diff --git a/android/rule_builder.go b/android/rule_builder.go
index 777c1cf..97582db 100644
--- a/android/rule_builder.go
+++ b/android/rule_builder.go
@@ -474,13 +474,23 @@
 		Inputs(depFiles.Paths())
 }
 
+// BuildWithNinjaVars adds the built command line to the build graph, with dependencies on Inputs and Tools, and output files for
+// Outputs. This function will not escape Ninja variables, so it may be used to write sandbox manifests using Ninja variables.
+func (r *RuleBuilder) BuildWithUnescapedNinjaVars(name string, desc string) {
+	r.build(name, desc, false)
+}
+
 // Build adds the built command line to the build graph, with dependencies on Inputs and Tools, and output files for
 // Outputs.
 func (r *RuleBuilder) Build(name string, desc string) {
+	r.build(name, desc, true)
+}
+
+func (r *RuleBuilder) build(name string, desc string, ninjaEscapeCommandString bool) {
 	name = ninjaNameEscape(name)
 
 	if len(r.missingDeps) > 0 {
-		r.ctx.Build(pctx, BuildParams{
+		r.ctx.Build(r.pctx, BuildParams{
 			Rule:        ErrorRule,
 			Outputs:     r.Outputs(),
 			Description: desc,
@@ -619,12 +629,35 @@
 				name, r.sboxManifestPath.String(), r.outDir.String())
 		}
 
-		// Create a rule to write the manifest as a the textproto.
+		// Create a rule to write the manifest as textproto.
 		pbText, err := prototext.Marshal(&manifest)
 		if err != nil {
 			ReportPathErrorf(r.ctx, "sbox manifest failed to marshal: %q", err)
 		}
-		WriteFileRule(r.ctx, r.sboxManifestPath, string(pbText))
+		if ninjaEscapeCommandString {
+			WriteFileRule(r.ctx, r.sboxManifestPath, string(pbText))
+		} else {
+			// We need  to have a rule to write files that is
+			// defined on the RuleBuilder's pctx in order to
+			// write Ninja variables in the string.
+			// The WriteFileRule function above rule can only write
+			// raw strings because it is defined on the android
+			// package's pctx, and it can't access variables defined
+			// in another context.
+			r.ctx.Build(r.pctx, BuildParams{
+				Rule: r.ctx.Rule(r.pctx, "unescapedWriteFile", blueprint.RuleParams{
+					Command:        `rm -rf ${out} && cat ${out}.rsp > ${out}`,
+					Rspfile:        "${out}.rsp",
+					RspfileContent: "${content}",
+					Description:    "write file",
+				}, "content"),
+				Output:      r.sboxManifestPath,
+				Description: "write sbox manifest " + r.sboxManifestPath.Base(),
+				Args: map[string]string{
+					"content": string(pbText),
+				},
+			})
+		}
 
 		// Generate a new string to use as the command line of the sbox rule.  This uses
 		// a RuleBuilderCommand as a convenience method of building the command line, then
@@ -724,7 +757,7 @@
 	}
 
 	r.ctx.Build(r.pctx, BuildParams{
-		Rule: r.ctx.Rule(pctx, name, blueprint.RuleParams{
+		Rule: r.ctx.Rule(r.pctx, name, blueprint.RuleParams{
 			Command:        proptools.NinjaEscape(commandString),
 			CommandDeps:    proptools.NinjaEscapeList(tools.Strings()),
 			Restat:         r.restat,
diff --git a/android/rule_builder_test.go b/android/rule_builder_test.go
index 86647eb..a6b3a27 100644
--- a/android/rule_builder_test.go
+++ b/android/rule_builder_test.go
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@
 	"android/soong/shared"
 )
 
+var (
+	pctx_ruleBuilderTest           = NewPackageContext("android/soong/rule_builder")
+	pctx_ruleBuilderTestSubContext = NewPackageContext("android/soong/rule_builder/config")
+)
+
+func init() {
+	pctx_ruleBuilderTest.Import("android/soong/rule_builder/config")
+	pctx_ruleBuilderTest.StaticVariable("cmdFlags", "${config.ConfigFlags}")
+	pctx_ruleBuilderTestSubContext.StaticVariable("ConfigFlags", "--some-clang-flag")
+}
+
 func builderContext() BuilderContext {
 	return BuilderContextForTesting(TestConfig("out", nil, "", map[string][]byte{
 		"ld":      nil,
@@ -496,11 +507,13 @@
 type testRuleBuilderModule struct {
 	ModuleBase
 	properties struct {
-		Srcs []string
+		Srcs  []string
+		Flags []string
 
