diff --git a/hermes_cli/bang_shell.py b/hermes_cli/bang_shell.py
index 12128fa637..706f1e149e 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/bang_shell.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/bang_shell.py
@@ -93,10 +93,10 @@ def _bang_env() -> dict:
     script, so reuse the sanitizer ``quick_commands`` and the local terminal backend use.
     """
     try:
-        from tools.environments.local import _sanitize_subprocess_env
-        return _sanitize_subprocess_env(os.environ.copy())
+        from tools.environments.local import build_subprocess_env
+        return build_subprocess_env()  # == _sanitize_subprocess_env(os.environ.copy())
     except Exception:
-        return os.environ.copy()
+        return os.environ.copy()  # tools package unimportable: run the user's command anyway
 
 
 def run_bang_command(command: str, *, cwd: Optional[str] = None, timeout: int = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT, writer=None) -> int:
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_subprocess_env_guard.py b/tests/agent/test_subprocess_env_guard.py
index 2b79e2dbdb..a904c31995 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_subprocess_env_guard.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_subprocess_env_guard.py
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ ALLOWED_RAW_SPAWN_ENV_FILES = {
     # build_subprocess_env legitimately snapshot os.environ — everything else
     # delegates to them.
     "tools/environments/local.py",
+    # Bang-shell (`!cmd` in the CLI) goes through build_subprocess_env(); the
+    # only raw copy is the except-fallback for when the tools package itself
+    # cannot be imported, so the user's typed command still runs.
+    "hermes_cli/bang_shell.py",
 }