diff --git a/tests/integration/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/integration/CMakeLists.txt
index 75d3c79cda4182864ed58dd59efd831711db88af..1321a2a2f885d33014cfb568f83ba64fdc67f196 100644
--- a/tests/integration/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/integration/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ gkfs_enable_python_testing(
     BINARY_DIRECTORIES ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src/daemon/
                        ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/src/client/
                        ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/tests/integration/harness/
+                       ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/examples/gfind/
     LIBRARY_PREFIX_DIRECTORIES ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH}
 )
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/directories/test_directories.py b/tests/integration/directories/test_directories.py
index c83789f13be3ab6b7366a36ce023f478146ad9a4..4a60617dd890943aff8bef053b06e96c6217741a 100644
--- a/tests/integration/directories/test_directories.py
+++ b/tests/integration/directories/test_directories.py
@@ -220,11 +220,19 @@ def test_extended(gkfs_daemon, gkfs_shell, gkfs_client):
     ret = gkfs_client.write(file_a, buf, 1)
 
     assert ret.retval == 1
-    preload = 'LIBGKFS_HOSTS_FILE='+str(gkfs_client._patched_env['LIBGKFS_HOSTS_FILE'])+' LD_PRELOAD='+str(gkfs_client._preload_library)
-    stream = os.popen(preload+' '+str(gkfs_daemon._workspace.bindirs[1])+'/sfind '+str(topdir)+' -M '+str(gkfs_daemon.mountdir)+' -S 1 -name "*_k*"');
-    output = stream.read()
-    assert output == "MATCHED 0/4\n"
-    
+
+    cmd = gkfs_shell.sfind(
+            topdir,
+            '-M',
+            gkfs_daemon.mountdir,
+            '-S',
+            1,
+            '-name',
+            '*_k*'
+            )
+
+    assert cmd.exit_code == 0
+    assert cmd.stdout.decode() == "MATCHED 0/4\n"
 
 @pytest.mark.skip(reason="invalid errno returned on success")
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("directory_path",
diff --git a/tests/integration/harness/gkfs.py b/tests/integration/harness/gkfs.py
index 07373ddb0015418e33cc19fa04acec88da8bdbcc..056bb1463f8993d5b41e9592c4f2f07a9aa9dc8c 100644
--- a/tests/integration/harness/gkfs.py
+++ b/tests/integration/harness/gkfs.py
@@ -140,6 +140,32 @@ def _process_exists(pid):
 
     return True
 
+def _find_search_paths(additional_paths=None):
+    """
+    Return the entire list of search paths available to the process. If
+    additional_paths is not provided, $PATH env is returned.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    additional_paths: `list`
+        If provided, additional paths that should be used for searching before
+        falling back to the contents of $PATH.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    A list containing the paths that should be searched for commands.
+    """
+
+    paths_to_search = []
+
+    if isinstance(additional_paths, (tuple, list)):
+        paths_to_search.extend(additional_paths)
+
+    env_paths = os.environ.get("PATH", "").split(os.pathsep)
+    paths_to_search.extend(env_paths)
+
+    return paths_to_search
+
 class FwdDaemonCreator:
     """
     Factory that allows tests to create forwarding daemons in a workspace.
@@ -439,7 +465,7 @@ class ShellClient:
 
     def __init__(self, workspace):
         self._workspace = workspace
-        self._cmd = sh.Command("bash")
+        self._search_paths = _find_search_paths(self._workspace.bindirs)
         self._env = os.environ.copy()
 
         libdirs = ':'.join(
@@ -552,6 +578,8 @@ class ShellClient:
         if intercept_shell:
             logger.debug(f"patched env: {self._patched_env}")
 
+        self._cmd = sh.Command("bash")
+
         # 'sh' raises an exception if the return code is not zero;
         # since we'd rather check for return codes explictly, we
         # whitelist all exit codes from 1 to 255 as 'ok' using the
@@ -608,19 +636,27 @@ class ShellClient:
         extra properties to it.
         """
 
-        bash_c_args = f"{cmd} {' '.join(str(a) for a in args)}"
-        logger.debug(f"running bash")
-        logger.debug(f"cmd: bash -c '{bash_c_args}'")
+        found_cmd = sh.which(cmd, self._search_paths)
+
+        if not found_cmd:
+            raise sh.CommandNotFound(cmd)
+
+        self._cmd = sh.Command(found_cmd)
+
+        logger.debug(f"running program")
+        logger.debug(f"cmd: {cmd} {' '.join(str(a) for a in args)}")
+        logger.debug(f"search_paths: {':'.join(str(p) for p in self._search_paths)}")
         logger.debug(f"timeout: {timeout} seconds")
         logger.debug(f"timeout_signal: {signal.Signals(timeout_signal).name}")
         logger.debug(f"patched env:\n{pformat(self._patched_env)}")
 
+
         # 'sh' raises an exception if the return code is not zero;
         # since we'd rather check for return codes explictly, we
         # whitelist all exit codes from 1 to 255 as 'ok' using the
         # _ok_code argument
-        proc = self._cmd('-c',
-            bash_c_args,
+        proc = self._cmd(
+            args,
             _env = self._env,
     #        _out=sys.stdout,
     #        _err=sys.stderr,
@@ -629,6 +665,9 @@ class ShellClient:
     #        _ok_code=list(range(0, 256))
             )
 
+        logger.debug(f"program stdout: {proc.stdout}")
+        logger.debug(f"program stderr: {proc.stderr}")
+
         return ShellCommand(cmd, proc)
 
     def __getattr__(self, name):