diff --git a/src/extensions/lens-main-extension.ts b/src/extensions/lens-main-extension.ts
index 6d720752e6..bda6024522 100644
--- a/src/extensions/lens-main-extension.ts
+++ b/src/extensions/lens-main-extension.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,19 @@ export class LensMainExtension extends LensExtension {
   appMenus: MenuRegistration[] = [];
   trayMenus: TrayMenuRegistration[] = [];
 
+  /**
+   * implement this to modify the shell environment that Lens terminals are opened with. The ShellEnvModifier type has the signature
+   * 
+   * (ctx: ShellEnvContext, env: Record<string, string | undefined>) => Record<string, string | undefined>
+   * 
+   *  @param ctx the shell environment context, specifically the relevant catalog entity for the terminal. This can be used, for example, to get
+   * cluster-specific information that can be made available in the shell environment by the implementation of terminalShellEnvModifier
+   * 
+   * @param env the current shell environment that the terminal will be opened with. The implementation should modify this as desired.
+   * 
+   * @returns the modified shell environment that the terminal will be opened with. The implementation must return env as passed in, if it
+   * does not modify the shell environment
+   */
   terminalShellEnvModifier?: ShellEnvModifier;
 
   async navigate(pageId?: string, params?: Record<string, any>, frameId?: number) {
diff --git a/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.injectable.ts b/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.injectable.ts
index 03a8f564e2..2578cc106d 100644
--- a/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.injectable.ts
+++ b/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.injectable.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,7 @@ import { LocalShellSession } from "./local-shell-session";
 import type { Cluster } from "../../../common/cluster/cluster";
 import type WebSocket from "ws";
 import createKubectlInjectable from "../../kubectl/create-kubectl.injectable";
-import terminalShellEnvModifiersInjectable from "../shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifier.injectable";
-import { catalogEntityRegistry } from "../../catalog";
+import terminalShellEnvModifiersInjectable from "../shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modify.injectable";
 
 interface InstantiationParameter {
   webSocket: WebSocket;
@@ -19,12 +18,11 @@ interface InstantiationParameter {
 const localShellSessionInjectable = getInjectable({
   instantiate: (di, { cluster, tabId, webSocket }: InstantiationParameter) => {
     const createKubectl = di.inject(createKubectlInjectable);
-    const localShellEnvModifiers = di.inject(terminalShellEnvModifiersInjectable);
+    const localShellEnvModify = di.inject(terminalShellEnvModifiersInjectable);
 
     const kubectl = createKubectl(cluster.version);
-    const entity = catalogEntityRegistry.getById(cluster.id);
 
-    return new LocalShellSession(localShellEnvModifiers.get(), entity, kubectl, webSocket, cluster, tabId);
+    return new LocalShellSession(localShellEnvModify, kubectl, webSocket, cluster, tabId);
   },
 
   lifecycle: lifecycleEnum.transient,
diff --git a/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.ts b/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.ts
index ee520e62aa..dd70aa0d24 100644
--- a/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.ts
+++ b/src/main/shell-session/local-shell-session/local-shell-session.ts
@@ -8,15 +8,14 @@ import path from "path";
 import { helmCli } from "../../helm/helm-cli";
 import { UserStore } from "../../../common/user-store";
 import type { Cluster } from "../../../common/cluster/cluster";
+import type { ClusterId } from "../../../common/cluster-types";
 import { ShellSession } from "../shell-session";
 import type { Kubectl } from "../../kubectl/kubectl";
-import type { ShellEnvModifier } from "../shell-env-modifier/shell-env-modifier-registration";
-import type { CatalogEntity } from "../../../common/catalog";
 
 export class LocalShellSession extends ShellSession {
   ShellType = "shell";
 
-  constructor(protected shellEnvModifiers: ShellEnvModifier[], protected entity: CatalogEntity, kubectl: Kubectl, websocket: WebSocket, cluster: Cluster, terminalId: string) {
+  constructor(protected shellEnvModify: (clusterId: ClusterId, env: Record<string, string>) => Record<string, string>, kubectl: Kubectl, websocket: WebSocket, cluster: Cluster, terminalId: string) {
     super(kubectl, websocket, cluster, terminalId);
   }
   
@@ -30,12 +29,8 @@ export class LocalShellSession extends ShellSession {
 
   public async open() {
     let env = await this.getCachedShellEnv();
-  
-    if (this.entity) {
-      const ctx = { catalogEntity: this.entity };
 
-      env = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(this.shellEnvModifiers.reduce((env, modifier) => modifier(ctx, env), env)));
-    }
+    env = this.shellEnvModify(this.cluster.id, env);
 
     const shell = env.PTYSHELL;
     const args = await this.getShellArgs(shell);
diff --git a/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifiers.ts b/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifiers.ts
index 1d0e0bf1a3..1486beaef9 100644
--- a/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifiers.ts
+++ b/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifiers.ts
@@ -4,16 +4,36 @@
  */
 
 import { computed, IComputedValue } from "mobx";
+import type { ClusterId } from "../../../common/cluster-types";
 import type { LensMainExtension } from "../../../extensions/lens-main-extension";
+import { catalogEntityRegistry } from "../../catalog";
  
 interface Dependencies {
   extensions: IComputedValue<LensMainExtension[]>;
 }
  
-export const terminalShellEnvModifiers = ({ extensions }: Dependencies) => {
-  return computed(() => (
-    extensions.get()
-      .map((extension) => extension.terminalShellEnvModifier)
-      .filter(Boolean)
-  ));
-};
+export const terminalShellEnvModify = ({ extensions }: Dependencies) => 
+  (clusterId: ClusterId, env: Record<string, string>) => {
+    const terminalShellEnvModifiers = computed(() => (
+      extensions.get()
+        .map((extension) => extension.terminalShellEnvModifier)
+        .filter(Boolean)
+    ))
+      .get();
+
+    if (terminalShellEnvModifiers.length === 0) {
+      return env;
+    }
+
+    const entity = catalogEntityRegistry.getById(clusterId);
+
+    if (entity) {
+      const ctx = { catalogEntity: entity };
+
+      // clone it so the passed value is not also modified
+      env = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(env));
+      env = terminalShellEnvModifiers.reduce((env, modifier) => modifier(ctx, env), env);
+    }
+
+    return env;
+  };
diff --git a/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifier.injectable.ts b/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modify.injectable.ts
similarity index 66%
rename from src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifier.injectable.ts
rename to src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modify.injectable.ts
index cba4d3ad06..a6bd842f61 100644
--- a/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modifier.injectable.ts
+++ b/src/main/shell-session/shell-env-modifier/terminal-shell-env-modify.injectable.ts
@@ -5,15 +5,15 @@
 
 import { getInjectable, lifecycleEnum } from "@ogre-tools/injectable";
 import mainExtensionsInjectable from "../../../extensions/main-extensions.injectable";
-import { terminalShellEnvModifiers } from "./terminal-shell-env-modifiers";
+import { terminalShellEnvModify } from "./terminal-shell-env-modifiers";
  
-const terminalShellEnvModifiersInjectable = getInjectable({
+const terminalShellEnvModifyInjectable = getInjectable({
   instantiate: (di) =>
-    terminalShellEnvModifiers({
+    terminalShellEnvModify({
       extensions: di.inject(mainExtensionsInjectable),
     }),
  
   lifecycle: lifecycleEnum.singleton,
 });
  
-export default terminalShellEnvModifiersInjectable;
+export default terminalShellEnvModifyInjectable;