diff --git a/base/client.jl b/base/client.jl
index 5bf658bead437..ae99654c233a8 100644
--- a/base/client.jl
+++ b/base/client.jl
@@ -32,9 +32,6 @@ stackframe_lineinfo_color() = repl_color("JULIA_STACKFRAME_LINEINFO_COLOR", :bol
 stackframe_function_color() = repl_color("JULIA_STACKFRAME_FUNCTION_COLOR", :bold)
 
 function repl_cmd(cmd, out)
-    shell = shell_split(get(ENV, "JULIA_SHELL", get(ENV, "SHELL", "/bin/sh")))
-    shell_name = Base.basename(shell[1])
-
     # Immediately expand all arguments, so that typing e.g. ~/bin/foo works.
     cmd.exec .= expanduser.(cmd.exec)
 
@@ -64,19 +61,15 @@ function repl_cmd(cmd, out)
         cd(dir)
         println(out, pwd())
     else
-        @static if !Sys.iswindows()
-            if shell_name == "fish"
-                shell_escape_cmd = "begin; $(shell_escape_posixly(cmd)); and true; end"
-            else
-                shell_escape_cmd = "($(shell_escape_posixly(cmd))) && true"
-            end
+        if !Sys.iswindows()
+            shell = shell_split(get(ENV, "JULIA_SHELL", get(ENV, "SHELL", "/bin/sh")))
+            shell_escape_cmd = shell_escape_posixly(cmd)
             cmd = `$shell -c $shell_escape_cmd`
         end
         try
             run(ignorestatus(cmd))
         catch
-            # Windows doesn't shell out right now (complex issue), so Julia tries to run the program itself
-            # Julia throws an exception if it can't find the program, but the stack trace isn't useful
+            # Julia throws an exception if it can't find the cmd (which may be the shell itself), but the stack trace isn't useful
             lasterr = current_exceptions()
             lasterr = ExceptionStack([(exception = e[1], backtrace = [] ) for e in lasterr])
             invokelatest(display_error, lasterr)