diff --git a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
index 317a06d6a5b..1f8752a3f71 100644
--- a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
@@ -1110,6 +1110,12 @@ declare module 'vscode' {
 	}
 
 	namespace window {
+		/**
+		 * The detected default shell for the extension host, this is overridden by the
+		 * `terminal.integrated.shell` setting for the extension host's platform.
+		 */
+		export const shell: string;
+
 		/**
 		 * An event which fires when the [dimensions](#Terminal.dimensions) of the terminal change.
 		 */
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
index dc6f2cd2e16..0edd04ad5b8 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
@@ -391,6 +391,9 @@ export function createApiFactory(
 			get terminals() {
 				return extHostTerminalService.terminals;
 			},
+			get shell() {
+				return extHostTerminalService.getDefaultShell(configProvider);
+			},
 			showTextDocument(documentOrUri: vscode.TextDocument | vscode.Uri, columnOrOptions?: vscode.ViewColumn | vscode.TextDocumentShowOptions, preserveFocus?: boolean): Thenable<vscode.TextEditor> {
 				let documentPromise: Promise<vscode.TextDocument>;
 				if (URI.isUri(documentOrUri)) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts
index 2aad0a4c38f..ec4d4771989 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTerminalService.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import * as platform from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import * as terminalEnvironment from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminalEnvironment';
 import { Event, Emitter } from 'vs/base/common/event';
 import { ExtHostTerminalServiceShape, MainContext, MainThreadTerminalServiceShape, IMainContext, ShellLaunchConfigDto } from 'vs/workbench/api/common/extHost.protocol';
-import { ExtHostConfiguration } from 'vs/workbench/api/common/extHostConfiguration';
+import { ExtHostConfiguration, ExtHostConfigProvider } from 'vs/workbench/api/common/extHostConfiguration';
 import { ILogService } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';
 import { EXT_HOST_CREATION_DELAY, IShellLaunchConfig, ITerminalEnvironment } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminal';
 import { TerminalProcess } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/node/terminalProcess';
@@ -278,6 +278,9 @@ export class ExtHostTerminalService implements ExtHostTerminalServiceShape {
 	private _terminalRenderers: ExtHostTerminalRenderer[] = [];
 	private _getTerminalPromises: { [id: number]: Promise<ExtHostTerminal> } = {};
 
+	// TODO: Pull this from main side
+	private _isWorkspaceShellAllowed: boolean = false;
+
 	public get activeTerminal(): ExtHostTerminal | undefined { return this._activeTerminal; }
 	public get terminals(): ExtHostTerminal[] { return this._terminals; }
 
@@ -325,6 +328,16 @@ export class ExtHostTerminalService implements ExtHostTerminalServiceShape {
 		return renderer;
 	}
 
+	public getDefaultShell(configProvider: ExtHostConfigProvider): string {
+		const fetchSetting = (key: string) => {
+			const setting = configProvider
+				.getConfiguration(key.substr(0, key.lastIndexOf('.')))
+				.inspect<string | string[]>(key.substr(key.lastIndexOf('.') + 1));
+			return this._apiInspectConfigToPlain<string | string[]>(setting);
+		};
+		return terminalEnvironment.getDefaultShell(fetchSetting, this._isWorkspaceShellAllowed, getDefaultShell(platform.platform));
+	}
+
 	public async resolveTerminalRenderer(id: number): Promise<vscode.TerminalRenderer> {
 		// Check to see if the extension host already knows about this terminal.
 		for (const terminalRenderer of this._terminalRenderers) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminalEnvironment.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminalEnvironment.ts
index 0e49495815a..4c850cc9831 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminalEnvironment.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminalEnvironment.ts
@@ -161,6 +161,46 @@ export function escapeNonWindowsPath(path: string): string {
 	return newPath;
 }
 
