diff --git a/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd.go b/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd.go
index 796f38dd..3388f046 100644
--- a/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd.go
+++ b/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd.go
@@ -23,11 +23,15 @@ package editorcmd
 import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
+
+	"github.com/mattn/go-shellwords"
 )
 
 // Detect detects a text editor command.
+// Returns the editor exec path with arguments if provided.
+//
 // Returns an empty string when no editor is found.
-func Detect() string {
+func Detect() (editor string, args []string) {
 	candidates := []string{
 		os.Getenv("VISUAL"),
 		os.Getenv("EDITOR"),
@@ -40,10 +44,23 @@ func Detect() string {
 		if f == "" {
 			continue
 		}
-		x, err := exec.LookPath(f)
-		if err == nil {
-			return x
+
+		if path, err := exec.LookPath(f); err == nil {
+			return path, nil
 		}
+
+		parsedArgs, err := shellwords.Parse(f)
+		if err != nil || len(parsedArgs) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		path, err := exec.LookPath(parsedArgs[0])
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		return path, parsedArgs[1:]
 	}
-	return ""
+
+	return "", nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd_test.go b/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f30bac97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright The Lima Authors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+package editorcmd
+
+import (
+	"os/exec"
+	"testing"
+
+	"gotest.tools/v3/assert"
+)
+
+func TestDetectEditorWithArguments(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", "")
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", "go --wait")
+
+	expectedPath, err := exec.LookPath("go")
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, expectedPath)
+	assert.DeepEqual(t, args, []string{"--wait"})
+}
+
+func TestDetectQuotedEditor(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", "")
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", `"go"`)
+
+	expectedPath, err := exec.LookPath("go")
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, expectedPath)
+	assert.Equal(t, len(args), 0)
+}
+
+func TestDetectQuotedEditorArgument(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", "")
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", `go -ldflags "-s -w"`)
+
+	expectedPath, err := exec.LookPath("go")
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, expectedPath)
+	assert.DeepEqual(t, args, []string{"-ldflags", "-s -w"})
+}
+
+func TestDetectSkipsInvalidEditor(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", `go -c "unterminated`)
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", "go --wait")
+
+	expectedPath, err := exec.LookPath("go")
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, expectedPath)
+	assert.DeepEqual(t, args, []string{"--wait"})
+}
+
+func TestDetectSkipsEmptyEditor(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", "   ")
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", "go --wait")
+
+	expectedPath, err := exec.LookPath("go")
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, expectedPath)
+	assert.DeepEqual(t, args, []string{"--wait"})
+}
+
+func TestDetectNoEditor(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", "")
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", "")
+	t.Setenv("PATH", t.TempDir())
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, "")
+	assert.Equal(t, len(args), 0)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd_windows_test.go b/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd_windows_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2570ecbb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/editutil/editorcmd/editorcmd_windows_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright The Lima Authors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+//go:build windows
+
+package editorcmd
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"gotest.tools/v3/assert"
+)
+
+func TestDetectWindowsPath(t *testing.T) {
+	editorPath := makeWindowsEditor(t)
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", "")
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", editorPath)
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, editorPath)
+	assert.Equal(t, len(args), 0)
+}
+
+func TestDetectWindowsPathWithArguments(t *testing.T) {
+	editorPath := makeWindowsEditor(t)
+	t.Setenv("VISUAL", "")
+	t.Setenv("EDITOR", fmt.Sprintf(`'%s' --wait`, editorPath))
+
+	path, args := Detect()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, path, editorPath)
+	assert.DeepEqual(t, args, []string{"--wait"})
+}
+
+func makeWindowsEditor(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	editorDir := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "editor with spaces")
+	assert.NilError(t, os.Mkdir(editorDir, 0o755))
+	editorPath := filepath.Join(editorDir, "editor.exe")
+	assert.NilError(t, os.WriteFile(editorPath, nil, 0o755))
+	return editorPath
+}
diff --git a/pkg/editutil/editutil.go b/pkg/editutil/editutil.go
index a0711ce9..33ff6510 100644
--- a/pkg/editutil/editutil.go
+++ b/pkg/editutil/editutil.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ func GenerateEditorWarningHeader() string {
 //
 // OpenEditor returns nil when the file was saved as an empty file, optionally with whitespaces.
 func OpenEditor(ctx context.Context, content []byte, hdr string) ([]byte, error) {
-	editor := editorcmd.Detect()
+	editor, args := editorcmd.Detect()
 	if editor == "" {
 		return nil, errors.New("could not detect a text editor binary, try setting $EDITOR")
 	}
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func OpenEditor(ctx context.Context, content []byte, hdr string) ([]byte, error)
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	editorCmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, editor, tmpYAMLPath)
+	editorCmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, editor, append(args, tmpYAMLPath)...)
 	editorCmd.Env = os.Environ()
 	editorCmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
 	editorCmd.Stdout = os.Stdout