diff --git a/src/vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService.ts b/src/vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService.ts
index 59d6b38501475..c00a32a663e77 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,19 @@ export interface ICommonEncryptionService {
 	isEncryptionAvailable(): Promise<boolean>;
 }
 
+// The values provided to the `password-store` command line switch.
+// Notice that they are not the same as the values returned by
+// `getSelectedStorageBackend` in the `safeStorage` API.
+export const enum PasswordStoreCLIOption {
+	kwallet = 'kwallet',
+	kwallet5 = 'kwallet5',
+	gnome = 'gnome',
+	gnomeKeyring = 'gnome-keyring',
+	gnomeLibsecret = 'gnome-libsecret',
+	basic = 'basic'
+}
+
+// The values returned by `getSelectedStorageBackend` in the `safeStorage` API.
 export const enum KnownStorageProvider {
 	unknown = 'unknown',
 	basicText = 'basic_text',
@@ -37,6 +50,9 @@ export const enum KnownStorageProvider {
 	kwallet5 = 'kwallet5',
 	kwallet6 = 'kwallet6',
 
+	// The rest of these are not returned by `getSelectedStorageBackend`
+	// but these were added for platform completeness.
+
 	// Windows
 	dplib = 'dpapi',
 
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/encryption/electron-main/encryptionMainService.ts b/src/vs/platform/encryption/electron-main/encryptionMainService.ts
index 0589dc473b943..215ef85d41f83 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/encryption/electron-main/encryptionMainService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/encryption/electron-main/encryptionMainService.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 import { safeStorage as safeStorageElectron, app } from 'electron';
 import { isMacintosh, isWindows } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
-import { KnownStorageProvider, IEncryptionMainService } from 'vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService';
+import { KnownStorageProvider, IEncryptionMainService, PasswordStoreCLIOption } from 'vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService';
 import { ILogService } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';
 
 // These APIs are currently only supported in our custom build of electron so
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export class EncryptionMainService implements IEncryptionMainService {
 		@ILogService private readonly logService: ILogService
 	) {
 		// if this commandLine switch is set, the user has opted in to using basic text encryption
-		if (app.commandLine.getSwitchValue('password-store') === 'basic_text') {
+		if (app.commandLine.getSwitchValue('password-store') === PasswordStoreCLIOption.basic) {
 			safeStorage.setUsePlainTextEncryption?.(true);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/common/argv.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/common/argv.ts
index 2bbfd487d7546..17476d941872f 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/common/argv.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/common/argv.ts
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ export interface NativeParsedArgs {
 	'install-source'?: string;
 	'disable-updates'?: boolean;
 	'disable-keytar'?: boolean;
+	'password-store'?: string;
 	'disable-workspace-trust'?: boolean;
 	'disable-crash-reporter'?: boolean;
 	'crash-reporter-directory'?: string;
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts
index fbae6c3e4ed81..b3e423e20f9cf 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ export const OPTIONS: OptionDescriptions<Required<NativeParsedArgs>> = {
 	'disable-telemetry': { type: 'boolean' },
 	'disable-updates': { type: 'boolean' },
 	'disable-keytar': { type: 'boolean' },
+	'password-store': { type: 'string' },
 	'disable-workspace-trust': { type: 'boolean' },
 	'disable-crash-reporter': { type: 'boolean' },
 	'crash-reporter-directory': { type: 'string' },
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/secrets/electron-sandbox/secretStorageService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/secrets/electron-sandbox/secretStorageService.ts
index 44d57e2549302..d89abd9110dd2 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/secrets/electron-sandbox/secretStorageService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/secrets/electron-sandbox/secretStorageService.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { isLinux } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import Severity from 'vs/base/common/severity';
 import { localize } from 'vs/nls';
 import { IDialogService } from 'vs/platform/dialogs/common/dialogs';
-import { IEncryptionService, KnownStorageProvider, isGnome, isKwallet } from 'vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService';
+import { IEncryptionService, KnownStorageProvider, PasswordStoreCLIOption, isGnome, isKwallet } from 'vs/platform/encryption/common/encryptionService';
 import { IEnvironmentService } from 'vs/platform/environment/common/environment';
 import { InstantiationType, registerSingleton } from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/extensions';
 import { ILogService } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ export class NativeSecretStorageService extends BaseSecretStorageService {
 				label: localize('usePlainText', "Use weaker encryption"),
 				run: async () => {
 					await this._encryptionService.setUsePlainTextEncryption();
-					await this._jsonEditingService.write(this._environmentService.argvResource, [{ path: ['password-store'], value: 'basic_text' }], true);
+					await this._jsonEditingService.write(this._environmentService.argvResource, [{ path: ['password-store'], value: PasswordStoreCLIOption.basic }], true);
 					this.reinitialize();
 				}
 			};