diff --git a/tests/test-qemu-opts.c b/tests/test-qemu-opts.c
index 77dd72b403..7092e216f7 100644
--- a/tests/test-qemu-opts.c
+++ b/tests/test-qemu-opts.c
@@ -459,8 +459,6 @@ static void test_opts_parse(void)
 {
     Error *err = NULL;
     QemuOpts *opts;
-    char long_key[129];
-    char *params;
 
     /* Nothing */
     opts = qemu_opts_parse(&opts_list_03, "", false, &error_abort);
@@ -471,22 +469,6 @@ static void test_opts_parse(void)
     g_assert_cmpuint(opts_count(opts), ==, 1);
     g_assert_cmpstr(qemu_opt_get(opts, ""), ==, "val");
 
-    /* Long key */
-    memset(long_key, 'a', 127);
-    long_key[127] = 'z';
-    long_key[128] = 0;
-    params = g_strdup_printf("%s=v", long_key);
-    opts = qemu_opts_parse(&opts_list_03, params + 1, NULL, &error_abort);
-    g_assert_cmpuint(opts_count(opts), ==, 1);
-    g_assert_cmpstr(qemu_opt_get(opts, long_key + 1), ==, "v");
-
-    /* Overlong key gets truncated */
-    opts = qemu_opts_parse(&opts_list_03, params, NULL, &error_abort);
-    g_assert(opts_count(opts) == 1);
-    long_key[127] = 0;
-    g_assert_cmpstr(qemu_opt_get(opts, long_key), ==, "v");
-    g_free(params);
-
     /* Multiple keys, last one wins */
     opts = qemu_opts_parse(&opts_list_03, "a=1,b=2,,x,a=3",
                            false, &error_abort);
diff --git a/util/qemu-option.c b/util/qemu-option.c
index baca40fb94..fa1a9f17fc 100644
--- a/util/qemu-option.c
+++ b/util/qemu-option.c
@@ -43,27 +43,23 @@
  * first byte of the option name)
  *
  * The option name is delimited by delim (usually , or =) or the string end
- * and is copied into buf. If the option name is longer than buf_size, it is
- * truncated. buf is always zero terminated.
+ * and is copied into option. The caller is responsible for free'ing option
+ * when no longer required.
  *
  * The return value is the position of the delimiter/zero byte after the option
  * name in p.
  */
-static const char *get_opt_name(char *buf, int buf_size, const char *p,
-                                char delim)
+static const char *get_opt_name(const char *p, char **option, char delim)
 {
-    char *q;
+    char *offset = strchr(p, delim);
 
-    q = buf;
-    while (*p != '\0' && *p != delim) {
-        if (q && (q - buf) < buf_size - 1)
-            *q++ = *p;
-        p++;
+    if (offset) {
+        *option = g_strndup(p, offset - p);
+        return offset;
+    } else {
+        *option = g_strdup(p);
+        return p + strlen(p);
     }
-    if (q)
-        *q = '\0';
-
-    return p;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -758,7 +754,8 @@ void qemu_opts_print(QemuOpts *opts, const char *separator)
 static void opts_do_parse(QemuOpts *opts, const char *params,
                           const char *firstname, bool prepend, Error **errp)
 {
-    char option[128], value[1024];
+    char *option = NULL;
+    char value[1024];
     const char *p,*pe,*pc;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
 
@@ -769,11 +766,11 @@ static void opts_do_parse(QemuOpts *opts, const char *params,
             /* found "foo,more" */
             if (p == params && firstname) {
                 /* implicitly named first option */
-                pstrcpy(option, sizeof(option), firstname);
+                option = g_strdup(firstname);
                 p = get_opt_value(value, sizeof(value), p);
             } else {
                 /* option without value, probably a flag */
-                p = get_opt_name(option, sizeof(option), p, ',');
+                p = get_opt_name(p, &option, ',');
                 if (strncmp(option, "no", 2) == 0) {
                     memmove(option, option+2, strlen(option+2)+1);
                     pstrcpy(value, sizeof(value), "off");
@@ -783,10 +780,8 @@ static void opts_do_parse(QemuOpts *opts, const char *params,
             }
         } else {
             /* found "foo=bar,more" */
-            p = get_opt_name(option, sizeof(option), p, '=');
-            if (*p != '=') {
-                break;
-            }
+            p = get_opt_name(p, &option, '=');
+            assert(*p == '=');
             p++;
             p = get_opt_value(value, sizeof(value), p);
         }
@@ -795,13 +790,18 @@ static void opts_do_parse(QemuOpts *opts, const char *params,
             opt_set(opts, option, value, prepend, &local_err);
             if (local_err) {
                 error_propagate(errp, local_err);
-                return;
+                goto cleanup;
             }
         }
         if (*p != ',') {
             break;
         }
+        g_free(option);
+        option = NULL;
     }
+
+ cleanup:
+    g_free(option);
 }
 
 /**