diff --git a/share/functions/__fish_complete_list.fish b/share/functions/__fish_complete_list.fish
index 758489572..b2e5c88f3 100644
--- a/share/functions/__fish_complete_list.fish
+++ b/share/functions/__fish_complete_list.fish
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ where:
     end
     switch $pat
         case "*$div*"
-            for i in (echo $pat | sed "s/^\(.\+$div\)$iprefix.*\$/\1/")$iprefix(eval $cmd)
-                string unescape -- $i
+            for i in (string unescape -- $pat | sed "s/^\(.\+$div\)$iprefix.*\$/\1/")$iprefix(eval $cmd)
+                printf %s\n $i
             end
         case '*'
             for i in $prefix$iprefix(eval $cmd)
-                string unescape -- $i
+                printf %s\n $i
             end
     end
 
diff --git a/tests/checks/complete.fish b/tests/checks/complete.fish
index 739d675e6..f90b98aab 100644
--- a/tests/checks/complete.fish
+++ b/tests/checks/complete.fish
@@ -647,3 +647,10 @@ complete -C "complete-list --number-list=1,"
 complete -C "complete-list -abcl1,"
 # CHECK: -abcl1,1
 # CHECK: -abcl1,2
+
+function esc_in_description
+    echo completion\t'escaped \n newline'
+end
+complete complete-list -l desc -xa '(__fish_complete_list , esc_in_description)'
+complete -C 'complete-list --desc '
+# CHECK: completion{{\t}}escaped {{\\n}} newline