diff --git a/bash-completion.bash b/bash-completion.bash
index 11f9ff8103..f0c8818e1f 100644
--- a/bash-completion.bash
+++ b/bash-completion.bash
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 # commands, all options, and will never go out of date!
 _git-annex()
 {
-    local cmdline
+    local CMDLINE
+    local IFS=$'\n'
     CMDLINE=(--bash-completion-index $COMP_CWORD)
 
     for arg in ${COMP_WORDS[@]}; do