diff --git a/src/vs/vscode.d.ts b/src/vs/vscode.d.ts
index 33044f955f688613927372d5fe0636572ac99c8c..024de4ba0995eae77ec93f9fcca9cdeef231e6e7 100644
--- a/src/vs/vscode.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/vscode.d.ts
@@ -3500,7 +3500,7 @@ declare namespace vscode {
 		 * @param shellPath Optional path to a custom shell executable to be used in the terminal.
 		 * @return A new Terminal.
 		 */
-		export function createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string): Terminal;
+		export function createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]): Terminal;
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
index 0533d77c825f4b1952d794693d6a6a62a53abc43..8190d313b37a5d346ee9aafa29e0e62e18e972aa 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
@@ -260,8 +260,8 @@ export class ExtHostAPIImplementation {
 			createOutputChannel(name: string): vscode.OutputChannel {
 				return extHostOutputService.createOutputChannel(name);
 			},
-			createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string): vscode.Terminal {
-				return extHostTerminalService.createTerminal(name, shellPath);
+			createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]): vscode.Terminal {
+				return extHostTerminalService.createTerminal(name, shellPath, shellArgs);
 			}
 		};
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts
index 287936c14101e830eb21c803499e74bcac5232ad..2b0c5345d70edb87097ed44e125a1d95b7b78a2f 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ export abstract class MainThreadOutputServiceShape {
 }
 
 export abstract class MainThreadTerminalServiceShape {
-	$createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string): number { throw ni(); }
+	$createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]): number { throw ni(); }
 	$dispose(terminalId: number): void { throw ni(); }
 	$hide(terminalId: number): void { throw ni(); }
 	$sendText(terminalId: number, text: string, addNewLine: boolean): void { throw ni(); }
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts
index 74d0de54efa960ea35504e234aaffd462e7c48ad..04032aea8b38e98d6c42e27958d7b33341617755 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts
@@ -11,17 +11,15 @@ import {MainContext, MainThreadTerminalServiceShape} from './extHost.protocol';
 export class ExtHostTerminal implements vscode.Terminal {
 
 	public _name: string;
-	public _shellPath: string;
 
 	private _id: number;
 	private _proxy: MainThreadTerminalServiceShape;
 	private _disposed: boolean;
 
-	constructor(proxy: MainThreadTerminalServiceShape, id: number, name?: string, shellPath?: string) {
+	constructor(proxy: MainThreadTerminalServiceShape, id: number, name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]) {
 		this._name = name;
-		this._shellPath = shellPath;
 		this._proxy = proxy;
-		this._id = this._proxy.$createTerminal(name, shellPath);
+		this._id = this._proxy.$createTerminal(name, shellPath, shellArgs);
 	}
 
 	public get name(): string {
@@ -66,7 +64,7 @@ export class ExtHostTerminalService {
 		this._proxy = threadService.get(MainContext.MainThreadTerminalService);
 	}
 
-	public createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string): vscode.Terminal {
-		return new ExtHostTerminal(this._proxy, -1, name, shellPath);
+	public createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]): vscode.Terminal {
+		return new ExtHostTerminal(this._proxy, -1, name, shellPath, shellArgs);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadTerminalService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadTerminalService.ts
index 94d11f0aa922ae6434a1e63ba097748d36b6e80f..67c0c1bd8fe0d652f815b5263fc00e59d03b7e6f 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadTerminalService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadTerminalService.ts
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ export class MainThreadTerminalService extends MainThreadTerminalServiceShape {
 		super();
 	}
 
-	public $createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string): number {
-		return this.terminalService.createInstance(name, shellPath).id;
+	public $createTerminal(name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]): number {
+		return this.terminalService.createInstance(name, shellPath, shellArgs).id;
 	}
 
 	public $show(terminalId: number, preserveFocus: boolean): void {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminal.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminal.ts
index 794b7a2ce9535fcaf8f59b284804d54bbcd176dd..1c558a60f496e985276ae81e03486cd1a329e33d 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminal.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminal.ts
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ export interface ITerminalService {
 	onInstanceTitleChanged: Event<string>;
 	terminalInstances: ITerminalInstance[];
 
