diff --git a/xdg-app-builtins-build.c b/xdg-app-builtins-build.c
index 35acc3671..237bbdbeb 100644
--- a/xdg-app-builtins-build.c
+++ b/xdg-app-builtins-build.c
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ xdg_app_builtin_build (int argc, char **argv, GCancellable *cancellable, GError
   gs_free_error GError *my_error = NULL;
   gs_free_error GError *my_error2 = NULL;
   gs_unref_ptrarray GPtrArray *argv_array = NULL;
+  gs_unref_ptrarray GPtrArray *env_array = NULL;
   gsize metadata_size;
   const char *directory = NULL;
   const char *command = "/bin/sh";
@@ -139,19 +140,11 @@ xdg_app_builtin_build (int argc, char **argv, GCancellable *cancellable, GError
 
   g_ptr_array_add (argv_array, NULL);
 
-  g_unsetenv ("ACLOCAL_FLAGS");
-  g_setenv ("ACLOCAL_PATH", "/self/share/aclocal", TRUE);
-  g_setenv ("C_INCLUDE_PATH", "/self/include", TRUE);
-  g_setenv ("CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH", "/self/include", TRUE);
-  g_setenv ("GI_TYPELIB_PATH", "/self/lib/girepository-1.0", TRUE);
-  g_setenv ("LDFLAGS", "-L/self/lib ", TRUE);
-  g_setenv ("PKG_CONFIG_PATH", "/self/lib/pkgconfig:/self/share/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/share/pkgconfig", TRUE);
+  env_array = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func (g_free);
+  xdg_app_run_setup_minimal_env (env_array, TRUE);
+  g_ptr_array_add (env_array, NULL);
 
-  g_setenv ("XDG_DATA_DIRS", "/self/share:/usr/share", TRUE);
-  g_unsetenv ("LD_LIBRARY_PATH");
-  g_setenv ("PATH", "/self/bin:/usr/bin", TRUE);
-
-  if (!execv (HELPER, (char **)argv_array->pdata))
+  if (!execve (HELPER, (char **)argv_array->pdata, (char **)env_array->pdata))
     {
       g_set_error (error, G_IO_ERROR, g_io_error_from_errno (errno), "Unable to start app");
       goto out;
diff --git a/xdg-app-run.c b/xdg-app-run.c
index 159662100..f0c3817af 100644
--- a/xdg-app-run.c
+++ b/xdg-app-run.c
@@ -92,12 +92,6 @@ xdg_app_run_add_wayland_args (GPtrArray *argv_array)
     g_free (wayland_socket);
 }
 
-void
-xdg_app_run_add_no_x11_args (GPtrArray *argv_array)
-{
-  g_unsetenv ("DISPLAY");
-}
-
 void
 xdg_app_run_add_pulseaudio_args (GPtrArray *argv_array)
 {
@@ -191,10 +185,6 @@ xdg_app_run_add_environment_args (GPtrArray *argv_array,
       g_debug ("Allowing x11 access");
       xdg_app_run_add_x11_args (argv_array);
     }
-  else
-    {
-      xdg_app_run_add_no_x11_args (argv_array);
-    }
 
   if ((g_key_file_get_boolean (metakey, "Environment", "wayland", NULL) || g_strv_contains (allow, "wayland")) &&
       !g_strv_contains (forbid, "wayland"))
@@ -224,3 +214,81 @@ xdg_app_run_add_environment_args (GPtrArray *argv_array,
       xdg_app_run_add_session_dbus_args (argv_array);
     }
 }
+
+void
+xdg_app_run_setup_minimal_env (GPtrArray *env_array,
+			       gboolean devel)
+{
+  static const char const *exports[] = {
+    "XDG_DATA_DIRS=/self/share:/usr/share",
+    "PATH=/self/bin:/usr/bin",
+    "SHELL=/bin/sh",
+  };
+  static const char const *exports_devel[] = {
+    "ACLOCAL_PATH=/self/share/aclocal",
+    "C_INCLUDE_PATH=/self/include",
+    "CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH=/self/include",
+    "GI_TYPELIB_PATH=/self/lib/girepository-1.0",
+    "LDFLAGS=-L/self/lib ",
+    "PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/self/lib/pkgconfig:/self/share/pkgconfig:/usr/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/share/pkgconfig",
+    "LC_ALL=en_US.utf8",
+  };
+  static const char const *copy[] = {
+    "GDMSESSION",
+    "XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP",
+    "XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP",
+    "DESKTOP_SESSION",
+    "EMAIL_ADDRESS",
+    "HOME",
+    "HOSTNAME",
+    "LOGNAME",
+    "REAL_NAME",
+    "TERM",
+    "USER",
+    "USERNAME",
+  };
+  static const char const *copy_nodevel[] = {
+    "LANG",
+    "LANGUAGE",
+    "LC_ALL",
+    "LC_ADDRESS",
+    "LC_COLLATE",
+    "LC_CTYPE",
+    "LC_IDENTIFICATION",
+    "LC_MEASUREMENT",
+    "LC_MESSAGES",
+    "LC_MONETARY",
+    "LC_NAME",
+    "LC_NUMERIC",
+    "LC_PAPER",
+    "LC_TELEPHONE",
+    "LC_TIME",
+  };
+  int i;
+
+  for (i = 0; i < G_N_ELEMENTS(exports); i++)
+    g_ptr_array_add (env_array, g_strdup (exports[i]));
+
+  if (devel)
+    {
+      for (i = 0; i < G_N_ELEMENTS(exports_devel); i++)
+	g_ptr_array_add (env_array, g_strdup (exports_devel[i]));
+    }
+
+  for (i = 0; i < G_N_ELEMENTS(copy); i++)
+    {
+      const char *current = g_getenv(copy[i]);
+      if (current)
+	g_ptr_array_add (env_array, g_strdup_printf ("%s=%s", copy[i], current));
+    }
+
+  if (!devel)
+    {
+      for (i = 0; i < G_N_ELEMENTS(copy_nodevel); i++)
+	{
+	  const char *current = g_getenv(copy_nodevel[i]);
+	  if (current)
+	    g_ptr_array_add (env_array, g_strdup_printf ("%s=%s", copy_nodevel[i], current));
+	}
+    }
+}
diff --git a/xdg-app-run.h b/xdg-app-run.h
index b9088edab..1925d6909 100644
--- a/xdg-app-run.h
+++ b/xdg-app-run.h
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ void     xdg_app_run_add_environment_args    (GPtrArray   *argv_array,
 					      GKeyFile    *metakey,
 					      const char **allow,
 					      const char **forbid);
+void     xdg_app_run_setup_minimal_env       (GPtrArray   *env_array,
+					      gboolean     devel);
 
 void xdg_app_run_add_x11_args          (GPtrArray *argv_array);
 void xdg_app_run_add_no_x11_args       (GPtrArray *argv_array);