diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0a93def9..6f3ce0a4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -279,6 +279,7 @@ Optionally, you can use the following command-line flags:
 | `--listen-port LISTEN_PORT`           | The listening port that the server will use. |
 | `--share`                             | Create a public URL. This is useful for running the web UI on Google Colab or similar. |
 | `--auto-launch`                       | Open the web UI in the default browser upon launch. |
+| `--gradio-auth USER:PWD`              | set gradio authentication like "username:password"; or comma-delimit multiple like "u1:p1,u2:p2,u3:p3" |
 | `--gradio-auth-path GRADIO_AUTH_PATH` | Set the gradio authentication file path. The file should contain one or more user:password pairs in this format: "u1:p1,u2:p2,u3:p3" |
 
 #### API
diff --git a/modules/shared.py b/modules/shared.py
index ceb250c4..b809bcc0 100644
--- a/modules/shared.py
+++ b/modules/shared.py
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ parser.add_argument('--listen-host', type=str, help='The hostname that the serve
 parser.add_argument('--listen-port', type=int, help='The listening port that the server will use.')
 parser.add_argument('--share', action='store_true', help='Create a public URL. This is useful for running the web UI on Google Colab or similar.')
 parser.add_argument('--auto-launch', action='store_true', default=False, help='Open the web UI in the default browser upon launch.')
+parser.add_argument("--gradio-auth", type=str, help='set gradio authentication like "username:password"; or comma-delimit multiple like "u1:p1,u2:p2,u3:p3"', default=None)
 parser.add_argument("--gradio-auth-path", type=str, help='Set the gradio authentication file path. The file should contain one or more user:password pairs in this format: "u1:p1,u2:p2,u3:p3"', default=None)
 
 # API
diff --git a/server.py b/server.py
index fc284a62..f408c6e6 100644
--- a/server.py
+++ b/server.py
@@ -543,11 +543,14 @@ def create_interface():
 
     # Authentication variables
     auth = None
+    gradio_auth_creds = []
+    if shared.args.gradio_auth:
+        gradio_auth_creds += [x.strip() for x in shared.args.gradio_auth.strip('"').replace('\n', '').split(',') if x.strip()]
     if shared.args.gradio_auth_path is not None:
-        gradio_auth_creds = []
         with open(shared.args.gradio_auth_path, 'r', encoding="utf8") as file:
             for line in file.readlines():
                 gradio_auth_creds += [x.strip() for x in line.split(',') if x.strip()]
+    if gradio_auth_creds:
         auth = [tuple(cred.split(':')) for cred in gradio_auth_creds]
 
     # Importing the extension files and executing their setup() functions