diff --git a/docs/CHANGELOG.md b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
index 37b965509..7e89effa7 100644
--- a/docs/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ The following `tip` changes can be tested by building VictoriaMetrics components
 
 * FEATURE: [vmbackup](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/vmbackup.html): add support for server-side copy of existing backups. See [these docs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/vmbackup.html#server-side-copy-of-the-existing-backup) for details.
 
+* BUGFIX: do not allow starting VictoriaMetrics components with improperly set boolean command-line flags in the form `-boolFlagName value`, since this leads to silent incomplete flags' parsing. This form should be replaced with `-boolFlagName=value`. See [this issue](https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/4845).
 * BUGFIX: [vmagent](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/vmagent.html): according to [the docs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/vmagent.html#adding-labels-to-metrics) labels from `-remoteWrite.label` cmd-line flag are now added to the sent metrics just before they are pushed to the `-remoteWrite.url` (after all relabeling, including stream aggregation relabeling). In addition, it allows adding labels for identifying vmagent instances when using streaming aggregation in vmagents [cluster mode](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/vmagent.html#scraping-big-number-of-targets). See [this issue](https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/4247) and [these docs](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/stream-aggregation.html#cluster-mode) for more details.
 * BUGFIX: remove `DEBUG` logging when parsing `if` filters inside [relabeling rules](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/vmagent.html#relabeling-enhancements) and when parsing `match` filters inside [stream aggregation rules](https://docs.victoriametrics.com/stream-aggregation.html).
 * BUGFIX: properly replace `:` chars in label names with `_` when `-usePromCompatibleNaming` command-line flag is passed to `vmagent`, `vminsert` or single-node VictoriaMetrics. This addresses [this comment](https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/3113#issuecomment-1275077071).
diff --git a/lib/envflag/envflag.go b/lib/envflag/envflag.go
index ab2b3fd9a..6603a127d 100644
--- a/lib/envflag/envflag.go
+++ b/lib/envflag/envflag.go
@@ -32,6 +32,11 @@ func ParseFlagSet(fs *flag.FlagSet, args []string) {
 		// Do not use lib/logger here, since it is uninitialized yet.
 		log.Fatalf("cannot parse flags %q: %s", args, err)
 	}
+	if fs.NArg() > 0 {
+		// See https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/4845
+		log.Fatalf("unprocessed command-line args left: %s; the most likely reason is missing `=` between boolean flag name and value; "+
+			"see https://pkg.go.dev/flag#hdr-Command_line_flag_syntax", fs.Args())
+	}
 	if !*enable {
 		return
 	}