diff --git a/src/env.cpp b/src/env.cpp
index 15bc174b1..339274cb2 100644
--- a/src/env.cpp
+++ b/src/env.cpp
@@ -1421,8 +1421,7 @@ wcstring env_get_runtime_path() {
 
     // Check that the path is actually usable. Technically this is guaranteed by the fdo spec but in
     // practice it is not always the case: see #1828 and #2222.
-    int mode = R_OK | W_OK | X_OK;
-    if (dir != nullptr && access(dir, mode) == 0 && check_runtime_path(dir) == 0) {
+    if (dir != nullptr && check_runtime_path(dir) == 0) {
         result = str2wcstring(dir);
     } else {
         // Don't rely on $USER being set, as setup_user() has not yet been called.