diff --git a/rc/tools/menu.kak b/rc/tools/menu.kak
index 4fd7dde4f5..3b864b701e 100644
--- a/rc/tools/menu.kak
+++ b/rc/tools/menu.kak
@@ -7,79 +7,138 @@ define-command menu -params 1.. -docstring %{
     -auto-single instantly validate if only one item is available
     -select-cmds each item specify an additional command to run when selected
 } %{
+    evaluate-commands -save-regs a %{
+        set-register a %arg{@}
+        menu-impl
+    }
+}
+define-command -hidden menu-impl %{
     evaluate-commands %sh{
-        auto_single=false
-        select_cmds=false
-        stride=2
-        on_abort=
-        while true
-        do
-            case "$1" in
-                (-auto-single) auto_single=true ;;
-                (-select-cmds) select_cmds=true; stride=3 ;;
-                (-on-abort) on_abort="$2"; shift ;;
-                (-markup) ;; # no longer supported
-                (*) break ;;
-            esac
-            shift
-        done
-        if [ $(( $# % $stride )) -ne 0 ]; then
-            echo fail "wrong argument count"
-            exit
-        fi
-        if $auto_single && [ $# -eq $stride ]; then
-            printf %s "$2"
-            exit
-        fi
-        shellquote() {
-            printf "'%s'" "$(printf %s "$1" | sed "s/'/'\\\\''/g; s/§/§§/g; $2")"
-        }
-        cases=
-        select_cases=
-        completion=
-        nl=$(printf '\n.'); nl=${nl%.}
-        while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
-            title=$1
-            command=$2
-            completion="${completion}${title}${nl}"
-            cases="${cases}
-                ($(shellquote "$title" s/¶/¶¶/g))
-                    printf '%s\\n' $(shellquote "$command" s/¶/¶¶/g)
-                    ;;"
-            if $select_cmds; then
-                select_command=$3
-                select_cases="${select_cases}
-                    ($(shellquote "$title" s/¶/¶¶/g))
-                        printf '%s\\n' $(shellquote "$select_command" s/¶/¶¶/g)
-                        ;;"
-            fi
-            shift $stride
-        done
-        printf "\
-            prompt '' %%§
-                    evaluate-commands %%sh¶
-                        case \"\$kak_text\" in \
-                        %s
-                        (*) echo fail -- no such item: \"'\$(printf %%s \"\$kak_text\" | sed \"s/'/''/g\")'\" ;;
-                        esac
-                    ¶
-                §" "$cases"
-        if $select_cmds; then
-            printf " \
-                    -on-change %%§
-                        evaluate-commands %%sh¶
-                            case \"\$kak_text\" in \
-                            %s
-                            (*) : ;;
-                            esac
-                        ¶
-                    §" "$select_cases"
-        fi
-        if [ -n "$on_abort" ]; then
-            printf " -on-abort '%s'" "$(printf %s "$on_abort" | sed "s/'/''/g")"
-        fi
-        printf ' -menu -shell-script-candidates %%§
-                    printf %%s %s
-                §\n' "$(shellquote "$completion")"
+        echo >$kak_command_fifo "echo -to-file $kak_response_fifo -quoting kakoune -- %reg{a}"
+            perl < $kak_response_fifo -we '
+            use strict;
+            my $Q = "'\''";
+            my @args = ();
+            {
+                my $arg = undef;
+                my $prev_is_quote = 0;
+                my $state = "before-arg";
+                while (not eof(STDIN)) {
+                    my $c = getc(STDIN);
+                    if ($state eq "before-arg") {
+                        ($c eq $Q) or die "bad char: $c";
+                        $state = "in-arg";
+                        $arg = "";
+                    } elsif ($state eq "in-arg") {
+                        if ($prev_is_quote) {
+                            $prev_is_quote = 0;
+                            if ($c eq $Q) {
+                                $arg .= $Q;
+                                next;
+                            }
+                            ($c eq " ") or die "bad char: $c";
+                            push @args, $arg;
+                            $state = "before-arg";
+                            next;
+                        } elsif ($c eq $Q) {
+                            $prev_is_quote = 1;
+                            next;
+                        }
+                        $arg .= $c;
+                    }
+                }
+                ($state eq "in-arg") or die "expected $Q as last char";
+                push @args, $arg;
+            }
+
+            my $auto_single = 0;
+            my $select_cmds = 0;
+            my $on_abort = "";
+            while (defined $args[0] && $args[0] =~ m/^-/) {
+                if ($args[0] eq "-auto-single") {
+                    $auto_single = 1;
+                }
+                if ($args[0] eq "-select-cmds") {
+                    $select_cmds = 1;
+                }
+                if ($args[0] eq "-on-abort") {
+                    if (not defined $args[1]) {
+                        print "fail %{menu: missing argument to -on-abort}";
+                        exit;
+                    }
+                    $on_abort = $args[1];
+                }
+                shift @args;
+                if ($args[0] eq "--") {
+                    last;
+                }
+            }
+            my $stride = 2 + $select_cmds;
+            if (scalar @args == 0 or scalar @args % $stride != 0) {
+                print "fail %{menu: wrong argument count}";
+                exit;
+            }
+            if ($auto_single && scalar @args == $stride) {
+                print $args[$0];
+                exit;
+            }
+
+            sub shellquote {
+                my $arg = shift;
+                $arg =~ s/$Q/$Q\\$Q$Q/g;
+                return "$Q$arg$Q";
+            }
+            sub kakquote {
+                my $arg = shift;
+                $arg =~ s/$Q/$Q$Q/g;
+                return "$Q$arg$Q";
+            }
+
+            my $accept_cases = "";
+            my $select_cases = "";
+            my $completions = "";
+            sub case_clause {
+                my $name = shellquote shift;
+                my $command = shellquote shift;
+                return "($name)\n"
+                     . " printf \"%s\n\" $command ;;\n";
+            }
+            for (my $i = 0; $i < scalar @args; $i += $stride) {
+                my $name = $args[$i];
+                my $command = $args[$i+1];
+                $accept_cases .= case_clause $name, $command;
+                $select_cases .= case_clause $name, $args[$i+2] if $select_cmds;
+                $completions .= "$name\n";
+            }
+            use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
+            my $tmpdir = tempdir;
+            sub put {
+                my $name = shift;
+                my $contents = shift;
+                my $filename = "$tmpdir/$name";
+                open my $fh, ">", "$filename" or die "failed to open $filename: $!";
+                print $fh $contents or die "write: $!";
+                close $fh or die "close: $!";
+                return $filename;
+            };
+            my $on_accept = put "on-accept",
+                "case \"\$kak_text\" in\n" .
+                "$accept_cases" .
+                "(*) echo fail -- no such item: \"$Q\$(printf %s \"\$kak_text\" | sed \"s/$Q/$Q$Q/g\")$Q\";\n" .
+                "esac\n";
+            my $on_change = put "on-change",
+                "case \"\$kak_text\" in\n" .
+                "$select_cases" .
+                "esac\n";
+            my $shell_script_candidates = put "shell-script-candidates", $completions;
+
+            print "prompt %{} %{ evaluate-commands %sh{. $on_accept kak_text; rm -r $tmpdir} }";
+            print  " -on-abort " . kakquote "nop %sh{rm -r $tmpdir}; $on_abort";
+            if ($select_cmds) {
+                print " -on-change %{ evaluate-commands %sh{. $on_change kak_text} }";
+            }
+            print " -menu -shell-script-candidates %{cat $shell_script_candidates}";
+        ' ||
+            echo 'fail menu: encountered an error, see *debug* buffer';
     }
 }