diff --git a/packages/b/bash/files/profile/10-path.sh b/packages/b/bash/files/profile/10-path.sh
index e17981d6761..6672cdaae26 100644
--- a/packages/b/bash/files/profile/10-path.sh
+++ b/packages/b/bash/files/profile/10-path.sh
@@ -1,20 +1,64 @@
 # Begin /usr/share/defaults/etc/profile.d/10-path.sh
 
-export PATH="/usr/sbin:/usr/bin"
-if [ -d "/usr/local/sbin" ]; then
-  export PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/sbin"
-fi
+PREFIX_PATH=
+POSTFIX_PATH=
 
-if [ -d "/usr/local/bin" ]; then
-  export PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/bin"
-fi
+# PATH exists, only append missing stuff to it
+if [[ -n "${PATH}" ]]; then
 
-if [ -d "$HOME/bin" ]; then
-  export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"
-fi
+  echo "DEBUG: Starting \$PATH: ${PATH}"
+
+  for d in "/usr/sbin" "/usr/bin" "/usr/local/sbin" "/usr/local/bin"; do
+    # respect user path ordering if the element is already in $PATH
+    if [[ "${PATH}" =~ "${d}" ]]; then
+      :
+      echo "DEBUG: Skipping ${d} as it is already in \$PATH"
+    else
+      POSTFIX_PATH="${POSTFIX_PATH}:${d}"
+      echo "DEBUG: Added ${d} to \$POSTFIX_PATH, \$POSTFIX_PATH is now: ${POSTFIX_PATH}"
+    fi
+  done
+
+  for d in "${HOME}/.local/bin" "${HOME}/bin"; do
+    # respect user path ordering if the element is already in $PATH
+    if [[ "${PATH}" =~ "${d}" ]]; then
+      :
+      echo "DEBUG: Skipping ${d} as it is already in \$PATH"
+    else
+      PREFIX_PATH="${d}:${PREFIX_PATH}"
+      echo "DEBUG: Added ${d} to \$PREFIX_PATH, \$PREFIX_PATH is now: ${PREFIX_PATH}"
+    fi
+  done
+
+  # this should adequately respect existing path definitions
+  PATH="${PREFIX_PATH}${PATH}${POSTFIX_PATH}"
+
+else
+# PATH does NOT exist, build it from scratch.
 
-if [ -d "$HOME/.local/bin" ]; then
-  export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+  echo "DEBUG: \$PATH is empty, building a default \$PATH ..."
+
+  DEFAULT_PATH="/usr/sbin:/usr/bin"
+  if [[ -d "/usr/local/sbin" ]]; then
+    DEFAULT_PATH="${DEFAULT_PATH}:/usr/local/sbin"
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -d "/usr/local/bin" ]]; then
+    DEFAULT_PATH="${DEFAULT_PATH}:/usr/local/bin"
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -d "$HOME/bin" ]]; then
+    DEFAULT_PATH="${HOME}/bin:${DEFAULT_PATH}"
+  fi
+
+  if [[ -d "$HOME/.local/bin" ]]; then
+    DEFAULT_PATH="${HOME}/.local/bin:${DEFAULT_PATH}"
+  fi
+
+  PATH="${DEFAULT_PATH}"
 fi
 
+export PATH="${PATH}"
+echo "DEBUG: \$PATH is now: ${PATH}"
+
 # End /usr/share/defaults/etc/profile.d/10-path.sh
diff --git a/packages/b/bash/package.yml b/packages/b/bash/package.yml
index ece6fc6bc33..7677d80bb63 100644
--- a/packages/b/bash/package.yml
+++ b/packages/b/bash/package.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 name       : bash
 version    : 5.2.26
-release    : 80
+release    : 81
 source     :
     - https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/bash/bash-5.2.21.tar.gz : c8e31bdc59b69aaffc5b36509905ba3e5cbb12747091d27b4b977f078560d5b8
 license    :
diff --git a/packages/b/bash/pspec_x86_64.xml b/packages/b/bash/pspec_x86_64.xml
index dfc68d71bed..bf9b1e7f7c6 100644
--- a/packages/b/bash/pspec_x86_64.xml
+++ b/packages/b/bash/pspec_x86_64.xml
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
         <Name>bash</Name>
         <Homepage>https://www.gnu.org/software/bash</Homepage>
         <Packager>
-            <Name>Troy Harvey</Name>
-            <Email>harveydevel@gmail.com</Email>
+            <Name>Rune Morling</Name>
+            <Email>ermo@serpentos.com</Email>
         </Packager>
         <License>GPL-3.0-or-later</License>
         <PartOf>system.base</PartOf>
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@
 </Description>
         <PartOf>programming.devel</PartOf>
         <RuntimeDependencies>
-            <Dependency release="80">bash</Dependency>
+            <Dependency release="81">bash</Dependency>
         </RuntimeDependencies>
         <Files>
             <Path fileType="header">/usr/include/bash/alias.h</Path>
@@ -199,12 +199,12 @@
         </Files>
     </Package>
     <History>
-        <Update release="80">
+        <Update release="81">
             <Date>2024-06-25</Date>
             <Version>5.2.26</Version>
             <Comment>Packaging update</Comment>
-            <Name>Troy Harvey</Name>
-            <Email>harveydevel@gmail.com</Email>
+            <Name>Rune Morling</Name>
+            <Email>ermo@serpentos.com</Email>
         </Update>
     </History>
 </PISI>
\ No newline at end of file