diff --git a/src/ansiblelint/schemas/__store__.json b/src/ansiblelint/schemas/__store__.json
index bbe922699c..414085dc6d 100644
--- a/src/ansiblelint/schemas/__store__.json
+++ b/src/ansiblelint/schemas/__store__.json
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
     "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ansible/ansible-lint/main/src/ansiblelint/schemas/molecule.json"
   },
   "playbook": {
-    "etag": "152dbc4407b1538dc940c58159135ea608ce18c9de7832d4351782ae644a5970",
+    "etag": "4f8cbba62fcf8a1fa6e8ef5e42696aec5b0876487478df83a7ffdf8bdbb4abcf",
     "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ansible/ansible-lint/main/src/ansiblelint/schemas/playbook.json"
   },
   "requirements": {
diff --git a/src/ansiblelint/utils.py b/src/ansiblelint/utils.py
index 2b98571ea2..3859004afc 100644
--- a/src/ansiblelint/utils.py
+++ b/src/ansiblelint/utils.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 from ansible.parsing.dataloader import DataLoader
 from ansible.parsing.mod_args import ModuleArgsParser
 from ansible.parsing.plugin_docs import read_docstring
+from ansible.parsing.splitter import split_args
 from ansible.parsing.yaml.constructor import AnsibleConstructor, AnsibleMapping
 from ansible.parsing.yaml.loader import AnsibleLoader
 from ansible.parsing.yaml.objects import AnsibleBaseYAMLObject, AnsibleSequence
@@ -217,26 +218,18 @@ def ansible_template(
 }
 
 
-def tokenize(line: str) -> tuple[str, list[str], dict[str, str]]:
+def tokenize(value: str) -> tuple[list[str], dict[str, str]]:
     """Parse a string task invocation."""
-    tokens = line.lstrip().split(" ")
-    if tokens[0] == "-":
-        tokens = tokens[1:]
-    if tokens[0] == "action:" or tokens[0] == "local_action:":
-        tokens = tokens[1:]
-    command = tokens[0].replace(":", "")
-
-    args = []
-    kwargs = {}
-    non_kv_found = False
-    for arg in tokens[1:]:
-        if "=" in arg and not non_kv_found:
-            key_value = arg.split("=", 1)
-            kwargs[key_value[0]] = key_value[1]
+    parts = split_args(value)
+    args: list[str] = []
+    kwargs: dict[str, str] = {}
+    for part in parts:
+        if "=" not in part:
+            args.append(part)
         else:
-            non_kv_found = True
-            args.append(arg)
-    return (command, args, kwargs)
+            k, v = part.split("=", 1)
+            kwargs[k] = v
+    return (args, kwargs)
 
 
 def playbook_items(pb_data: AnsibleBaseYAMLObject) -> ItemsView:  # type: ignore[type-arg]
@@ -326,8 +319,7 @@ def include_children(
             return []
 
         # handle include: filename.yml tags=blah
-        # pylint: disable=unused-variable
-        (command, args, kwargs) = tokenize(f"{k}: {v}")
+        (args, _) = tokenize(v)
 
         result = path_dwim(basedir, args[0])
         while basedir not in ["", "/"]:
diff --git a/test/test_utils.py b/test/test_utils.py
index 1554b15eed..0d8afcdc19 100644
--- a/test/test_utils.py
+++ b/test/test_utils.py
@@ -51,37 +51,38 @@
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    ("string", "expected_cmd", "expected_args", "expected_kwargs"),
+    ("string", "expected_args", "expected_kwargs"),
     (
-        pytest.param("", "", [], {}, id="blank"),
-        pytest.param("vars:", "vars", [], {}, id="single_word"),
-        pytest.param("hello: a=1", "hello", [], {"a": "1"}, id="string_module_and_arg"),
-        pytest.param("action: hello a=1", "hello", [], {"a": "1"}, id="strips_action"),
+        pytest.param("", [], {}, id="a"),
+        pytest.param("a=1", [], {"a": "1"}, id="b"),
+        pytest.param("hello a=1", ["hello"], {"a": "1"}, id="c"),
         pytest.param(
-            "action: whatever bobbins x=y z=x c=3",
-            "whatever",
-            ["bobbins", "x=y", "z=x", "c=3"],
-            {},
+            "whatever bobbins x=y z=x c=3",
+            ["whatever", "bobbins"],
+            {"x": "y", "z": "x", "c": "3"},
             id="more_than_one_arg",
         ),
         pytest.param(
-            "action: command chdir=wxy creates=zyx tar xzf zyx.tgz",
-            "command",
-            ["tar", "xzf", "zyx.tgz"],
+            "command chdir=wxy creates=zyx tar xzf zyx.tgz",
+            ["command", "tar", "xzf", "zyx.tgz"],
             {"chdir": "wxy", "creates": "zyx"},
             id="command_with_args",
         ),
+        pytest.param(
+            "{{ varset }}.yml",
+            ["{{ varset }}.yml"],
+            {},
+            id="x",
+        ),
     ),
 )
 def test_tokenize(
     string: str,
-    expected_cmd: str,
     expected_args: Sequence[str],
     expected_kwargs: dict[str, Any],
 ) -> None:
     """Test that tokenize works for different input types."""
-    (cmd, args, kwargs) = utils.tokenize(string)
-    assert cmd == expected_cmd
+    (args, kwargs) = utils.tokenize(string)
     assert args == expected_args
     assert kwargs == expected_kwargs