diff --git a/electrum/commands.py b/electrum/commands.py
index beaaa43c413..0cdf4576922 100644
--- a/electrum/commands.py
+++ b/electrum/commands.py
@@ -918,7 +918,12 @@ async def signmessage(self, address, message, password=None, wallet: Abstract_Wa
             raise UserFacingException(f"address must be a str instead of {type(address)}")
         if not isinstance(message, str):
             raise UserFacingException(f"message must be a str instead of {type(message)}")
-        sig = wallet.sign_message(address=address, message=message, password=password)
+        sig = wallet.sign_message(
+            address=address,
+            message=message,
+            password=password,
+            strip_inputs=False,  # respect whitespaces for CLI
+        )
         return base64.b64encode(sig).decode('ascii')
 
     @command('')
@@ -935,7 +940,12 @@ async def verifymessage(self, address, signature, message):
             raise UserFacingException(f"signature must be a str instead of {type(signature)}")
         if not isinstance(message, str):
             raise UserFacingException(f"message must be a str instead of {type(message)}")
-        return Abstract_Wallet.verify_message(address=address, signature=signature, message=message)
+        return Abstract_Wallet.verify_message(
+            address=address,
+            signature=signature,
+            message=message,
+            strip_inputs=False,  # respect whitespaces for CLI
+        )
 
     def _get_fee_policy(self, fee: str, feerate: str):
         if fee is not None and feerate is not None:
diff --git a/electrum/gui/qml/qedaemon.py b/electrum/gui/qml/qedaemon.py
index 749ee319e9b..b0779c100dc 100644
--- a/electrum/gui/qml/qedaemon.py
+++ b/electrum/gui/qml/qedaemon.py
@@ -506,9 +506,6 @@ def startNetwork(self):
 
     @pyqtSlot(str, str, str, result=bool)
     def verifyMessage(self, address, message, signature):
-        address = address.strip()
-        message = message.strip()
-        signature = signature.strip()
         try:
             return Abstract_Wallet.verify_message(address=address, signature=signature, message=message)
         except UserFacingException as e:
diff --git a/electrum/gui/qml/qewallet.py b/electrum/gui/qml/qewallet.py
index 5d3e233d449..88e602e221e 100644
--- a/electrum/gui/qml/qewallet.py
+++ b/electrum/gui/qml/qewallet.py
@@ -848,9 +848,6 @@ def isAddressMine(self, addr):
     @pyqtSlot(str, str)
     @auth_protect(message=_("Sign message?"))
     def signMessage(self, address, message):
-        # strip, as in qt gui and in qml verifyMessage (see #4327)
-        address = address.strip()
-        message = message.strip()
         try:
             sig = self.wallet.sign_message(address=address, message=message, password=self.password)
         except UserFacingException as e:
diff --git a/electrum/gui/qt/main_window.py b/electrum/gui/qt/main_window.py
index 20244bb4932..ffc8da7df39 100644
--- a/electrum/gui/qt/main_window.py
+++ b/electrum/gui/qt/main_window.py
@@ -2132,12 +2132,10 @@ def do_sign(
         signature_e: ButtonsTextEdit,
         password,
     ) -> None:
-        address = address_e.text().strip()
-        message = message_e.toPlainText().strip()
         task = partial(
             self.wallet.sign_message,
-            address=address,
-            message=message,
+            address=address_e.text(),
+            message=message_e.toPlainText(),
             password=password,
         )
 
@@ -2157,13 +2155,11 @@ def do_verify(
         message_e: QTextEdit,
         signature_e: ButtonsTextEdit,
     ) -> None:
-        address = address_e.text().strip()
-        message = message_e.toPlainText().strip()
         task = partial(
             self.wallet.verify_message,
-            address=address,
+            address=address_e.text(),
             signature=str(signature_e.toPlainText()),
-            message=message,
+            message=message_e.toPlainText(),
         )
 
         def on_result(verified):
diff --git a/electrum/wallet.py b/electrum/wallet.py
index 55d8a730709..0d2210376fd 100644
--- a/electrum/wallet.py
+++ b/electrum/wallet.py
@@ -3234,10 +3234,14 @@ def update_password(self, old_pw, new_pw, *, encrypt_storage: bool = True, xpub_
     def _update_password_for_keystore(self, old_pw: Optional[str], new_pw: Optional[str]) -> None:
         pass
 
-    def sign_message(self, *, address: str, message: str, password) -> bytes:
+    def sign_message(self, *, address: str, message: str, password, strip_inputs: bool = True) -> bytes:
         """Caller must handle UserFacingException."""
         assert isinstance(address, str), f"address must be str. got {type(address)}"
         assert isinstance(message, str), f"message must be str. got {type(message)}"
+        if strip_inputs:
+            # stripping whitespaces leads to better UX for GUIs, but it's counter-productive for CLI
+            address = address.strip()
+            message = message.strip()
         if not bitcoin.is_address(address):
             raise UserFacingException(_("Invalid Bitcoin address."))
         if self.is_watching_only():
@@ -3260,11 +3264,16 @@ def sign_message(self, *, address: str, message: str, password) -> bytes:
         return self.keystore.sign_message(index, message, password, script_type=txin_type)
 
     @classmethod
-    def verify_message(cls, *, address: str, signature: str, message: str) -> bool:
+    def verify_message(cls, *, address: str, signature: str, message: str, strip_inputs: bool = True) -> bool:
         """Caller must handle UserFacingException."""
         assert isinstance(address, str), f"address must be str. got {type(address)}"
         assert isinstance(signature, str), f"signature must be str. got {type(signature)}"
         assert isinstance(message, str), f"message must be str. got {type(message)}"
+        if strip_inputs:
+            # stripping whitespaces leads to better UX for GUIs, but it's counter-productive for CLI
+            address = address.strip()
+            signature = signature.strip()
+            message = message.strip()
         if not is_address(address):
             raise UserFacingException(_("Invalid Bitcoin address."))
         try: