diff --git a/src/modules/services-openrc/main.py b/src/modules/services-openrc/main.py
index 63d17bcc0..6f1d7352b 100644
--- a/src/modules/services-openrc/main.py
+++ b/src/modules/services-openrc/main.py
@@ -53,8 +53,12 @@ class OpenrcController:
         """
 
         for svc in self.services.get(state, []):
-            name = svc["name"]
-            runlevel = svc.get("runlevel", "default")
+            if isinstance(svc, str):
+                name = svc
+                runlevel = "default"
+            else:
+                name = svc["name"]
+                runlevel = svc.get("runlevel", "default")
 
             service_path = self.root + self.initdDir + "/" + name
             runlevel_path = self.root + self.runlevelsDir + "/" + runlevel
diff --git a/src/modules/services-openrc/services-openrc.conf b/src/modules/services-openrc/services-openrc.conf
index c89c82a32..168fa190a 100644
--- a/src/modules/services-openrc/services-openrc.conf
+++ b/src/modules/services-openrc/services-openrc.conf
@@ -20,11 +20,14 @@ runlevelsDir: /etc/runlevels
 #   - name: the service name
 #   - runlevel: can hold any runlevel present on the target system;
 #     if no runlevel is provided, "default" is assumed.
+# an entry may also be a single string, which is interpreted
+# as the name field (runlevel "default" is assumed then).
 #
 # # Example services and disable settings:
 # # - add foo1 to default
 # # - add foo2 to nonetwork
 # # - remove foo3 from default
+# # - remove foo4 from default
 # services:
 #     - name: foo1
 #     - name: foo2
@@ -32,6 +35,7 @@ runlevelsDir: /etc/runlevels
 # disable:
 #     - name: foo3
 #       runlevel: default
+#     - foo4
 services: []
 disable: []