diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/psql-ref.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/psql-ref.sgml
index ebb7a1173f9..012c8ce8c94 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/psql-ref.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/psql-ref.sgml
@@ -3397,6 +3397,11 @@ testdb=&gt; <userinput>\setenv LESS -imx4F</userinput>
         <application>pg_dumpall</application>, and
         <application>pg_restore</application>, but it may be useful elsewhere.
         </para>
+        <para>
+        Unlike most other meta-commands, the entire remainder of the line is
+        always taken to be the argument of <command>\unrestrict</command>, and
+        neither variable interpolation nor backquote expansion are performed.
+        </para>
         </listitem>
       </varlistentry>
 
diff --git a/src/bin/psql/command.c b/src/bin/psql/command.c
index 5d95bdb5f6f..3202aa3db8f 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/command.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/command.c
@@ -2285,6 +2285,12 @@ exec_command_restrict(PsqlScanState scan_state, bool active_branch,
 
 		Assert(!restricted);
 
+		/*
+		 * Unlike \unrestrict, this argument may safely undergo backquote and
+		 * variable expansion: HandleSlashCmds() rejects \restrict in
+		 * restricted mode before its argument is scanned, so we only get here
+		 * when the input could execute such things anyway.
+		 */
 		opt = psql_scan_slash_option(scan_state, OT_NORMAL, NULL, true);
 		if (opt == NULL || opt[0] == '\0')
 		{
@@ -2613,14 +2619,23 @@ exec_command_unrestrict(PsqlScanState scan_state, bool active_branch,
 	if (active_branch)
 	{
 		char	   *opt;
+		size_t		len;
 
-		opt = psql_scan_slash_option(scan_state, OT_NORMAL, NULL, true);
+		opt = psql_scan_slash_option(scan_state, OT_WHOLE_LINE, NULL, true);
 		if (opt == NULL || opt[0] == '\0')
 		{
 			pg_log_error("\\%s: missing required argument", cmd);
 			return PSQL_CMD_ERROR;
 		}
 
+		/* strip any trailing spaces and semicolons */
+		len = strlen(opt);
+		while (len > 0 &&
+			   (opt[len - 1] == ';' ||
+				(isascii((unsigned char) opt[len - 1]) &&
+				 isspace((unsigned char) opt[len - 1]))))
+			opt[--len] = '\0';
+
 		if (!restricted)
 		{
 			pg_log_error("\\%s: not currently in restricted mode", cmd);
@@ -2638,7 +2653,7 @@ exec_command_unrestrict(PsqlScanState scan_state, bool active_branch,
 		}
 	}
 	else
-		ignore_slash_options(scan_state);
+		ignore_slash_whole_line(scan_state);
 
 	return PSQL_CMD_SKIP_LINE;
 }