-	createInstance(name?: string, shellPath?: string): ITerminalInstance;
+	createInstance(name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]): ITerminalInstance;
 	getInstanceFromId(terminalId: number): ITerminalInstance;
 	getInstanceLabels(): string[];
 	getActiveInstance(): ITerminalInstance;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstance.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstance.ts
index f895e8ee8385bc6904c4ffe45d43292c54f625e2..e703cdaaeab56ebfff7e493821fc5cc10d80fd40 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstance.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstance.ts
@@ -52,13 +52,13 @@ export class TerminalInstance implements ITerminalInstance {
 		private container: HTMLElement,
 		private workspace: IWorkspace,
 		name: string,
-		shellPath: string,
+		shell: IShell,
 		@IKeybindingService private keybindingService: IKeybindingService,
 		@IMessageService private messageService: IMessageService
 	) {
 		this._id = TerminalInstance.ID_COUNTER++;
 		this._onTitleChanged = new Emitter<string>();
-		this.createProcess(workspace, name, shellPath);
+		this.createProcess(workspace, name, shell);
 
 		if (container) {
 			this.attachToElement(container);
@@ -210,9 +210,11 @@ export class TerminalInstance implements ITerminalInstance {
 		return typeof data === 'string' ? data.replace(TerminalInstance.EOL_REGEX, os.EOL) : data;
 	}
 
-	private createProcess(workspace: IWorkspace, name?: string, shellPath?: string) {
+	private createProcess(workspace: IWorkspace, name?: string, shell?: IShell) {
 		let locale = this.configHelper.isSetLocaleVariables() ? platform.locale : undefined;
-		let shell = shellPath ? { executable: shellPath, args: [] } : this.configHelper.getShell();
+		if (!shell) {
+			shell = this.configHelper.getShell();
+		}
 		let env = TerminalInstance.createTerminalEnv(process.env, shell, workspace, locale);
 		this._title = name ? name : '';
 		this.process = cp.fork('./terminalProcess', [], {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalService.ts
index b9bc29f817d38046bc30b0408eea30b046b973e5..fcfc0a8f8a0ac333e7cc820b95f671db051e7395 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalService.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { IPartService } from 'vs/workbench/services/part/common/partService';
 import { ITerminalInstance, ITerminalService, KEYBINDING_CONTEXT_TERMINAL_FOCUS, TERMINAL_PANEL_ID } from 'vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminal';
 import { IWorkspaceContextService } from 'vs/platform/workspace/common/workspace';
 import { TPromise } from 'vs/base/common/winjs.base';
-import { TerminalConfigHelper } from 'vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalConfigHelper';
+import { TerminalConfigHelper, IShell } from 'vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalConfigHelper';
 import { TerminalInstance } from 'vs/workbench/parts/terminal/electron-browser/terminalInstance';
 
 export class TerminalService implements ITerminalService {
@@ -51,7 +51,11 @@ export class TerminalService implements ITerminalService {
 		this._configHelper = <TerminalConfigHelper>this.instantiationService.createInstance(TerminalConfigHelper, platform.platform);
 	}
 
-	public createInstance(name?: string, shellPath?: string): ITerminalInstance {
+	public createInstance(name?: string, shellPath?: string, shellArgs?: string[]): ITerminalInstance {
+		let shell: IShell = {
+			executable: shellPath,
+			args: shellArgs
+		};
 		let terminalInstance = <TerminalInstance>this.instantiationService.createInstance(TerminalInstance,
 			this.terminalFocusContextKey,
 			this.onTerminalInstanceDispose.bind(this),
@@ -59,7 +63,7 @@ export class TerminalService implements ITerminalService {
 			this.terminalContainer,
 			this.workspaceContextService.getWorkspace(),
 			name,
-			shellPath);
+			shell);
 		terminalInstance.addDisposable(terminalInstance.onTitleChanged(this._onInstanceTitleChanged.fire, this._onInstanceTitleChanged));
 		this.terminalInstances.push(terminalInstance);
 		if (this.terminalInstances.length === 1) {