diff --git a/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/commons/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParser.java b/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/commons/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParser.java
index 175135de9..14930d2e4 100644
--- a/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/commons/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParser.java
+++ b/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/commons/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParser.java
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ public class YamlStructureParser {
 	 * Pattern that matches a line starting with a 'simple key'
 	 */
 	public static final Pattern SIMPLE_KEY_LINE = Pattern.compile(
-			"^(\\w(\\.|\\w|-)*):( .*|$)");
+			"^((\\w(\\.|\\w|-)*)|(\\'(\\.|\\w|-|\\[|\\])*\\')):( .*|$)");
 	//TODO: the parrern above is too selective (e.g. in real yaml one can have
 	//spaces in simple keys and lots of other characters that this pattern does not
 	//allow. For now it is good enough because we are only interested in spring property
diff --git a/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParserTest.java b/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParserTest.java
index 50fcad0c1..c14dfc551 100644
--- a/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParserTest.java
+++ b/headless-services/commons/commons-yaml/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/yaml/structure/YamlStructureParserTest.java
@@ -33,6 +33,39 @@ import org.springframework.ide.vscode.commons.yaml.structure.YamlStructureParser
 
 public class YamlStructureParserTest {
 
+	@Test public void escapedStringKey() throws Exception {
+		MockYamlEditor editor;
+		
+		editor = new MockYamlEditor(
+				"my:\n" +
+				"  map:\n"+
+				"    foobar:\n" +
+				"      name: jeff"
+		);
+		assertParseOneDoc(editor,
+				"DOC(0): ",
+				"  KEY(0): my:", 
+				"    KEY(2): map:", 
+				"      KEY(4): foobar:",
+				"        KEY(6): name: jeff"
+		);
+		
+		editor = new MockYamlEditor(
+				"my:\n" +
+				"  map:\n"+
+				"    '[foo.bar]':\n" +
+				"      name: jeff"
+		);
+		assertParseOneDoc(editor,
+				"DOC(0): ",
+				"  KEY(0): my:", 
+				"    KEY(2): map:", 
+				"      KEY(4): '[foo.bar]':",
+				"        KEY(6): name: jeff"
+		);
+		
+	}
+	
 	@Test public void ignoreLeadingYamlCruftBeforeLeadingDocumentSeparator() throws Exception {
 		String[] stuffToIgnore = {
 				"#comment",
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/test/ApplicationYamlEditorTest.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/test/ApplicationYamlEditorTest.java
index 48d3a602b..c40512b25 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/test/ApplicationYamlEditorTest.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/test/ApplicationYamlEditorTest.java
@@ -90,6 +90,46 @@ public class ApplicationYamlEditorTest extends AbstractPropsEditorTest {
 	
 	////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
+	
+	@Test public void test_GH_534() throws Exception {
+		//See: https://www.pivotaltracker.com/n/projects/1346850/stories/174872660
+		IJavaProject p = createPredefinedMavenProject("map-of-pojo");
+		useProject(p);
+		data("my.props", "java.util.Properties", null, "Properties in java.util.Properties");
+		data("my.arr", "java.lang.String[]", null, "Array");
+		
+		Editor editor = newEditor(
+				"my:\n" +
+				"  arr:\n" +
+				"    index: something\n" +
+				"  props:\n" +
+				"    '[foo.bar]': something\n" + 
+				"  map:\n" +
+				"    '[foo.bar]':\n" +
+				"        name: Freddy\n" + 
+				"        age: the-age\n" +
+				"        bad: 123"
+		);
+		editor.assertProblems(
+				"index|'int'",
+				"the-age|'int'",
+				"bad|Person"
+		);
+		
+		//Also check if completion engine understands the convention
+		editor = newEditor(
+				"my:\n" +
+				"  map:\n"+
+				"    '[foo.bar]':\n" +
+				"      <*>"
+		);
+		editor.assertContextualCompletions("<*>", 
+				// ==>
+				"age: <*>",
+				"name: <*>"
+		);
+	}
+
 	@Test public void handleAsKey() throws Exception {
 		//See: https://www.pivotaltracker.com/story/show/174954118
 		useProject(createPredefinedMavenProject("justauth-example"));