+export function getDefaultShell(
+	fetchSetting: (key: string) => { user: string | string[] | undefined, value: string | string[] | undefined, default: string | string[] | undefined },
+	isWorkspaceShellAllowed: boolean,
+	defaultShell: string,
+	platformOverride: platform.Platform = platform.platform
+): string {
+	const platformKey = platformOverride === platform.Platform.Windows ? 'windows' : platformOverride === platform.Platform.Mac ? 'osx' : 'linux';
+	const shellConfigValue = fetchSetting(`terminal.integrated.shell.${platformKey}`);
+	let executable = (isWorkspaceShellAllowed ? <string>shellConfigValue.value : <string>shellConfigValue.user) || (<string | null>shellConfigValue.default || defaultShell);
+
+	// Change Sysnative to System32 if the OS is Windows but NOT WoW64. It's
+	// safe to assume that this was used by accident as Sysnative does not
+	// exist and will break the terminal in non-WoW64 environments.
+	if ((platformOverride === platform.Platform.Windows) && !process.env.hasOwnProperty('PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432') && process.env.windir) {
+		const sysnativePath = path.join(process.env.windir, 'Sysnative').toLowerCase();
+		if (executable && executable.toLowerCase().indexOf(sysnativePath) === 0) {
+			executable = path.join(process.env.windir, 'System32', executable.substr(sysnativePath.length));
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Convert / to \ on Windows for convenience
+	if (executable && platformOverride === platform.Platform.Windows) {
+		executable = executable.replace(/\//g, '\\');
+	}
+
+	return executable;
+}
+
+function getDefaultShellArgs(
+	fetchSetting: (key: string) => { user: string | string[] | undefined, value: string | string[] | undefined, default: string | string[] | undefined },
+	isWorkspaceShellAllowed: boolean,
+	defaultShell: string,
+	platformOverride: platform.Platform = platform.platform
+): string[] {
+	const platformKey = platformOverride === platform.Platform.Windows ? 'windows' : platformOverride === platform.Platform.Mac ? 'osx' : 'linux';
+	const shellArgsConfigValue = fetchSetting(`terminal.integrated.shellArgs.${platformKey}`);
+	const args = (isWorkspaceShellAllowed ? <string[]>shellArgsConfigValue.value : <string[]>shellArgsConfigValue.user) || <string[]>shellArgsConfigValue.default;
+	return args;
+}
+
 export function mergeDefaultShellPathAndArgs(
 	shell: IShellLaunchConfig,
 	fetchSetting: (key: string) => { user: string | string[] | undefined, value: string | string[] | undefined, default: string | string[] | undefined },
@@ -168,27 +208,8 @@ export function mergeDefaultShellPathAndArgs(
 	defaultShell: string,
 	platformOverride: platform.Platform = platform.platform
 ): void {
-	const platformKey = platformOverride === platform.Platform.Windows ? 'windows' : platformOverride === platform.Platform.Mac ? 'osx' : 'linux';
-	const shellConfigValue = fetchSetting(`terminal.integrated.shell.${platformKey}`);
-	const shellArgsConfigValue = fetchSetting(`terminal.integrated.shellArgs.${platformKey}`);
-
-	shell.executable = (isWorkspaceShellAllowed ? <string>shellConfigValue.value : <string>shellConfigValue.user) || (<string | null>shellConfigValue.default || defaultShell);
-	shell.args = (isWorkspaceShellAllowed ? <string[]>shellArgsConfigValue.value : <string[]>shellArgsConfigValue.user) || <string[]>shellArgsConfigValue.default;
-
-	// Change Sysnative to System32 if the OS is Windows but NOT WoW64. It's
-	// safe to assume that this was used by accident as Sysnative does not
-	// exist and will break the terminal in non-WoW64 environments.
-	if ((platformOverride === platform.Platform.Windows) && !process.env.hasOwnProperty('PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432') && process.env.windir) {
-		const sysnativePath = path.join(process.env.windir, 'Sysnative').toLowerCase();
-		if (shell.executable && shell.executable.toLowerCase().indexOf(sysnativePath) === 0) {
-			shell.executable = path.join(process.env.windir, 'System32', shell.executable.substr(sysnativePath.length));
-		}
-	}
-
-	// Convert / to \ on Windows for convenience
-	if (shell.executable && platformOverride === platform.Platform.Windows) {
-		shell.executable = shell.executable.replace(/\//g, '\\');
-	}
+	shell.executable = getDefaultShell(fetchSetting, isWorkspaceShellAllowed, defaultShell, platformOverride);
+	shell.args = getDefaultShellArgs(fetchSetting, isWorkspaceShellAllowed, defaultShell, platformOverride);
 }
 
 export function createTerminalEnvironment(