diff --git a/packages/server/src/handlers/persistent-pty.ts b/packages/server/src/handlers/persistent-pty.ts
index f5297bb47207..692832edcb9e 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/handlers/persistent-pty.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/handlers/persistent-pty.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { PersistentPty } from "@opencode/core/persistent-pty"
 import { PtyTicket } from "@opencode/core/pty/ticket"
+import { ShellSelect } from "@opencode/core/shell/select"
 import {
   ForbiddenError,
   InvalidRequestError,
@@ -62,10 +63,13 @@ export const PersistentPtyHandler = HttpApiBuilder.group(Api, "server.experiment
       .handle(
         "persistentPty.create",
         Effect.fn(function* (ctx) {
+          const shell = yield* ShellSelect.Service
           return {
             data: yield* pty
               .create(ctx.params.sessionID, {
-                command: ctx.payload.command,
+                // PersistentPty is process-global and cannot yield the Location-scoped shell
+                // service, so the configured shell is resolved here instead.
+                command: ctx.payload.command ?? (yield* shell.resolve({ priority: "config" })),
                 args: ctx.payload.args,
                 cwd: ctx.payload.cwd,
                 title: ctx.payload.title,
diff --git a/packages/server/test/persistent-pty.test.ts b/packages/server/test/persistent-pty.test.ts
index 2be137bb61bf..da66c7b1afa2 100644
--- a/packages/server/test/persistent-pty.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/test/persistent-pty.test.ts
@@ -497,6 +497,43 @@ smoke(
   20_000,
 )
 
+smoke(
+  "uses the configured shell for terminals created without a command",
+  () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const fixture = yield* testDirectory()
+      const configured = path.join(fixture.root, "configured-shell")
+      yield* Effect.promise(async () => {
+        await fs.writeFile(configured, "#!/bin/sh\nprintf configured-shell; exec cat\n")
+        await fs.chmod(configured, 0o755)
+      })
+      const server = yield* ServerProcess.start<never, never>({
+        hostname: "127.0.0.1",
+        port: 0,
+        password: "secret",
+        app: { version: "test-version" },
+        database: { path: fixture.database },
+        fs: { filewatcher: false },
+        config: { content: JSON.stringify({ shell: configured }) },
+      })
+      const base = HttpServer.formatAddress(server.address)
+      const sessionID = Session.ID.make("ses_persistent_pty_configured_shell")
+      expect((yield* request(base, "GET", `/api/experimental/session/${sessionID}/terminal`)).data).toEqual([])
+      const terminal = Schema.decodeUnknownSync(PersistentPty.Info)(
+        (yield* request(base, "POST", `/api/experimental/session/${sessionID}/terminal`, {
+          args: [],
+          cwd: fixture.root,
+          title: "configured shell",
+          env: {},
+        })).data,
+      )
+      expect(terminal.command).toBe(configured)
+      expect(yield* waitForText(base, terminal.id, "configured-shell")).toContain("configured-shell")
+      yield* request(base, "DELETE", `/api/experimental/persistent-pty/${terminal.id}`)
+    }),
+  20_000,
+)
+
 smoke(
   "isolates servers sharing a database and preserves terminals only through explicit restart handoff",
   () =>