-		Restat      bool
-		Sbox        bool
-		Sbox_inputs bool
+		Restat              bool
+		Sbox                bool
+		Sbox_inputs         bool
+		Unescape_ninja_vars bool
 	}
 }
 
@@ -518,8 +531,9 @@
 	rspFileContents2 := PathsForSource(ctx, []string{"rsp_in2"})
 	manifestPath := PathForModuleOut(ctx, "sbox.textproto")
 
-	testRuleBuilder_Build(ctx, in, implicit, orderOnly, validation, out, outDep, outDir,
-		manifestPath, t.properties.Restat, t.properties.Sbox, t.properties.Sbox_inputs,
+	testRuleBuilder_Build(ctx, in, implicit, orderOnly, validation, t.properties.Flags,
+		out, outDep, outDir,
+		manifestPath, t.properties.Restat, t.properties.Sbox, t.properties.Sbox_inputs, t.properties.Unescape_ninja_vars,
 		rspFile, rspFileContents, rspFile2, rspFileContents2)
 }
 
@@ -543,17 +557,18 @@
 	rspFileContents2 := PathsForSource(ctx, []string{"rsp_in2"})
 	manifestPath := PathForOutput(ctx, "singleton/sbox.textproto")
 
-	testRuleBuilder_Build(ctx, in, implicit, orderOnly, validation, out, outDep, outDir,
-		manifestPath, true, false, false,
+	testRuleBuilder_Build(ctx, in, implicit, orderOnly, validation, nil, out, outDep, outDir,
+		manifestPath, true, false, false, false,
 		rspFile, rspFileContents, rspFile2, rspFileContents2)
 }
 
 func testRuleBuilder_Build(ctx BuilderContext, in Paths, implicit, orderOnly, validation Path,
+	flags []string,
 	out, outDep, outDir, manifestPath WritablePath,
-	restat, sbox, sboxInputs bool,
+	restat, sbox, sboxInputs, unescapeNinjaVars bool,
 	rspFile WritablePath, rspFileContents Paths, rspFile2 WritablePath, rspFileContents2 Paths) {
 
-	rule := NewRuleBuilder(pctx, ctx)
+	rule := NewRuleBuilder(pctx_ruleBuilderTest, ctx)
 
 	if sbox {
 		rule.Sbox(outDir, manifestPath)
@@ -564,6 +579,7 @@
 
 	rule.Command().
 		Tool(PathForSource(ctx, "cp")).
+		Flags(flags).
 		Inputs(in).
 		Implicit(implicit).
 		OrderOnly(orderOnly).
@@ -577,7 +593,11 @@
 		rule.Restat()
 	}
 
-	rule.Build("rule", "desc")
+	if unescapeNinjaVars {
+		rule.BuildWithUnescapedNinjaVars("rule", "desc")
+	} else {
+		rule.Build("rule", "desc")
+	}
 }
 
 var prepareForRuleBuilderTest = FixtureRegisterWithContext(func(ctx RegistrationContext) {
@@ -792,3 +812,47 @@
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRuleBuilderWithNinjaVarEscaping(t *testing.T) {
+	bp := `
+		rule_builder_test {
+			name: "foo_sbox_escaped_ninja",
+			flags: ["${cmdFlags}"],
+			sbox: true,
+			sbox_inputs: true,
+		}
+		rule_builder_test {
+			name: "foo_sbox",
+			flags: ["${cmdFlags}"],
+			sbox: true,
+			sbox_inputs: true,
+			unescape_ninja_vars: true,
+		}
+	`
+	result := GroupFixturePreparers(
+		prepareForRuleBuilderTest,
+		FixtureWithRootAndroidBp(bp),
+	).RunTest(t)
+
+	escapedNinjaMod := result.ModuleForTests("foo_sbox_escaped_ninja", "").Rule("writeFile")
+	AssertStringDoesContain(
+		t,
+		"",
+		escapedNinjaMod.BuildParams.Args["content"],
+		"$${cmdFlags}",
+	)
+
+	unescapedNinjaMod := result.ModuleForTests("foo_sbox", "").Rule("unescapedWriteFile")
+	AssertStringDoesContain(
+		t,
+		"",
+		unescapedNinjaMod.BuildParams.Args["content"],
+		"${cmdFlags}",
+	)
+	AssertStringDoesNotContain(
+		t,
+		"",
+		unescapedNinjaMod.BuildParams.Args["content"],
+		"$${cmdFlags}",
+	)
+}