diff --git a/sdk/src/org.graalvm.launcher/src/META-INF/native-image/org.graalvm.launcher/native-image.properties b/sdk/src/org.graalvm.launcher/src/META-INF/native-image/org.graalvm.launcher/native-image.properties
index 4cb5e87f0b3c..844957570e24 100644
--- a/sdk/src/org.graalvm.launcher/src/META-INF/native-image/org.graalvm.launcher/native-image.properties
+++ b/sdk/src/org.graalvm.launcher/src/META-INF/native-image/org.graalvm.launcher/native-image.properties
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
-JavaArgs = --add-modules=java.scripting
-
 Args = --features=com.oracle.svm.thirdparty.jline.JLine3Feature \
+       --add-modules=java.scripting \
        --add-reads=org.graalvm.launcher=org.graalvm.nativeimage.pointsto \
        --add-reads=org.graalvm.launcher=org.graalvm.nativeimage.builder \
        --add-exports=org.graalvm.truffle/com.oracle.truffle.object=ALL-UNNAMED \
diff --git a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.driver/src/com/oracle/svm/driver/DefaultOptionHandler.java b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.driver/src/com/oracle/svm/driver/DefaultOptionHandler.java
index 733651c9db9e..9b3381d2f781 100644
--- a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.driver/src/com/oracle/svm/driver/DefaultOptionHandler.java
+++ b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.driver/src/com/oracle/svm/driver/DefaultOptionHandler.java
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
-import jdk.vm.ci.runtime.JVMCI;
 import org.graalvm.compiler.options.OptionType;
 
 import com.oracle.svm.driver.MacroOption.MacroOptionKind;
@@ -44,6 +43,7 @@
 import jdk.vm.ci.aarch64.AArch64;
 import jdk.vm.ci.amd64.AMD64;
 import jdk.vm.ci.code.Architecture;
+import jdk.vm.ci.runtime.JVMCI;
 
 class DefaultOptionHandler extends NativeImage.OptionHandler<NativeImage> {
 
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@ class DefaultOptionHandler extends NativeImage.OptionHandler<NativeImage> {
     private static final String requireValidJarFileMessage = "-jar requires a valid jarfile";
     private static final String newStyleClasspathOptionName = "--class-path";
 
+    private static final String addModulesOption = "--add-modules";
+    private static final String addModulesErrorMessage = " requires modules to be specified";
+
     static final String helpText = NativeImage.getResource("/Help.txt");
     static final String helpExtraText = NativeImage.getResource("/HelpExtra.txt");
 
@@ -145,6 +148,14 @@ public boolean consume(ArgumentQueue args) {
                 nativeImage.addPlainImageBuilderArg(nativeImage.oHModule + mainClassModuleArgParts[0]);
                 nativeImage.setModuleOptionMode(true);
                 return true;
+            case addModulesOption:
+                args.poll();
+                String addModulesArgs = args.poll();
+                if (addModulesArgs == null) {
+                    NativeImage.showError(headArg + addModulesErrorMessage);
+                }
+                nativeImage.addImageBuilderJavaArgs(addModulesOption, addModulesArgs);
+                return true;
             case "--configurations-path":
                 args.poll();
                 String configPath = args.poll();
@@ -314,6 +325,15 @@ public boolean consume(ArgumentQueue args) {
             }
             return true;
         }
+        if (headArg.startsWith(addModulesOption + "=")) {
+            args.poll();
+            String addModulesArgs = headArg.substring(addModulesOption.length() + 1);
+            if (addModulesArgs.isEmpty()) {
+                NativeImage.showError(headArg + addModulesErrorMessage);
+            }
+            nativeImage.addImageBuilderJavaArgs(addModulesOption, addModulesArgs);
+            return true;
+        }
         if (headArg.startsWith("@") && !disableAtFiles) {
             args.poll();
             headArg = headArg.substring(1);