diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
index 0b5abdf7a..a31affd8b 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
@@ -1953,7 +1953,7 @@ sub embedded_shell( $ ) {
 	my $last = 0;
 
 	while ( read_a_line( 0, 0, 1 ) ) {
-	    last if $last = $currentline =~ s/^\s*\??END(\s+SHELL)?\s*;?//;
+	    last if $last = $currentline =~ s/^\s*END(\s+SHELL)?\s*;?//;
 	    $command .= $currentline;
 	}
 
@@ -1989,7 +1989,7 @@ sub embedded_perl( $ ) {
 	my $last = 0;
 
 	while ( read_a_line( 0, 0, 1 ) ) {
-	    last if $last = $currentline =~ s/^\s*\??END(\s+PERL)?\s*;?//;
+	    last if $last = $currentline =~ s/^\s*END(\s+PERL)?\s*;?//;
 	    $command .= $currentline;
 	}
 
@@ -2208,12 +2208,12 @@ sub read_a_line(;$$$) {
 	    # Must check for shell/perl before doing variable expansion
 	    #
 	    if ( $embedded_enabled ) {
-		if ( $currentline =~ s/^\s*\??(BEGIN\s+)?SHELL\s*;?// ) {
+		if ( $currentline =~ s/^\s*(BEGIN\s+)?SHELL\s*;?// ) {
 		    embedded_shell( $1 );
 		    next;
 		}
 
-		if ( $currentline =~ s/^\s*\??(BEGIN\s+)?PERL\s*\;?// ) {
+		if ( $currentline =~ s/^\s*(BEGIN\s+)?PERL\s*\;?// ) {
 		    embedded_perl( $1 );
 		    next;
 		}
diff --git a/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml b/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml
index ec216bb95..eaf8c6731 100644
--- a/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml
+++ b/docs/configuration_file_basics.xml
@@ -1601,19 +1601,16 @@ SHELL cat /etc/shorewall/rules.d/*.rules 2&gt; /dev/null || true</programlisting
 
     <itemizedlist>
       <listitem>
-        <para><emphasis role="bold">[?]PERL</emphasis> &lt;<emphasis>perl
+        <para><emphasis role="bold">PERL</emphasis> &lt;<emphasis>perl
         script</emphasis>&gt;</para>
       </listitem>
 
       <listitem>
-        <para><emphasis role="bold">[?]SHELL</emphasis> &lt;<emphasis>shell
+        <para><emphasis role="bold">SHELL</emphasis> &lt;<emphasis>shell
         script</emphasis>&gt;</para>
       </listitem>
     </itemizedlist>
 
-    <para>The optional '?' is allowed in Shorewall versions 4.5.2 and
-    later.</para>
-
     <para>Shell scripts run in a child shell process and their output is piped
     back to the compiler which processes that output as if it were embedded at
     the point of the script.</para>
@@ -1658,14 +1655,13 @@ use Shorewall::Config ( qw/shorewall/ );</programlisting>
     </orderedlist>
 
     <para>Multi-line scripts use one of the following forms:<programlisting><emphasis
-          role="bold">[?]BEGIN SHELL</emphasis>
+          role="bold">BEGIN SHELL</emphasis>
 &lt;<emphasis>shell script</emphasis>&gt;
-<emphasis role="bold">[?]END</emphasis> [ <emphasis role="bold">SHELL</emphasis> ]</programlisting><programlisting><emphasis
-          role="bold">[?]BEGIN PERL</emphasis> [;]
+<emphasis role="bold">END</emphasis> [ <emphasis role="bold">SHELL</emphasis> ]</programlisting><programlisting><emphasis
+          role="bold">BEGIN PERL</emphasis> [;]
 &lt;<emphasis>perl script</emphasis>&gt;
-<emphasis role="bold">[?]END</emphasis> [ <emphasis role="bold">PERL</emphasis> ] [<emphasis
-          role="bold">;</emphasis>]</programlisting>As above, the optional
-    leading '?' is allowed in Shorewall versions 4.5.2 and later.</para>
+<emphasis role="bold">END</emphasis> [ <emphasis role="bold">PERL</emphasis> ] [<emphasis
+          role="bold">;</emphasis>]</programlisting></para>
   </section>
 
   <section id="dnsnames">