diff --git a/kitty/terminfo.py b/kitty/terminfo.py
index e301e53af..167f5b5f0 100644
--- a/kitty/terminfo.py
+++ b/kitty/terminfo.py
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ def get_capabilities(query_string):
     ans = []
     try:
         for q in query_string.split(';'):
-            name = unhexlify(q).decode('utf-8')
+            name = qname = unhexlify(q).decode('utf-8')
             if name == 'TN':
                 val = names[0]
             else:
@@ -444,10 +444,13 @@ def get_capabilities(query_string):
                     val = queryable_capabilities[name]
                 except KeyError:
                     try:
-                        val = queryable_capabilities[termcap_aliases[name]]
+                        qname = termcap_aliases[name]
+                        val = queryable_capabilities[qname]
                     except Exception as e:
                         safe_print(ERROR_PREFIX, 'Unknown terminfo property:', name)
                         raise
+                if qname in string_capabilities and '%' not in val:
+                    val = key_as_bytes(qname).decode('ascii')
             ans.append(q + '=' + hexlify(str(val).encode('utf-8')).decode('ascii'))
         return b'\033P1+r' + ';'.join(ans).encode('utf-8') + b'\033\\'
     except Exception:
diff --git a/kitty_tests/parser.py b/kitty_tests/parser.py
index ae365b4a8..c01b28430 100644
--- a/kitty_tests/parser.py
+++ b/kitty_tests/parser.py
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ class TestParser(BaseTest):
         q = hexlify(b'kind').decode('ascii')
         pb('a\033P+q{}\x9cbcde'.format(q), 'a', ('screen_request_capabilities', 43, q), 'bcde')
         self.ae(str(s.line(0)), 'abcde')
-        self.ae(c.wtcbuf, '\033P1+r{}={}\033\\'.format(q, '5c455b313b3242').encode('ascii'))
+        self.ae(c.wtcbuf, '\033P1+r{}={}\033\\'.format(q, '1b5b313b3242').encode('ascii'))
         c.clear()
         pb('\033P$q q\033\\', ('screen_request_capabilities', ord('$'), ' q'))
         self.ae(c.wtcbuf, b'\033P1$r1 q\033\\')