diff --git a/compile.sh b/compile.sh
index ed506d28c2ba61..c2460fa4e0c85f 100755
--- a/compile.sh
+++ b/compile.sh
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ log "Building output/bazel"
 # We set host and target platform directly since the defaults in @bazel_tools
 # have not yet been generated.
 bazel_build "src:bazel_nojdk${EXE_EXT}" \
+  --action_env=PATH \
   --host_platform=@bazel_tools//platforms:host_platform \
   --platforms=@bazel_tools//platforms:target_platform \
   || fail "Could not build Bazel"
diff --git a/site/docs/remote-caching.md b/site/docs/remote-caching.md
index ada93fb3ab66c6..24fb47927aaa7c 100644
--- a/site/docs/remote-caching.md
+++ b/site/docs/remote-caching.md
@@ -333,12 +333,6 @@ You can pass a user-specific path to the `--disk_cache` flag using the `~` alias
 when enabling the disk cache for all developers of a project via the project's
 checked in `.bazelrc` file.
 
-To enable cache hits across different workspaces, use the following flag:
-
-```
-build --experimental_strict_action_env
-```
-
 ## Known issues
 
 **Input file modification during a build**
@@ -353,15 +347,14 @@ build.
 
 **Environment variables leaking into an action**
 
-An action definition contains environment variables. This can be a problem
-for sharing remote cache hits across machines. For example, environments
-with different `$PATH` variables won't share cache hits. You can specify
-`--experimental_strict_action_env` to ensure that that's not the case and
-that only environment variables explicitly whitelisted via `--action_env`
-are included in an action definition. Bazel's Debian/Ubuntu package used
-to install `/etc/bazel.bazelrc` with a whitelist of environment variables
-including `$PATH`. If you are getting fewer cache hits than expected, check
-that your environment doesn't have an old `/etc/bazel.bazelrc` file.
+An action definition contains environment variables. This can be a problem for
+sharing remote cache hits across machines. For example, environments with
+different `$PATH` variables won't share cache hits. Only environment variables
+explicitly whitelisted via `--action_env` are included in an action
+definition. Bazel's Debian/Ubuntu package used to install `/etc/bazel.bazelrc`
+with a whitelist of environment variables including `$PATH`. If you are getting
+fewer cache hits than expected, check that your environment doesn't have an old
+`/etc/bazel.bazelrc` file.
 
 
 **Bazel does not track tools outside a workspace**
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/rules/BazelRuleClassProvider.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/rules/BazelRuleClassProvider.java
index 44101edfd97d31..8771b96eeddcd4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/rules/BazelRuleClassProvider.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/rules/BazelRuleClassProvider.java
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ public class BazelRuleClassProvider {
   public static class StrictActionEnvOptions extends FragmentOptions {
     @Option(
         name = "experimental_strict_action_env",
-        defaultValue = "false",
+        defaultValue = "true",
         documentationCategory = OptionDocumentationCategory.UNCATEGORIZED,
         effectTags = {OptionEffectTag.LOADING_AND_ANALYSIS},
         help =
diff --git a/src/test/py/bazel/windows_remote_test.py b/src/test/py/bazel/windows_remote_test.py
index a717b035819e67..e10bd3c39bb7cb 100644
--- a/src/test/py/bazel/windows_remote_test.py
+++ b/src/test/py/bazel/windows_remote_test.py
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ def _RunRemoteBazel(self, args, env_remove=None, env_add=None):
             '--define=EXECUTOR=remote',
             '--remote_executor=localhost:' + str(self._worker_port),
             '--remote_cache=localhost:' + str(self._worker_port),
-            '--experimental_strict_action_env=true',
             '--remote_timeout=3600',
             '--auth_enabled=false',
             '--remote_accept_cached=false',
diff --git a/src/test/shell/bazel/bazel_rules_test.sh b/src/test/shell/bazel/bazel_rules_test.sh
index ddbf7735ba5893..20c5bfbb3c80f3 100755
--- a/src/test/shell/bazel/bazel_rules_test.sh
+++ b/src/test/shell/bazel/bazel_rules_test.sh
@@ -287,29 +287,19 @@ EOF
   local new_tmpdir="$(mktemp -d "${TEST_TMPDIR}/newfancytmpdirXXXXXX")"
   [ -d "${new_tmpdir}" ] || \
     fail "Could not create new temporary directory ${new_tmpdir}"
-  export PATH="$PATH_TO_BAZEL_WRAPPER:/bin:/usr/bin:/random/path"
   if is_windows; then
+    export PATH="$PATH_TO_BAZEL_WRAPPER;/bin;/usr/bin;/random/path;${old_path}"
     local old_tmpdir="${TMP:-}"
     export TMP="${new_tmpdir}"
   else
+    export PATH="$PATH_TO_BAZEL_WRAPPER:/bin:/usr/bin:/random/path"
     local old_tmpdir="${TMPDIR:-}"
     export TMPDIR="${new_tmpdir}"
   fi
-  # shut down to force reload of the environment
-  bazel shutdown
-  bazel build //pkg:test --spawn_strategy=standalone \
+  bazel build //pkg:test --spawn_strategy=standalone --action_env=PATH \
     || fail "Failed to build //pkg:test"
   if is_windows; then
-    # As of 2018-07-10, Bazel on Windows sets the PATH to
-    # "/usr/bin:/bin:" + $PATH of the Bazel server process.
-    #
-    # MSYS appears to convert path entries in PATH to Windows style when running
-    # a native Windows process such as Bazel, but "cygpath -w /bin" returns
-    # MSYS_ROOT + "\usr\bin".
-    # The point is, the PATH will be quite different from what we expect on
-    # Linux. Therefore only assert that the PATH contains
-    # "$PATH_TO_BAZEL_WRAPPER" and "/random/path", ignore the rest.
-    local -r EXPECTED_PATH=".*:$PATH_TO_BAZEL_WRAPPER:.*:/random/path"
+    local -r EXPECTED_PATH="$PATH_TO_BAZEL_WRAPPER:.*/random/path"
     # new_tmpdir is based on $TEST_TMPDIR which is not Unix-style -- convert it.
     local -r EXPECTED_TMP="$(cygpath -u "$new_tmpdir")"
   else