diff --git a/src/Stack/Ide.hs b/src/Stack/Ide.hs
index a865eb8a88..4bf5707ec7 100644
--- a/src/Stack/Ide.hs
+++ b/src/Stack/Ide.hs
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import           Stack.Exec (defaultEnvSettings)
 import           Stack.Package
 import           Stack.Types
 import           System.Directory (doesFileExist)
+import           System.Environment (lookupEnv)
 import           System.Exit
 import           System.IO
 import qualified System.Process as P
@@ -108,13 +109,14 @@ ide targets useropts = do
                     else return Nothing
     localdb <- packageDatabaseLocal
     depsdb <- packageDatabaseDeps
+    mpath <- liftIO $ lookupEnv "PATH"
     bindirs <- extraBinDirs `ap` return True {- include local bin -}
     let pkgopts = concat (map _2 pkgs)
         srcfiles = concatMap (map toFilePath . _3) pkgs
         pkgdbs =
             ["--package-db=" <> toFilePath depsdb <> ":" <> toFilePath localdb]
         paths =
-            ["--ide-backend-tools-path=" <> intercalate ":" (map toFilePath bindirs)
+            ["--ide-backend-tools-path=" <> intercalate ":" (map toFilePath bindirs) <> (maybe "" (':':) mpath)
             ]
     exec
         "stack-ide"