diff --git a/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/Config.hs b/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/Config.hs
index 33793657282..cea5e56f407 100644
--- a/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/Config.hs
+++ b/cabal-install/src/Distribution/Client/Config.hs
@@ -922,7 +922,11 @@ commentSavedConfig = do
             IT.language        = toFlag Haskell2010,
             IT.license         = NoFlag,
             IT.sourceDirs      = Flag [IT.defaultSourceDir],
-            IT.applicationDirs = Flag [IT.defaultApplicationDir]
+            IT.applicationDirs = Flag [IT.defaultApplicationDir],
+            IT.quiet           = Flag False,
+            IT.noComments      = Flag False,
+            IT.minimal         = Flag False,
+            IT.simpleProject   = Flag False
             },
         savedInstallFlags      = defaultInstallFlags,
         savedClientInstallFlags= defaultClientInstallFlags,
@@ -1462,10 +1466,10 @@ initFlagsFields = [ field
                   , name `notElem` exclusions ]
   where
     exclusions =
-      [ "author", "email", "quiet", "no-comments", "minimal", "overwrite"
+      [ "author", "email", "overwrite"
       , "package-dir", "packagedir", "package-name", "version", "homepage"
       , "synopsis", "category", "extra-source-file", "lib", "exe", "libandexe"
-      , "simple", "main-is", "expose-module", "exposed-modules", "extension"
+      , "main-is", "expose-module", "exposed-modules", "extension"
       , "dependency", "build-tool", "with-compiler"
       , "verbose"
       ]
diff --git a/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/ConfigFile/InitSectionFields/cabal.out b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/ConfigFile/InitSectionFields/cabal.out
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e3dc6d7eee9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/ConfigFile/InitSectionFields/cabal.out
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# cabal user-config
+Writing default configuration to <ROOT>/cabal.dist/cabal-config
diff --git a/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/ConfigFile/InitSectionFields/cabal.test.hs b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/ConfigFile/InitSectionFields/cabal.test.hs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ac7c93345f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cabal-testsuite/PackageTests/ConfigFile/InitSectionFields/cabal.test.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import Test.Cabal.Prelude
+import Data.List ( isInfixOf, groupBy )
+import Data.Function ( on )
+
+main = cabalTest $ do
+    workdir <- fmap testWorkDir getTestEnv
+    let conf = workdir </> "cabal-config"
+    cabalG ["--config-file", conf] "user-config" ["init"]
+    confContents <- liftIO $ readFile conf
+    let ls = lines confContents
+        sections = groupBy ((==) `on` (== "")) ls
+        [initLs] = filter ((== "init") . head) sections
+        init = unlines initLs
+    assertInitSectionContainsField init "quiet"
+    assertInitSectionContainsField init "no-comments"
+    assertInitSectionContainsField init "minimal"
+    assertInitSectionContainsField init "simple"
+
+assertInitSectionContainsField section field =
+    assertBool ("init section of config should contain the field " ++ field)
+      ((field ++ ":") `isInfixOf` section)
diff --git a/changelog.d/issue-8835 b/changelog.d/issue-8835
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..587d4e34984
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/issue-8835
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+synopsis: config file: allow more flags in the init section
+packages: cabal-install
+prs: #8839
+issues: #8835
+description: The init section of config file now allows the following fields:
+`no-comments`, `quiet`, `simple` and `minimal`