diff --git a/src/lib/encoding/kvline.c b/src/lib/encoding/kvline.c
index 307adc3f12..806f9d3db0 100644
--- a/src/lib/encoding/kvline.c
+++ b/src/lib/encoding/kvline.c
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ line_has_no_key(const config_line_t *line)
   return line->key == NULL || strlen(line->key) == 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Return true iff the value in <b>line</b> is not set.
+ **/
+static bool
+line_has_no_val(const config_line_t *line)
+{
+  return line->value == NULL || strlen(line->value) == 0;
+}
+
 /**
  * Return true iff the all the lines in <b>line</b> can be encoded
  * using <b>flags</b>.
@@ -98,6 +107,10 @@ kvline_can_encode_lines(const config_line_t *line, unsigned flags)
  * If KV_OMIT_KEYS is set in <b>flags</b>, then pairs with empty keys are
  * allowed, and are encoded as 'Value'.  Otherwise, such pairs are not
  * allowed.
+ *
+ * If KV_OMIT_VALS is set in <b>flags</b>, then an empty value is
+ * encoded as 'Key', not as 'Key=' or 'Key=""'.  Mutually exclusive with
+ * KV_OMIT_KEYS.
  */
 char *
 kvline_encode(const config_line_t *line,
@@ -106,6 +119,9 @@ kvline_encode(const config_line_t *line,
   if (!kvline_can_encode_lines(line, flags))
     return NULL;
 
+  tor_assert((flags & (KV_OMIT_KEYS|KV_OMIT_VALS)) !=
+             (KV_OMIT_KEYS|KV_OMIT_VALS));
+
   smartlist_t *elements = smartlist_new();
 
   for (; line; line = line->next) {
@@ -126,7 +142,10 @@ kvline_encode(const config_line_t *line,
       }
     }
 
-    if (esc) {
+    if ((flags & KV_OMIT_VALS) && line_has_no_val(line)) {
+      eq = "";
+      v = "";
+    } else if (esc) {
       tmp = esc_for_log(line->value);
       v = tmp;
     } else {
@@ -155,13 +174,21 @@ kvline_encode(const config_line_t *line,
  *
  * If KV_OMIT_KEYS is set in <b>flags</b>, then values without keys are
  * allowed.  Otherwise, such values are not allowed.
+ *
+ * If KV_OMIT_VALS is set in <b>flags</b>, then keys without values are
+ * allowed.  Otherwise, such keys are not allowed.  Mutually exclusive with
+ * KV_OMIT_KEYS.
  */
 config_line_t *
 kvline_parse(const char *line, unsigned flags)
 {
+  tor_assert((flags & (KV_OMIT_KEYS|KV_OMIT_VALS)) !=
+             (KV_OMIT_KEYS|KV_OMIT_VALS));
+
   const char *cp = line, *cplast = NULL;
-  bool omit_keys = (flags & KV_OMIT_KEYS) != 0;
-  bool quoted = (flags & KV_QUOTED) != 0;
+  const bool omit_keys = (flags & KV_OMIT_KEYS) != 0;
+  const bool omit_vals = (flags & KV_OMIT_VALS) != 0;
+  const bool quoted = (flags & KV_QUOTED) != 0;
 
   config_line_t *result = NULL;
   config_line_t **next_line = &result;
@@ -171,27 +198,33 @@ kvline_parse(const char *line, unsigned flags)
 
   while (*cp) {
     key = val = NULL;
+    /* skip all spaces */
     {
       size_t idx = strspn(cp, " \t\r\v\n");
       cp += idx;
     }
     if (BUG(cp == cplast)) {
-      /* If we didn't parse anything, this code is broken. */
+      /* If we didn't parse anything since the last loop, this code is
+       * broken. */
       goto err; // LCOV_EXCL_LINE
     }
     cplast = cp;
     if (! *cp)
       break; /* End of string; we're done. */
 
-    /* Possible formats are K=V, K="V", V, and "V", depending on flags. */
+    /* Possible formats are K=V, K="V", K, V, and "V", depending on flags. */
 
-    /* Find the key. */
+    /* Find where the key ends */
     if (*cp != '\"') {
       size_t idx = strcspn(cp, " \t\r\v\n=");
 
       if (cp[idx] == '=') {
         key = tor_memdup_nulterm(cp, idx);
         cp += idx + 1;
+      } else if (omit_vals) {
+        key = tor_memdup_nulterm(cp, idx);
+        cp += idx;
+        goto commit;
       } else {
         if (!omit_keys)
           goto err;
@@ -214,6 +247,7 @@ kvline_parse(const char *line, unsigned flags)
       cp += idx;
     }
 
+  commit:
     if (key && strlen(key) == 0) {
       /* We don't allow empty keys. */
       goto err;
@@ -221,7 +255,7 @@ kvline_parse(const char *line, unsigned flags)
 
     *next_line = tor_malloc_zero(sizeof(config_line_t));
     (*next_line)->key = key ? key : tor_strdup("");
-    (*next_line)->value = val;
+    (*next_line)->value = val ? val : tor_strdup("");
     next_line = &(*next_line)->next;
     key = val = NULL;
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/encoding/kvline.h b/src/lib/encoding/kvline.h
index 4eed30a223..6740f81d54 100644
--- a/src/lib/encoding/kvline.h
+++ b/src/lib/encoding/kvline.h
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ struct config_line_t;
 
 #define KV_QUOTED    (1u<<0)
 #define KV_OMIT_KEYS (1u<<1)
+#define KV_OMIT_VALS (1u<<2)
 
 struct config_line_t *kvline_parse(const char *line, unsigned flags);
 char *kvline_encode(const struct config_line_t *line, unsigned flags);
diff --git a/src/test/test_config.c b/src/test/test_config.c
index 72649dd9b1..6cfb7b764b 100644
--- a/src/test/test_config.c
+++ b/src/test/test_config.c
@@ -5886,6 +5886,61 @@ test_config_kvline_parse(void *arg)
   tt_assert(lines);
   tt_str_op(lines->key, OP_EQ, "AB");
   tt_str_op(lines->value, OP_EQ, "");
+  config_free_lines(lines);
+
+  lines = kvline_parse("AB=", KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_assert(lines);
+  tt_str_op(lines->key, OP_EQ, "AB");
+  tt_str_op(lines->value, OP_EQ, "");
+  config_free_lines(lines);
+
+  lines = kvline_parse(" AB ", KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_assert(lines);
+  tt_str_op(lines->key, OP_EQ, "AB");
+  tt_str_op(lines->value, OP_EQ, "");
+  config_free_lines(lines);
+
+  lines = kvline_parse("AB", KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_assert(lines);
+  tt_str_op(lines->key, OP_EQ, "AB");
+  tt_str_op(lines->value, OP_EQ, "");
+  enc = kvline_encode(lines, KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_str_op(enc, OP_EQ, "AB");
+  tor_free(enc);
+  config_free_lines(lines);
+
+  lines = kvline_parse("AB=CD", KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_assert(lines);
+  tt_str_op(lines->key, OP_EQ, "AB");
+  tt_str_op(lines->value, OP_EQ, "CD");
+  enc = kvline_encode(lines, KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_str_op(enc, OP_EQ, "AB=CD");
+  tor_free(enc);
+  config_free_lines(lines);
+
+  lines = kvline_parse("AB=CD DE FGH=I", KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_assert(lines);
+  tt_str_op(lines->key, OP_EQ, "AB");
+  tt_str_op(lines->value, OP_EQ, "CD");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->key, OP_EQ, "DE");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->value, OP_EQ, "");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->next->key, OP_EQ, "FGH");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->next->value, OP_EQ, "I");
+  enc = kvline_encode(lines, KV_OMIT_VALS);
+  tt_str_op(enc, OP_EQ, "AB=CD DE FGH=I");
+  tor_free(enc);
+  config_free_lines(lines);
+
+  lines = kvline_parse("AB=\"CD E\" DE FGH=\"I\"", KV_OMIT_VALS|KV_QUOTED);
+  tt_assert(lines);
+  tt_str_op(lines->key, OP_EQ, "AB");
+  tt_str_op(lines->value, OP_EQ, "CD E");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->key, OP_EQ, "DE");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->value, OP_EQ, "");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->next->key, OP_EQ, "FGH");
+  tt_str_op(lines->next->next->value, OP_EQ, "I");
+  enc = kvline_encode(lines, KV_OMIT_VALS|KV_QUOTED);
+  tt_str_op(enc, OP_EQ, "AB=\"CD E\" DE FGH=I");
 
  done:
   config_free_lines(lines);