diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/platform.ts b/src/vs/base/common/platform.ts
index 78aecad6eba..fce28f439a2 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/platform.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/platform.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ interface NLSConfig {
 }
 
 export interface IProcessEnvironment {
-	[key: string]: string;
+	[key: string]: string | undefined;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts b/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts
index 1f71bd27129..1ee2c887531 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/electron-main/app.ts
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ export class CodeApplication extends Disposable {
 
 			let replied = false;
 
-			function acceptShellEnv(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): void {
+			function acceptShellEnv(env: IProcessEnvironment): void {
 				clearTimeout(shellEnvSlowWarningHandle);
 				clearTimeout(shellEnvTimeoutErrorHandle);
 
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ export class CodeApplication extends Disposable {
 			// Window can be undefined for e.g. the shared process
 			// that is not part of our windows registry!
 			let args: NativeParsedArgs;
-			let env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+			let env: IProcessEnvironment;
 			if (window?.config) {
 				args = window.config;
 				env = { ...process.env, ...window.config.userEnv };
diff --git a/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts b/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts
index 7045d47e3b6..0ce6c5ee5be 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import product from 'vs/platform/product/common/product';
 import { isAbsolute, join } from 'vs/base/common/path';
 import { whenDeleted, writeFileSync } from 'vs/base/node/pfs';
 import { findFreePort, randomPort } from 'vs/base/node/ports';
-import { isWindows, isLinux } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
+import { isWindows, isLinux, IProcessEnvironment } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import type { ProfilingSession, Target } from 'v8-inspect-profiler';
 import { isString } from 'vs/base/common/types';
 import { hasStdinWithoutTty, stdinDataListener, getStdinFilePath, readFromStdin } from 'vs/platform/environment/node/stdin';
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export async function main(argv: string[]): Promise<any> {
 
 	// Just Code
 	else {
-		const env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = {
+		const env: IProcessEnvironment = {
 			...process.env,
 			'ELECTRON_NO_ATTACH_CONSOLE': '1'
 		};
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argvHelper.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argvHelper.ts
index 3ace20cfc45..4fb88eb7f2e 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argvHelper.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argvHelper.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { localize } from 'vs/nls';
 import { MIN_MAX_MEMORY_SIZE_MB } from 'vs/platform/files/common/files';
 import { parseArgs, ErrorReporter, OPTIONS } from 'vs/platform/environment/node/argv';
 import { NativeParsedArgs } from 'vs/platform/environment/common/argv';
+import { IProcessEnvironment } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 
 function parseAndValidate(cmdLineArgs: string[], reportWarnings: boolean): NativeParsedArgs {
 	const errorReporter: ErrorReporter = {
@@ -79,6 +80,6 @@ export function addArg(argv: string[], ...args: string[]): string[] {
 	return argv;
 }
 
-export function isLaunchedFromCli(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): boolean {
+export function isLaunchedFromCli(env: IProcessEnvironment): boolean {
 	return env['VSCODE_CLI'] === '1';
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/shellEnv.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/shellEnv.ts
index df5ad7ebb35..4e8bc4e100b 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/shellEnv.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/shellEnv.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 import { spawn } from 'child_process';
 import { generateUuid } from 'vs/base/common/uuid';
-import { isWindows, platform } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
+import { IProcessEnvironment, isWindows, platform } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import { ILogService } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';
 import { NativeParsedArgs } from 'vs/platform/environment/common/argv';
 import { isLaunchedFromCli } from 'vs/platform/environment/node/argvHelper';
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import { getSystemShell } from 'vs/base/node/shell';
  * This should only be done when Code itself is not launched
  * from within a shell.
  */
-export async function resolveShellEnv(logService: ILogService, args: NativeParsedArgs, env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv): Promise<typeof process.env> {
+export async function resolveShellEnv(logService: ILogService, args: NativeParsedArgs, env: IProcessEnvironment): Promise<typeof process.env> {
 
 	// Skip if --force-disable-user-env
 	if (args['force-disable-user-env']) {
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts b/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts
index 93463e25629..47a2c82aa85 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/electron-main/sharedProcess.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { ILogService } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';
 import { ILifecycleMainService } from 'vs/platform/lifecycle/electron-main/lifecycleMainService';
 import { IThemeMainService } from 'vs/platform/theme/electron-main/themeMainService';
 import { FileAccess } from 'vs/base/common/network';
-import { browserCodeLoadingCacheStrategy } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
+import { browserCodeLoadingCacheStrategy, IProcessEnvironment } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import { ISharedProcess, ISharedProcessConfiguration } from 'vs/platform/sharedProcess/node/sharedProcess';
 import { Disposable } from 'vs/base/common/lifecycle';
 import { connect as connectMessagePort } from 'vs/base/parts/ipc/electron-main/ipc.mp';
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export class SharedProcess extends Disposable implements ISharedProcess {
 
 	constructor(
 		private readonly machineId: string,
-		private userEnv: NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+		private userEnv: IProcessEnvironment,
 		@IEnvironmentMainService private readonly environmentMainService: IEnvironmentMainService,
 		@ILifecycleMainService private readonly lifecycleMainService: ILifecycleMainService,
 		@ILogService private readonly logService: ILogService,
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/node/sharedProcess.ts b/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/node/sharedProcess.ts
index ebd1f517629..c54a8124326 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/node/sharedProcess.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/sharedProcess/node/sharedProcess.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
  *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
+import { IProcessEnvironment } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import { NativeParsedArgs } from 'vs/platform/environment/common/argv';
 import { LogLevel } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';
 
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ export interface ISharedProcessConfiguration {
 
 	readonly appRoot: string;
 
-	readonly userEnv: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+	readonly userEnv: IProcessEnvironment;
 
 	readonly args: NativeParsedArgs;