diff --git a/libbb/parse_config.c b/libbb/parse_config.c
index 8d7c97eb1..68caa2c37 100644
--- a/libbb/parse_config.c
+++ b/libbb/parse_config.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ int parse_main(int argc UNUSED_PARAM, char **argv)
 		if (p) {
 			int n;
 			char **t = xmalloc(sizeof(char *) * ntokens);
-			while ((n = config_read(p, t, ntokens, mintokens, delims, flags)) > 0) {
+			while ((n = config_read(p, t, ntokens, mintokens, delims, flags)) != 0) {
 				for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
 					printf("[%s]", t[i]);
 				puts("");
@@ -114,10 +114,8 @@ int FAST_FUNC config_read(parser_t *parser, char **tokens, unsigned flags, const
 	int ntokens = flags & 0xFF;
 	int mintokens = (flags & 0xFF00) >> 8;
 
-	/*
 	// N.B. this could only be used in read-in-one-go version, or when tokens use xstrdup(). TODO
-	if (!parser->lineno || !(flags & PARSE_DONT_NULL))
-	*/
+	//if (!parser->lineno || !(flags & PARSE_DONT_NULL))
 		memset(tokens, 0, sizeof(tokens[0]) * ntokens);
 	config_free_data(parser);
 
@@ -171,7 +169,7 @@ int FAST_FUNC config_read(parser_t *parser, char **tokens, unsigned flags, const
 			break;
 
  next_line:
-		/* skip empty line */
+		// skip empty line
 		free(line);
 	}
 
@@ -183,9 +181,9 @@ int FAST_FUNC config_read(parser_t *parser, char **tokens, unsigned flags, const
 		parser->data = xstrdup(line);
 	}
 
-	/* now split line to tokens */
+	// split line to tokens
 	ntokens--; // now it's max allowed token no
-	// N.B, non-empty remainder is also a token,
+	// N.B. non-empty remainder is also a token,
 	// so if ntokens <= 1, we just return the whole line
 	// N.B. if PARSE_LAST_IS_GREEDY is set the remainder of the line is stuck to the last token
 	for (ii = 0; *line && ii <= ntokens; ) {
@@ -193,7 +191,10 @@ int FAST_FUNC config_read(parser_t *parser, char **tokens, unsigned flags, const
 		// get next token
 		// at the last token and need greedy token ->
 		if ((flags & PARSE_LAST_IS_GREEDY) && (ii == ntokens)) {
-			// ... don't cut the line
+			// skip possible delimiters
+			if (!(flags & PARSE_DONT_REDUCE))
+				line += strspn(line, delims);
+			// don't cut the line
 			q = line + strlen(line);
 		} else {
 			// vanilla token. cut the line at the first delim
diff --git a/procps/sysctl.c b/procps/sysctl.c
index 3607a2364..6e582b0f9 100644
--- a/procps/sysctl.c
+++ b/procps/sysctl.c
@@ -88,56 +88,32 @@ int sysctl_main(int argc UNUSED_PARAM, char **argv)
  * preload the sysctl's from a conf file
  * - we parse the file and then reform it (strip out whitespace)
  */
-#define PRELOAD_BUF 256
 
 static int sysctl_preload_file_and_exit(const char *filename)
 {
-	int lineno;
-	char oneline[PRELOAD_BUF];
-	char buffer[PRELOAD_BUF];
-	char *name, *value;
-	FILE *fp;
+	char *token[2];
+	parser_t *parser;
 
-	fp = xfopen(filename, "r");
+	parser = config_open(filename);
+	if (!parser)
+		return 1;
 
-	lineno = 0;
-	while (fgets(oneline, sizeof(oneline) - 1, fp)) {
-		lineno++;
-		trim(oneline);
-		if (oneline[0] == '#' || oneline[0] == ';')
-			continue;
-		if (!oneline[0] || !oneline[1])
-			continue;
-
-		name = strtok(oneline, "=");
-		if (!name) {
-			bb_error_msg(WARN_BAD_LINE, filename, lineno);
-			continue;
+	while (config_read(parser, token, 2, 0, "# \t=", PARSE_LAST_IS_GREEDY)) { // TODO: ';' is comment char too
+		if (!token[1]) {
+			bb_error_msg(WARN_BAD_LINE, filename, parser->lineno);
+		} else {
+#if 0
+			char *s = xasprintf("%s=%s", token[0], token[1]);
+			sysctl_write_setting(s);
+			free(s);
+#else // PLAY_WITH_FIRE for -4 bytes?
+			sprintf(parser->line, "%s=%s", token[0], token[1]); // must have room by definition
+			sysctl_write_setting(parser->line);
+#endif
 		}
-		trim(name);
-		if (!*name) {
-			bb_error_msg(WARN_BAD_LINE, filename, lineno);
-			continue;
-		}
-
-		value = strtok(NULL, "\n\r");
-		if (!value) {
-			bb_error_msg(WARN_BAD_LINE, filename, lineno);
-			continue;
-		}
-		while (*value == ' ' || *value == '\t')
-			value++;
-		if (!*value) {
-			bb_error_msg(WARN_BAD_LINE, filename, lineno);
-			continue;
-		}
-
-		/* safe because sizeof(oneline) == sizeof(buffer) */
-		sprintf(buffer, "%s=%s", name, value);
-		sysctl_write_setting(buffer);
 	}
 	if (ENABLE_FEATURE_CLEAN_UP)
-		fclose(fp);
+		config_close(parser);
 	return 0;
 } /* end sysctl_preload_file_and_exit() */