diff --git a/KernelConfigParser.cpp b/KernelConfigParser.cpp
index 44cbf07..a0955e2 100644
--- a/KernelConfigParser.cpp
+++ b/KernelConfigParser.cpp
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@
 namespace android {
 namespace vintf {
 
-KernelConfigParser::KernelConfigParser(bool processComments) : mProcessComments(processComments) {}
+KernelConfigParser::KernelConfigParser(bool processComments, bool relaxedFormat)
+    : mProcessComments(processComments), mRelaxedFormat(relaxedFormat) {}
 
 status_t KernelConfigParser::finish() {
     return process("\n", 1 /* sizeof "\n" */);
@@ -61,12 +62,28 @@
     }
 
     std::smatch match;
-    if (std::regex_match(mRemaining, match, sKeyValuePattern)) {
-        if (mConfigs.emplace(match[1], trimTrailingSpaces(match[2])).second) {
-            return OK;
+
+    if (mRelaxedFormat) {
+        // Allow free format like "   CONFIG_FOO  = bar    #trailing comments"
+        if (std::regex_match(mRemaining, match, sKeyValuePattern)) {
+            if (mConfigs.emplace(match[1], trimTrailingSpaces(match[2])).second) {
+                return OK;
+            }
+            mError << "Duplicated key in configs: " << match[1] << "\n";
+            return UNKNOWN_ERROR;
         }
-        mError << "Duplicated key in configs: " << match[1] << "\n";
-        return UNKNOWN_ERROR;
+    } else {
+        // No spaces. Strictly like "CONFIG_FOO=bar"
+        size_t equalPos = mRemaining.find('=');
+        if (equalPos != std::string::npos) {
+            std::string key = mRemaining.substr(0, equalPos);
+            std::string value = mRemaining.substr(equalPos + 1);
+            if (mConfigs.emplace(std::move(key), std::move(value)).second) {
+                return OK;
+            }
+            mError << "Duplicated key in configs: " << mRemaining.substr(0, equalPos) << "\n";
+            return UNKNOWN_ERROR;
+        }
     }
 
     if (mProcessComments && std::regex_match(mRemaining, match, sNotSetPattern)) {
@@ -78,8 +95,16 @@
         return UNKNOWN_ERROR;
     }
 
-    if (std::regex_match(mRemaining, match, sCommentPattern)) {
-        return OK;
+    if (mRelaxedFormat) {
+        // Allow free format like "   #comments here"
+        if (std::regex_match(mRemaining, match, sCommentPattern)) {
+            return OK;
+        }
+    } else {
+        // No leading spaces before the comment
+        if (mRemaining.at(0) == '#') {
+            return OK;
+        }
     }
 
     mError << "Unrecognized line in configs: " << mRemaining << "\n";
diff --git a/assemble_vintf.cpp b/assemble_vintf.cpp
index 7683472..2752078 100644
--- a/assemble_vintf.cpp
+++ b/assemble_vintf.cpp
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
             std::cerr << "File '" << path << "' does not exist or cannot be read." << std::endl;
             return false;
         }
-        KernelConfigParser parser(true /* processComments */);
+        KernelConfigParser parser(true /* processComments */, true /* relaxedFormat */);
         std::string content = read(ifs);
         status_t err = parser.process(content.c_str(), content.size());
         if (err != OK) {
diff --git a/include/vintf/KernelConfigParser.h b/include/vintf/KernelConfigParser.h
index bad66a5..06a034d 100644
--- a/include/vintf/KernelConfigParser.h
+++ b/include/vintf/KernelConfigParser.h
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 
 class KernelConfigParser {
    public:
-    KernelConfigParser(bool processComments = false);
+    KernelConfigParser(bool processComments = false, bool relaxedFormat = false);
 
     status_t process(const char* buf, size_t len);
     status_t finish();
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
     std::stringstream mError;
     std::string mRemaining;
     bool mProcessComments;
+    bool mRelaxedFormat;
 };
 
 }  // namespace vintf
diff --git a/test/main.cpp b/test/main.cpp
index b3b8a59..8dc5ddb 100644
--- a/test/main.cpp
+++ b/test/main.cpp
@@ -1310,8 +1310,9 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(matrix.getXmlSchemaPath("media_profile", {2, 0}), "");
 }
 
-std::pair<KernelConfigParser, status_t> processData(const std::string& data, bool processComments) {
-    KernelConfigParser parser(processComments);
+std::pair<KernelConfigParser, status_t> processData(const std::string& data, bool processComments,
+                                                    bool relaxedFormat = false) {
+    KernelConfigParser parser(processComments, relaxedFormat);
     const char* p = data.c_str();
     size_t n = 0;
     size_t chunkSize;
@@ -1378,7 +1379,7 @@
         "CONFIG_WORLD=hello world!       \n"
         "CONFIG_GOOD   =   good morning!  #comments here\n"
         "    CONFIG_MORNING   =   good morning!  \n";
-    auto pair = processData(data, true /* processComments */);
+    auto pair = processData(data, true /* processComments */, true /* relaxedFormat */);
     ASSERT_EQ(OK, pair.second) << pair.first.error();
     const auto& configs = pair.first.configs();
 
@@ -1403,7 +1404,7 @@
 
 TEST_P(KernelConfigParserInvalidTest, NonSet1) {
     const std::string data = "# CONFIG_NOT_EXIST is not sat\n";
-    auto pair = processData(data, GetParam() /* processComments */);
+    auto pair = processData(data, GetParam() /* processComments */, true /* relaxedFormat */);
     ASSERT_EQ(OK, pair.second) << pair.first.error();
     const auto& configs = pair.first.configs();
     EXPECT_EQ(configs.find("CONFIG_NOT_EXIST"), configs.end())
@@ -1412,12 +1413,14 @@
 
 TEST_P(KernelConfigParserInvalidTest, InvalidLine1) {
     const std::string data = "FOO_CONFIG=foo\n";
-    ASSERT_NE(OK, processData(data, GetParam() /* processComments */).second);
+    ASSERT_NE(OK,
+              processData(data, GetParam() /* processComments */, true /* relaxedFormat */).second);
 }
 
 TEST_P(KernelConfigParserInvalidTest, InvalidLine2) {
     const std::string data = "CONFIG_BAR-BAZ=foo\n";
-    ASSERT_NE(OK, processData(data, GetParam() /* processComments */).second);
+    ASSERT_NE(OK,
+              processData(data, GetParam() /* processComments */, true /* relaxedFormat */).second);
 }
 
 INSTANTIATE_TEST_CASE_P(KernelConfigParser, KernelConfigParserInvalidTest, ::testing::Bool());