diff --git a/utils/apparmor/aa.py b/utils/apparmor/aa.py
index e845f9ef5..e45f7cfc5 100644
--- a/utils/apparmor/aa.py
+++ b/utils/apparmor/aa.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ from apparmor.regex import (RE_PROFILE_START, RE_PROFILE_END, RE_PROFILE_LINK,
                             RE_PROFILE_UNIX, RE_RULE_HAS_COMMA, RE_HAS_COMMENT_SPLIT,
                             strip_quotes, parse_profile_start_line, re_match_include )
 
-from apparmor.profile_storage import (ProfileStorage, add_or_remove_flag, split_flags, ruletypes, write_alias,
+from apparmor.profile_storage import (ProfileStorage, add_or_remove_flag, ruletypes, write_alias,
                             write_includes, write_list_vars )
 
 import apparmor.rules as aarules
@@ -626,9 +626,7 @@ def get_profile_flags(filename, program):
 def change_profile_flags(filename, program, flag, set_flag):
     old_flags = get_profile_flags(filename, program)
 
-    newflags = split_flags(old_flags)
-
-    newflags = add_or_remove_flag(newflags, flag, set_flag)
+    newflags = add_or_remove_flag(old_flags, flag, set_flag)
 
     newflags = ','.join(newflags)
 
diff --git a/utils/apparmor/profile_storage.py b/utils/apparmor/profile_storage.py
index 145614135..3ee58db06 100644
--- a/utils/apparmor/profile_storage.py
+++ b/utils/apparmor/profile_storage.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 from apparmor.aamode import AA_LINK_SUBSET
 
-from apparmor.common import AppArmorBug, AppArmorException, hasher
+from apparmor.common import AppArmorBug, AppArmorException, hasher, type_is_str
 
 from apparmor.rule.capability       import CapabilityRuleset
 from apparmor.rule.change_profile   import ChangeProfileRuleset
@@ -173,6 +173,9 @@ def split_flags(flags):
 def add_or_remove_flag(flags, flag_to_change, set_flag):
     '''add (if set_flag == True) or remove the given flag_to_change to flags'''
 
+    if type_is_str(flags) or flags is None:
+        flags = split_flags(flags)
+
     if set_flag:
         if flag_to_change not in flags:
             flags.append(flag_to_change)
diff --git a/utils/test/test-profile-storage.py b/utils/test/test-profile-storage.py
index 7ff087de4..25ded02dd 100644
--- a/utils/test/test-profile-storage.py
+++ b/utils/test/test-profile-storage.py
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ class AaTest_add_or_remove_flag(AATest):
         ([ [],                  'audit',        False           ],  []                          ),
         ([ ['complain'],        'audit',        True            ],  ['audit', 'complain']       ),
         ([ ['complain'],        'audit',        False           ],  ['complain']                ),
+        ([ '',                  'audit',        True            ],  ['audit']                   ),
+        ([ None,                'audit',        False           ],  []                          ),
+        ([ 'complain',          'audit',        True            ],  ['audit', 'complain']       ),
+        ([ '  complain  ',      'audit',        False           ],  ['complain']                ),
     ]
 
     def _run_test(self, params, expected):