diff --git a/__tests__/lib/cli/format.js b/__tests__/lib/cli/format.js
index 44c6538a3..5fd8d8d06 100644
--- a/__tests__/lib/cli/format.js
+++ b/__tests__/lib/cli/format.js
@@ -9,27 +9,27 @@ describe( 'utils/cli/format', () => {
 			},
 			{
 				input: [ 'textnospaces' ],
-				expected: [ 'textnospaces' ],
+				expected: [ '"textnospaces"' ],
 			},
 			{
 				input: [ '{"json":"json with spaces"}' ],
-				expected: [ '{"json":"json with spaces"}' ],
+				expected: [ '"{\\"json\\":\\"json with spaces\\"}"' ],
 			},
 			{
 				input: [ '{ "json"     :    "json with spaces outside strings"     }' ],
-				expected: [ '{ "json"     :    "json with spaces outside strings"     }' ],
+				expected: [ '"{ \\"json\\"     :    \\"json with spaces outside strings\\"     }"' ],
 			},
 			{
 				input: [
 					'   { "json"     :    "json with spaces outside strings and outside the object"     }   ',
 				],
 				expected: [
-					'   { "json"     :    "json with spaces outside strings and outside the object"     }   ',
+					'"   { \\"json\\"     :    \\"json with spaces outside strings and outside the object\\"     }   "',
 				],
 			},
 			{
 				input: [ '{ "json" : "spaces-outside-strings-only"      }' ],
-				expected: [ '{ "json" : "spaces-outside-strings-only"      }' ],
+				expected: [ '"{ \\"json\\" : \\"spaces-outside-strings-only\\"      }"' ],
 			},
 			{
 				input: [ '{"json":broken json with spaces}' ],
@@ -37,11 +37,11 @@ describe( 'utils/cli/format', () => {
 			},
 			{
 				input: [ '--foo=bar1 "bar2" "bar3"' ],
-				expected: [ '--foo="bar1 \\"bar2\\" \\"bar3\\""' ],
+				expected: [ '"--foo=bar1 \\"bar2\\" \\"bar3\\""' ],
 			},
 			{
 				input: [ '--foo', 'bar1 "bar2" "bar3"' ],
-				expected: [ '--foo', '"bar1 \\"bar2\\" \\"bar3\\""' ],
+				expected: [ '"--foo"', '"bar1 \\"bar2\\" \\"bar3\\""' ],
 			},
 		] )( 'should requote args when needed - %o', ( { input, expected } ) => {
 			const result = requoteArgs( input );
diff --git a/src/lib/cli/format.ts b/src/lib/cli/format.ts
index 891d364b3..ab52dd335 100644
--- a/src/lib/cli/format.ts
+++ b/src/lib/cli/format.ts
@@ -140,30 +140,7 @@ export function keyValue( values: Tuple[] ): string {
 }
 
 export function requoteArgs( args: string[] ): string[] {
-	return args.map( arg => {
-		if ( arg.includes( '--' ) && arg.includes( '=' ) && arg.includes( ' ' ) ) {
-			return arg.replace( /"/g, '\\"' ).replace( /^--([^=]*)=(.*)$/, '--$1="$2"' );
-		}
-
-		if ( arg.includes( ' ' ) && ! isJsonObject( arg ) ) {
-			return `"${ arg.replace( /"/g, '\\"' ) }"`;
-		}
-
-		return arg;
-	} );
-}
-
-export function isJsonObject( str: unknown ): boolean {
-	return typeof str === 'string' && str.trim().startsWith( '{' ) && isJson( str );
-}
-
-export function isJson( str: string ): boolean {
-	try {
-		JSON.parse( str );
-		return true;
-	} catch ( error ) {
-		return false;
-	}
+	return args.map( arg => `"${ arg.replace( /"/g, '\\"' ) }"` );
 }
 
 export function capitalize( str: unknown ): string {