diff --git a/arguments.c b/arguments.c
index b1aa54eb8..8ec3123ac 100644
--- a/arguments.c
+++ b/arguments.c
@@ -114,8 +114,10 @@ args_value_as_string(struct args_value *value)
 	case ARGS_NONE:
 		return ("");
 	case ARGS_COMMANDS:
-		if (value->cached == NULL)
-			value->cached = cmd_parse_print(value->cmd, 0);
+		if (value->cached == NULL) {
+			value->cached = cmd_parse_print(value->cmd,
+			    CMD_PARSE_PRINT_RAW);
+		}
 		return (value->cached);
 	case ARGS_STRING:
 		return (value->string);
diff --git a/cmd-parse.y b/cmd-parse.y
index 4c3a83014..d445cebb8 100644
--- a/cmd-parse.y
+++ b/cmd-parse.y
@@ -1174,9 +1174,9 @@ cmd_parse_print_string(char **buf, struct cmd_parse_node *string)
 }
 
 static const char *
-cmd_parse_print_separator(u_int depth)
+cmd_parse_print_separator(u_int depth, int flags)
 {
-	if (depth == 0)
+	if (depth == 0 && (~flags & CMD_PARSE_PRINT_RAW))
 		return (" \\; ");
 	return (" ; ");
 }
@@ -1318,7 +1318,7 @@ cmd_parse_print_sequence(char **buf, struct cmd_parse_node *seq, u_int depth,
     int flags)
 {
 	struct cmd_parse_node	*child, *first_child;
-	const char		*sep = cmd_parse_print_separator(depth);
+	const char		*sep = cmd_parse_print_separator(depth, flags);
 	int			 first = 1;
 
 	/*
@@ -1343,6 +1343,7 @@ char *
 cmd_parse_print(struct cmd_parse_tree *tree, int flags)
 {
 	struct cmd_parse_node	*root = tree->root, *child;
+	const char		*sep = cmd_parse_print_separator(0, flags);
 	char			*buf = NULL;
 	int			 first = 1;
 
@@ -1351,7 +1352,7 @@ cmd_parse_print(struct cmd_parse_tree *tree, int flags)
 			if (flags & CMD_PARSE_PRINT_MULTILINE)
 				cmd_parse_strcat(&buf, "\n");
 			else
-				cmd_parse_strcat(&buf, " \\; ");
+				cmd_parse_strcat(&buf, "%s", sep);
 		}
 		first = 0;
 		cmd_parse_print_sequence(&buf, child, 0, flags);
diff --git a/tmux-parser.h b/tmux-parser.h
index cfd441561..7bb0abe7e 100644
--- a/tmux-parser.h
+++ b/tmux-parser.h
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ enum cmd_parse_node_type {
 };
 
 #define CMD_PARSE_PRINT_MULTILINE 0x1
+#define CMD_PARSE_PRINT_RAW 0x2
 
 struct cmd_parse_tree	*cmd_parse_from_file(FILE *, struct cmd_parse_input *,
 			    char **);