diff --git a/regression/goto-gcc/at_files/args b/regression/goto-gcc/at_files/args
index c151b9c1fb2..19fad839ff8 100644
--- a/regression/goto-gcc/at_files/args
+++ b/regression/goto-gcc/at_files/args
@@ -1 +1,3 @@
+-o
+test.gb
 other.c
diff --git a/src/goto-cc/gcc_cmdline.cpp b/src/goto-cc/gcc_cmdline.cpp
index a2592713a5b..ca767a2f9b5 100644
--- a/src/goto-cc/gcc_cmdline.cpp
+++ b/src/goto-cc/gcc_cmdline.cpp
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ Author: CM Wintersteiger, 2006
 #include "gcc_cmdline.h"
 
 #include <cstring>
-#include <iostream>
 #include <fstream>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <sstream>
 
 #include <util/prefix.h>
 
@@ -256,16 +257,18 @@ bool gcc_cmdlinet::parse_arguments(
     if(has_prefix(argv_i, "@"))
     {
       std::ifstream opts_file(argv_i.substr(1));
+      std::ostringstream all_lines;
       std::string line;
 
       while(std::getline(opts_file, line))
-      {
-        // erase leading whitespace
-        line.erase(0, line.find_first_not_of("\t "));
+        all_lines << ' ' << line;
 
-        if(!line.empty())
-          parse_specs_line(line, false);
-      }
+      line = all_lines.str();
+      // erase leading whitespace
+      line.erase(0, line.find_first_not_of("\t "));
+
+      if(!line.empty())
+        parse_specs_line(line, false);
 
       continue;
     }