diff --git a/bin/spack-python b/bin/spack-python
index b81c8b7dbb..22141b46d6 100755
--- a/bin/spack-python
+++ b/bin/spack-python
@@ -22,4 +22,4 @@
 #
 # This is compatible across platforms.
 #
-/usr/bin/env spack python "$@"
+exec /usr/bin/env spack python "$@"