diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 06413e1584..b71b0650f4 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -1030,7 +1030,9 @@ struct extra_have_objects {
 };
 extern struct ref **get_remote_heads(int in, struct ref **list, unsigned int flags, struct extra_have_objects *);
 extern int server_supports(const char *feature);
-extern const char *parse_feature_request(const char *features, const char *feature);
+extern int parse_feature_request(const char *features, const char *feature);
+extern const char *server_feature_value(const char *feature, int *len_ret);
+extern const char *parse_feature_value(const char *feature_list, const char *feature, int *len_ret);
 
 extern struct packed_git *parse_pack_index(unsigned char *sha1, const char *idx_path);
 
diff --git a/connect.c b/connect.c
index 912cddeea8..9aec10cec1 100644
--- a/connect.c
+++ b/connect.c
@@ -99,12 +99,7 @@ struct ref **get_remote_heads(int in, struct ref **list,
 	return list;
 }
 
-int server_supports(const char *feature)
-{
-	return !!parse_feature_request(server_capabilities, feature);
-}
-
-const char *parse_feature_request(const char *feature_list, const char *feature)
+const char *parse_feature_value(const char *feature_list, const char *feature, int *lenp)
 {
 	int len;
 
@@ -116,14 +111,46 @@ const char *parse_feature_request(const char *feature_list, const char *feature)
 		const char *found = strstr(feature_list, feature);
 		if (!found)
 			return NULL;
-		if ((feature_list == found || isspace(found[-1])) &&
-		    (!found[len] || isspace(found[len]) || found[len] == '='))
-			return found;
+		if (feature_list == found || isspace(found[-1])) {
+			const char *value = found + len;
+			/* feature with no value (e.g., "thin-pack") */
+			if (!*value || isspace(*value)) {
+				if (lenp)
+					*lenp = 0;
+				return value;
+			}
+			/* feature with a value (e.g., "agent=git/1.2.3") */
+			else if (*value == '=') {
+				value++;
+				if (lenp)
+					*lenp = strcspn(value, " \t\n");
+				return value;
+			}
+			/*
+			 * otherwise we matched a substring of another feature;
+			 * keep looking
+			 */
+		}
 		feature_list = found + 1;
 	}
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+int parse_feature_request(const char *feature_list, const char *feature)
+{
+	return !!parse_feature_value(feature_list, feature, NULL);
+}
+
+const char *server_feature_value(const char *feature, int *len)
+{
+	return parse_feature_value(server_capabilities, feature, len);
+}
+
+int server_supports(const char *feature)
+{
+	return !!server_feature_value(feature, NULL);
+}
+
 enum protocol {
 	PROTO_LOCAL = 1,
 	PROTO_SSH,