diff --git a/pkg/shellexec/shellexec.go b/pkg/shellexec/shellexec.go
index 564b6c5cf7..d55af25956 100644
--- a/pkg/shellexec/shellexec.go
+++ b/pkg/shellexec/shellexec.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
-	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -43,6 +42,7 @@ type CommandOptsType struct {
 	ShellPath   string                    `json:"shellPath,omitempty"`
 	ShellOpts   []string                  `json:"shellOpts,omitempty"`
 	SwapToken   *shellutil.TokenSwapEntry `json:"swapToken,omitempty"`
+	Env         map[string]string         `json:"env,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type ShellProc struct {
@@ -116,6 +116,17 @@ func checkCwd(cwd string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func makeEnvPrefix(env map[string]string) string {
+	if len(env) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	var envParts []string
+	for key, value := range env {
+		envParts = append(envParts, fmt.Sprintf(`%s=%s`, key, shellutil.HardQuote(value)))
+	}
+	return strings.Join(envParts, " ") + " "
+}
+
 type PipePty struct {
 	remoteStdinWrite *os.File
 	remoteStdoutRead *os.File
@@ -270,6 +281,8 @@ func StartWslShellProc(ctx context.Context, termSize waveobj.TermSize, cmdStr st
 	}
 	log.Printf("full combined command: %s", cmdCombined)
 	ecmd := exec.Command("wsl.exe", "~", "-d", client.Name(), "--", "sh", "-c", cmdCombined)
+	ecmd.Env = os.Environ()
+	shellutil.UpdateCmdEnv(ecmd, cmdOpts.Env)
 	if termSize.Rows == 0 || termSize.Cols == 0 {
 		termSize.Rows = shellutil.DefaultTermRows
 		termSize.Cols = shellutil.DefaultTermCols
@@ -442,6 +455,9 @@ func StartRemoteShellProc(ctx context.Context, logCtx context.Context, termSize
 		conn.Debugf(logCtx, "packed swaptoken %s\n", packedToken)
 		cmdCombined = fmt.Sprintf(`%s=%s %s`, wavebase.WaveSwapTokenVarName, packedToken, cmdCombined)
 	}
+	envPrefix := makeEnvPrefix(cmdOpts.Env)
+	cmdCombined = fmt.Sprintf("%s%s", envPrefix, cmdCombined)
+
 	shellutil.AddTokenSwapEntry(cmdOpts.SwapToken)
 	session.RequestPty("xterm-256color", termSize.Rows, termSize.Cols, nil)
 	sessionWrap := MakeSessionWrap(session, cmdCombined, pipePty)
@@ -453,24 +469,6 @@ func StartRemoteShellProc(ctx context.Context, logCtx context.Context, termSize
 	return &ShellProc{Cmd: sessionWrap, ConnName: conn.GetName(), CloseOnce: &sync.Once{}, DoneCh: make(chan any)}, nil
 }
 
-func isZshShell(shellPath string) bool {
-	// get the base path, and then check contains
-	shellBase := filepath.Base(shellPath)
-	return strings.Contains(shellBase, "zsh")
-}
-
-func isBashShell(shellPath string) bool {
-	// get the base path, and then check contains
-	shellBase := filepath.Base(shellPath)
-	return strings.Contains(shellBase, "bash")
-}
-
-func isFishShell(shellPath string) bool {
-	// get the base path, and then check contains
-	shellBase := filepath.Base(shellPath)
-	return strings.Contains(shellBase, "fish")
-}
-
 func StartLocalShellProc(logCtx context.Context, termSize waveobj.TermSize, cmdStr string, cmdOpts CommandOptsType) (*ShellProc, error) {
 	shellutil.InitCustomShellStartupFiles()
 	var ecmd *exec.Cmd
@@ -506,6 +504,7 @@ func StartLocalShellProc(logCtx context.Context, termSize waveobj.TermSize, cmdS
 		blocklogger.Debugf(logCtx, "[conndebug] shell:%s shellOpts:%v\n", shellPath, shellOpts)
 		ecmd = exec.Command(shellPath, shellOpts...)
 		ecmd.Env = os.Environ()
+		shellutil.UpdateCmdEnv(ecmd, cmdOpts.Env)
 		if shellType == shellutil.ShellType_zsh {
 			shellutil.UpdateCmdEnv(ecmd, map[string]string{"ZDOTDIR": shellutil.GetLocalZshZDotDir()})
 		}
@@ -513,6 +512,7 @@ func StartLocalShellProc(logCtx context.Context, termSize waveobj.TermSize, cmdS
 		shellOpts = append(shellOpts, "-c", cmdStr)
 		ecmd = exec.Command(shellPath, shellOpts...)
 		ecmd.Env = os.Environ()
+		shellutil.UpdateCmdEnv(ecmd, cmdOpts.Env)
 	}
 
 	packedToken, err := cmdOpts.SwapToken.PackForClient()