
-    else:
-      case c[i]
-      of '\'', '\"':
-        var delim = c[i]
-        inc(i) # skip ' or "
-        while i < c.len and c[i] != delim:
-          add a, c[i]
-          inc(i)
-        if i < c.len: inc(i)
-      else:
-        while i < c.len and c[i] > ' ':
-          add(a, c[i])
-          inc(i)
-    add(result, a)
+      add(result, a)
 
 when defined(nimdoc):
   # Common forward declaration docstring block for parameter retrieval procs.
diff --git a/lib/std/private/shlexutils.nim b/lib/std/private/shlexutils.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..179ccf0b25416
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/std/private/shlexutils.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#[
+KEY shlex
+parseCmdLine D20200513T195153
+]#
+
+type State = enum
+  sInStart
+  sInRegular
+  sInSpace
+  sInSingleQuote
+  sInDoubleQuote
+  sFinished
+
+type ShlexError = enum
+  seOk
+  seMissingDoubleQuote
+  seMissingSingleQuote
+
+iterator shlex*(a: openArray[char], error: var ShlexError): string =
+  var i = 0
+  var buf: string
+  var state = sInStart
+  var ready = false
+  error = seOk
+  while true:
+    # echo (i, state, buf)
+    if i >= a.len:
+      case state
+      of sInSingleQuote:
+        error = seMissingSingleQuote
+      of sInDoubleQuote:
+        error = seMissingDoubleQuote
+      else:
+        ready = true
+      state = sFinished
+    var c: char
+    if i < a.len:
+      c = a[i]
+    i.inc
+    case state
+    of sFinished: discard
+    of sInStart:
+      case c
+      of ' ': discard
+      of '\'': state = sInSingleQuote
+      of '\"': state = sInDoubleQuote
+      else:
+        state = sInRegular
+        buf.add c
+    of sInRegular:
+      case c
+      of ' ': ready = true
+      of '\'': state = sInSingleQuote
+      of '\"': state = sInDoubleQuote
+      else: buf.add c
+    of sInSingleQuote:
+      case c
+      of '\'': state = sInRegular
+      else: buf.add c
+    of sInDoubleQuote:
+      case c
+      of '\"': state = sInRegular
+      # of '\'': state = sInRegular
+      else: buf.add c
+    of sInSpace:
+      case c
+      of ' ': discard
+      of '\'': state = sInSingleQuote
+      of '\"': state = sInDoubleQuote
+      else:
+        state = sInRegular
+        buf.add c
+    if ready:
+      ready = false
+      # echo (buf,)
+      yield buf
+      buf.setLen 0
+      if state != sFinished:
+        state = sInStart
+    if state == sFinished:
+      break
+
+proc parseCmdLineImpl*(a: string): seq[string] {.inline.} =
+  var err: ShlexError
+  for val in shlex(a, err):
+    if err == seOk:
+      result.add val
+    else:
+      raise newException(ValueError, $(a, err))
diff --git a/tests/stdlib/tos.nim b/tests/stdlib/tos.nim
index dcb2d44f4578f..c1f11b5d8e529 100644
--- a/tests/stdlib/tos.nim
+++ b/tests/stdlib/tos.nim
@@ -696,3 +696,17 @@ block: # isAdmin
   if isAzure and defined(windows): doAssert isAdmin()
   # In Azure on POSIX tests run as a normal user
   if isAzure and defined(posix): doAssert not isAdmin()
+
+  # import std/strutils
+  # from std/sequtils import toSeq
+  # from std/os import commandLineParams, quoteShellCommand, parseCmdLine
+template main =
+  # xxx move all tests under here so they get tested in VM, for ones which can
+  block: # parseCmdLine, bug #14343
+    let s = ["foo", "ba'r", "b\"az", "", "'", "''", "\"\'"]
+    let s2 = s.quoteShellCommand
+    let s3 = s2.parseCmdLine
+    doAssert s3 == s, $(s, s3, s2)
+
+static: main()
+main()