diff --git a/qemu-options.hx b/qemu-options.hx
index ca6fdf6134..137a39b7ad 100644
--- a/qemu-options.hx
+++ b/qemu-options.hx
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ Select CPU model (@code{-cpu help} for list and additional feature selection)
 ETEXI
 
 DEF("smp", HAS_ARG, QEMU_OPTION_smp,
-    "-smp n[,maxcpus=cpus][,cores=cores][,threads=threads][,sockets=sockets]\n"
+    "-smp [cpus=]n[,maxcpus=cpus][,cores=cores][,threads=threads][,sockets=sockets]\n"
     "                set the number of CPUs to 'n' [default=1]\n"
     "                maxcpus= maximum number of total cpus, including\n"
     "                offline CPUs for hotplug, etc\n"
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ DEF("smp", HAS_ARG, QEMU_OPTION_smp,
     "                sockets= number of discrete sockets in the system\n",
         QEMU_ARCH_ALL)
 STEXI
-@item -smp @var{n}[,cores=@var{cores}][,threads=@var{threads}][,sockets=@var{sockets}][,maxcpus=@var{maxcpus}]
+@item -smp [cpus=]@var{n}[,cores=@var{cores}][,threads=@var{threads}][,sockets=@var{sockets}][,maxcpus=@var{maxcpus}]
 @findex -smp
 Simulate an SMP system with @var{n} CPUs. On the PC target, up to 255
 CPUs are supported. On Sparc32 target, Linux limits the number of usable CPUs
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 0a8f056cc2..6d9fd7d807 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -1401,48 +1401,79 @@ static void numa_add(const char *optarg)
     }
 }
 
-static void smp_parse(const char *optarg)
+static QemuOptsList qemu_smp_opts = {
+    .name = "smp-opts",
+    .implied_opt_name = "cpus",
+    .merge_lists = true,
+    .head = QTAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(qemu_smp_opts.head),
+    .desc = {
+        {
+            .name = "cpus",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_NUMBER,
+        }, {
+            .name = "sockets",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_NUMBER,
+        }, {
+            .name = "cores",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_NUMBER,
+        }, {
+            .name = "threads",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_NUMBER,
+        }, {
+            .name = "maxcpus",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_NUMBER,
+        },
+        { /*End of list */ }
+    },
+};
+
+static void smp_parse(QemuOpts *opts)
 {
-    int smp, sockets = 0, threads = 0, cores = 0;
-    char *endptr;
-    char option[128];
+    if (opts) {
 
-    smp = strtoul(optarg, &endptr, 10);
-    if (endptr != optarg) {
-        if (*endptr == ',') {
-            endptr++;
-        }
-    }
-    if (get_param_value(option, 128, "sockets", endptr) != 0)
-        sockets = strtoull(option, NULL, 10);
-    if (get_param_value(option, 128, "cores", endptr) != 0)
-        cores = strtoull(option, NULL, 10);
-    if (get_param_value(option, 128, "threads", endptr) != 0)
-        threads = strtoull(option, NULL, 10);
-    if (get_param_value(option, 128, "maxcpus", endptr) != 0)
-        max_cpus = strtoull(option, NULL, 10);
+        unsigned cpus    = qemu_opt_get_number(opts, "cpus", 0);
+        unsigned sockets = qemu_opt_get_number(opts, "sockets", 0);
+        unsigned cores   = qemu_opt_get_number(opts, "cores", 0);
+        unsigned threads = qemu_opt_get_number(opts, "threads", 0);
 
-    /* compute missing values, prefer sockets over cores over threads */
-    if (smp == 0 || sockets == 0) {
-        sockets = sockets > 0 ? sockets : 1;
-        cores = cores > 0 ? cores : 1;
-        threads = threads > 0 ? threads : 1;
-        if (smp == 0) {
-            smp = cores * threads * sockets;
-        }
-    } else {
-        if (cores == 0) {
+        /* compute missing values, prefer sockets over cores over threads */
+        if (cpus == 0 || sockets == 0) {
+            sockets = sockets > 0 ? sockets : 1;
+            cores = cores > 0 ? cores : 1;
             threads = threads > 0 ? threads : 1;
-            cores = smp / (sockets * threads);
+            if (cpus == 0) {
+                cpus = cores * threads * sockets;
+            }
         } else {
-            threads = smp / (cores * sockets);
+            if (cores == 0) {
+                threads = threads > 0 ? threads : 1;
+                cores = cpus / (sockets * threads);
+            } else {
+                threads = cpus / (cores * sockets);
+            }
         }
+
+        max_cpus = qemu_opt_get_number(opts, "maxcpus", 0);
+
+        smp_cpus = cpus;
+        smp_cores = cores > 0 ? cores : 1;
+        smp_threads = threads > 0 ? threads : 1;
+
     }
-    smp_cpus = smp;
-    smp_cores = cores > 0 ? cores : 1;
-    smp_threads = threads > 0 ? threads : 1;
-    if (max_cpus == 0)
+
+    if (max_cpus == 0) {
         max_cpus = smp_cpus;
+    }
+
+    if (max_cpus > 255) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "Unsupported number of maxcpus\n");
+        exit(1);
+    }
+    if (max_cpus < smp_cpus) {
+        fprintf(stderr, "maxcpus must be equal to or greater than smp\n");
+        exit(1);
+    }
+
 }
 
 static void configure_realtime(QemuOpts *opts)
@@ -2895,6 +2926,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_trace_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_option_rom_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_machine_opts);
+    qemu_add_opts(&qemu_smp_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_boot_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_sandbox_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_add_fd_opts);
@@ -3561,18 +3593,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
                 }
                 break;
             case QEMU_OPTION_smp:
-                smp_parse(optarg);
-                if (smp_cpus < 1) {
-                    fprintf(stderr, "Invalid number of CPUs\n");
-                    exit(1);
-                }
-                if (max_cpus < smp_cpus) {
-                    fprintf(stderr, "maxcpus must be equal to or greater than "
-                            "smp\n");
-                    exit(1);
-                }
-                if (max_cpus > 255) {
-                    fprintf(stderr, "Unsupported number of maxcpus\n");
+                if (!qemu_opts_parse(qemu_find_opts("smp-opts"), optarg, 1)) {
                     exit(1);
                 }
                 break;
@@ -3896,12 +3917,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
         data_dir[data_dir_idx++] = CONFIG_QEMU_DATADIR;
     }
 
-    /*
-     * Default to max_cpus = smp_cpus, in case the user doesn't
-     * specify a max_cpus value.
-     */
-    if (!max_cpus)
-        max_cpus = smp_cpus;
+    smp_parse(qemu_opts_find(qemu_find_opts("smp-opts"), NULL));
 
     machine->max_cpus = machine->max_cpus ?: 1; /* Default to UP */
     if (smp_cpus > machine->max_cpus) {