diff --git a/run-command.c b/run-command.c
index e70a8a387b9042..8b319630953a7d 100644
--- a/run-command.c
+++ b/run-command.c
@@ -280,6 +280,8 @@ char *git_shell_path(void)
 	return xstrdup(SHELL_PATH);
 #else
 	char *p = locate_in_PATH("sh");
+	if (!p)
+		die(_("cannot find 'sh' in PATH"));
 	convert_slashes(p);
 	return p;
 #endif
diff --git a/t/helper/test-run-command.c b/t/helper/test-run-command.c
index 4a56456894ccff..11da5f75b291ed 100644
--- a/t/helper/test-run-command.c
+++ b/t/helper/test-run-command.c
@@ -103,6 +103,16 @@ static int test_stdin_pipe_feed(int hook_stdin_fd, void *cb UNUSED, void *task_c
 	return !(*lines_remaining);
 }
 
+static int shell_path_without_path(void)
+{
+	char *path;
+
+	unsetenv("PATH");
+	path = git_shell_path();
+	free(path);
+	return 0;
+}
+
 struct testsuite {
 	struct string_list tests, failed;
 	int next;
@@ -450,6 +460,8 @@ int cmd__run_command(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	if (argc > 1 && !strcmp(argv[1], "testsuite"))
 		return testsuite(argc - 1, argv + 1);
+	if (argc > 1 && !strcmp(argv[1], "shell-path-without-path"))
+		return shell_path_without_path();
 	if (!strcmp(argv[1], "inherited-handle"))
 		return inherit_handle(argv[0]);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[1], "inherited-handle-child"))
diff --git a/t/t0061-run-command.sh b/t/t0061-run-command.sh
index 905e90e1f72541..b74a767bfea64a 100755
--- a/t/t0061-run-command.sh
+++ b/t/t0061-run-command.sh
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ test_expect_success MINGW 'subprocess inherits only std handles' '
 	test-tool run-command inherited-handle
 '
 
+test_expect_success MINGW 'missing shell path is reported' '
+	test_must_fail test-tool run-command shell-path-without-path 2>err &&
+	test_grep "cannot find .sh. in PATH" err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'start_command reports ENOENT (slash)' '
 	test-tool run-command start-command-ENOENT ./does-not-exist 2>err &&
 	test_grep "\./does-not-exist" err