diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm
index bc4e59eed..d00338b16 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm
@@ -81,11 +81,11 @@ sub generate_script_1( $ ) {
 
     if ( $script ) {
 	if ( $test ) {
-	    emit "#!/bin/sh\n#\n# Compiled firewall script generated by Shorewall-perl\n#";
+	    emit "#!$config{SHOREWALL_SHELL}\n#\n# Compiled firewall script generated by Shorewall-perl\n#";
 	} else {
 	    my $date = localtime;
 
-	    emit "#!/bin/sh\n#\n# Compiled firewall script generated by Shorewall $globals{VERSION} - $date\n#";
+	    emit "#!$config{SHOREWALL_SHELL}\n#\n# Compiled firewall script generated by Shorewall $globals{VERSION} - $date\n#";
 
 	    if ( $family == F_IPV4 ) {
 		copy $globals{SHAREDIRPL} . 'prog.header';
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
index aac09cf7a..50393a8e2 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
@@ -1442,7 +1442,7 @@ sub close_file() {
 #
 # Functions for copying a file into the script
 #
-sub copy( $ ) {
+sub copy( $;$ ) {
     assert( $script_enabled );
 
     if ( $script ) {
@@ -3376,6 +3376,8 @@ sub get_configuration( $$$ ) {
 
     my ( $export, $update, $annotate ) = @_;
 
+    my $val;
+
     $globals{EXPORT} = $export;
 
     our ( $once, @originalinc );
@@ -3403,6 +3405,18 @@ sub get_configuration( $$$ ) {
 
     get_capabilities( $export );
 
+    if ( supplied( $val = $config{SHOREWALL_SHELL} ) ) {
+	unless ( $val =~ /^\// ) {
+	    if ( $export ) {
+		$val = $config{SHOREWALL_SHELL} = "/bin/$val";
+		warning_message "Assuming SHOREWALL_SHELL=$val";
+	    } else {
+		warning_message "Can't find SHOREWALL_SHELL ($val)" unless $config{SHOREWALL_SHELL} = which $val;
+	    }
+	}
+    } else {
+	$config{SHOREWALL_SHELL} = '/bin/sh';
+    }
 
     $globals{STATEMATCH} = '-m conntrack --ctstate' if have_capability 'CONNTRACK_MATCH';
 
@@ -3477,8 +3491,6 @@ sub get_configuration( $$$ ) {
 
     check_trivalue ( 'IP_FORWARDING', 'on' );
 
-    my $val;
-
     if ( have_capability( 'KERNELVERSION' ) < 20631 ) {
 	check_trivalue ( 'ROUTE_FILTER',  '' );
     } else {
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header b/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header
index ac6b64347..4c334d7fe 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-#
 #     This program is under GPL [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.txt]
 #
 #     (c) 1999-2011 - Tom Eastep (teastep@shorewall.net)
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header6 b/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header6
index f885af1cf..b1b1c7256 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header6
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/prog.header6
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-#
 #     This program is under GPL [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.txt]
 #
 #     (c) 1999-2011- Tom Eastep (teastep@shorewall.net)