diff --git a/spec/update-process-env-spec.js b/spec/update-process-env-spec.js
index 3501bfebf..39376b4c2 100644
--- a/spec/update-process-env-spec.js
+++ b/spec/update-process-env-spec.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 /* eslint-env jasmine */
 
 import child_process from 'child_process'
-import updateProcessEnv from '../src/update-process-env'
+import {updateProcessEnv, shouldGetEnvFromShell} from '../src/update-process-env'
 import dedent from 'dedent'
 
 describe('updateProcessEnv(launchEnv)', function () {
@@ -84,5 +84,33 @@ describe('updateProcessEnv(launchEnv)', function () {
         expect(process.env).toEqual({FOO: 'bar'})
       })
     })
+
+    describe('shouldGetEnvFromShell()', function () {
+      it('returns the shell when the shell should be patched', function () {
+        process.platform = 'darwin'
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/bin/sh')).toBe(true)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/usr/local/bin/sh')).toBe(true)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/bin/bash')).toBe(true)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/usr/local/bin/bash')).toBe(true)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/bin/zsh')).toBe(true)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/usr/local/bin/zsh')).toBe(true)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/bin/fish')).toBe(true)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/usr/local/bin/fish')).toBe(true)
+      })
+
+      it('returns false when the shell should not be patched', function () {
+        process.platform = 'darwin'
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/bin/unsupported')).toBe(false)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/bin/shh')).toBe(false)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/bin/tcsh')).toBe(false)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('/usr/csh')).toBe(false)
+      })
+
+      it('returns false when the shell is undefined or empty', function () {
+        process.platform = 'darwin'
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell(undefined)).toBe(false)
+        expect(shouldGetEnvFromShell('')).toBe(false)
+      })
+    })
   })
 })
diff --git a/src/initialize-application-window.coffee b/src/initialize-application-window.coffee
index f85207153..9787977e2 100644
--- a/src/initialize-application-window.coffee
+++ b/src/initialize-application-window.coffee
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.
 module.exports = ({blobStore}) ->
-  updateProcessEnv = require('./update-process-env')
+  {updateProcessEnv} = require('./update-process-env')
   path = require 'path'
   require './window'
   {getWindowLoadSettings} = require './window-load-settings-helpers'
diff --git a/src/update-process-env.js b/src/update-process-env.js
index 63dc601bb..2bbbbfe7e 100644
--- a/src/update-process-env.js
+++ b/src/update-process-env.js
@@ -8,7 +8,14 @@ const ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES_TO_PRESERVE = new Set([
   'ATOM_HOME'
 ])
 
-export default function updateProcessEnv (launchEnv) {
+const OSX_SHELLS = new Set([
+  '/sh',
+  '/bash',
+  '/zsh',
+  '/fish'
+])
+
+function updateProcessEnv (launchEnv) {
   let envToAssign
   if (launchEnv && launchEnv.PWD) {
     envToAssign = launchEnv
@@ -33,21 +40,38 @@ export default function updateProcessEnv (launchEnv) {
   }
 }
 
-function getEnvFromShell () {
-  let shell = process.env.SHELL
-  if (shell && (shell.endsWith('/bash') || shell.endsWith('/sh'))) {
-    let {stdout} = spawnSync(shell, ['-ilc', 'command env'], {encoding: 'utf8'})
-    if (stdout) {
-      let result = {}
-      for (let line of stdout.split('\n')) {
-        if (line.includes('=')) {
-          let components = line.split('=')
-          let key = components.shift()
-          let value = components.join('=')
-          result[key] = value
-        }
-      }
-      return result
+function shouldGetEnvFromShell (shell) {
+  if (!shell || shell.trim() === '') {
+    return false
+  }
+  for (let s of OSX_SHELLS) {
+    if (shell.endsWith(s)) {
+      return true
     }
   }
+
+  return false
 }
+
+function getEnvFromShell () {
+  let shell = process.env.SHELL
+  if (!shouldGetEnvFromShell(shell)) {
+    return
+  }
+
+  let {stdout} = spawnSync(shell, ['-ilc', 'command env'], {encoding: 'utf8'})
+  if (stdout) {
+    let result = {}
+    for (let line of stdout.split('\n')) {
+      if (line.includes('=')) {
+        let components = line.split('=')
+        let key = components.shift()
+        let value = components.join('=')
+        result[key] = value
+      }
+    }
+    return result
+  }
+}
+
+export default { updateProcessEnv, shouldGetEnvFromShell }