diff --git a/crates/atuin-hex/src/lib.rs b/crates/atuin-hex/src/lib.rs
index ff37cfe37e3..f05256a6519 100644
--- a/crates/atuin-hex/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/atuin-hex/src/lib.rs
@@ -248,7 +248,10 @@ mod app {
         // Clean up any stale socket from a previous crash
         let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&sock_path);
 
-        let mut cmd = CommandBuilder::new_default_prog();
+        let mut cmd = match std::env::var("SHELL") {
+            Ok(shell) if !shell.is_empty() => CommandBuilder::new(shell),
+            _ => CommandBuilder::new_default_prog(),
+        };
         cmd.cwd(std::env::current_dir()?);
         cmd.env("ATUIN_HEX_SOCKET", sock_path.as_os_str());