diff --git a/src/builtin_history.cpp b/src/builtin_history.cpp
index d86311531..bd0a49fa0 100644
--- a/src/builtin_history.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin_history.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "fallback.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
 #include "history.h"
 #include "io.h"
+#include "parser.h"
 #include "reader.h"
 #include "wgetopt.h"
 #include "wutil.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
@@ -218,7 +219,7 @@ int builtin_history(parser_t &parser, io_streams_t &streams, wchar_t **argv) {
     // Use the default history if we have none (which happens if invoked non-interactively, e.g.
     // from webconfig.py.
     history_t *history = reader_get_history();
-    if (!history) history = &history_t::history_with_name(history_session_id());
+    if (!history) history = &history_t::history_with_name(history_session_id(parser.vars()));
 
     // If a history command hasn't already been specified via a flag check the first word.
     // Note that this can be simplified after we eliminate allowing subcommands as flags.
diff --git a/src/builtin_read.cpp b/src/builtin_read.cpp
index 1bab82707..0ea09bd94 100644
--- a/src/builtin_read.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin_read.cpp
@@ -204,7 +204,8 @@ static int read_interactive(wcstring &buff, int nchars, bool shell, bool silent,
     int exit_res = STATUS_CMD_OK;
     const wchar_t *line;
 
-    wcstring read_history_ID = history_session_id();
+    auto &vars = env_stack_t::principal();
+    wcstring read_history_ID = history_session_id(vars);
     if (!read_history_ID.empty()) read_history_ID += L"_read";
     reader_push(read_history_ID);
 
diff --git a/src/env.cpp b/src/env.cpp
index 5e1d4b6e9..07c8e3a41 100644
--- a/src/env.cpp
+++ b/src/env.cpp
@@ -811,7 +811,7 @@ static void handle_fish_history_change(const wcstring &op, const wcstring &var_n
                                        env_stack_t &vars) {
     UNUSED(op);
     UNUSED(var_name);
-    reader_change_history(history_session_id().c_str());
+    reader_change_history(history_session_id(vars).c_str());
 }
 
 static void handle_function_path_change(const wcstring &op, const wcstring &var_name,
@@ -1391,7 +1391,7 @@ maybe_t<env_var_t> env_stack_t::get(const wcstring &key, env_mode_flags_t mode)
 
             history_t *history = reader_get_history();
             if (!history) {
-                history = &history_t::history_with_name(history_session_id());
+                history = &history_t::history_with_name(history_session_id(*this));
             }
             wcstring_list_t result;
             if (history) history->get_history(result);
diff --git a/src/expand.cpp b/src/expand.cpp
index 4b546839e..c9bba8fcd 100644
--- a/src/expand.cpp
+++ b/src/expand.cpp
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ static bool expand_variables(wcstring instr, std::vector<completion_t> *out, siz
         // Note reader_get_history may return null, if we are running non-interactively (e.g. from
         // web_config).
         if (is_main_thread()) {
-            history = &history_t::history_with_name(history_session_id());
+            history = &history_t::history_with_name(history_session_id(env_stack_t::principal()));
         }
     } else if (var_name != wcstring{VARIABLE_EXPAND_EMPTY}) {
         var = env_get(var_name);
diff --git a/src/history.cpp b/src/history.cpp
index 685e61916..920b4c46d 100644
--- a/src/history.cpp
+++ b/src/history.cpp
@@ -1694,6 +1694,8 @@ void history_t::clear() {
     this->clear_file_state();
 }
 
+bool history_t::is_default() const { return name == DFLT_FISH_HISTORY_SESSION_ID; }
+
 bool history_t::is_empty() {
     scoped_lock locker(lock);
 
@@ -1804,9 +1806,6 @@ static bool should_import_bash_history_line(const std::string &line) {
 /// commands. We can't actually parse bash syntax and the bash history file does not unambiguously
 /// encode multiline commands.
 void history_t::populate_from_bash(FILE *stream) {
-    // We do not import bash history if an alternative fish history file is being used.
-    if (history_session_id() != DFLT_FISH_HISTORY_SESSION_ID) return;
-
     // Process the entire history file until EOF is observed.
     bool eof = false;
     while (!eof) {
@@ -1867,10 +1866,10 @@ void history_collection_t::save() {
 void history_save_all() { histories.save(); }
 
 /// Return the prefix for the files to be used for command and read history.
-wcstring history_session_id() {
+wcstring history_session_id(const environment_t &vars) {
     wcstring result = DFLT_FISH_HISTORY_SESSION_ID;
 
-    const auto var = env_get(L"fish_history");
+    const auto var = vars.get(L"fish_history");
     if (var) {
         wcstring session_id = var->as_string();
         if (session_id.empty()) {
diff --git a/src/history.h b/src/history.h
index 4b50554b6..033766060 100644
--- a/src/history.h
+++ b/src/history.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include "wutil.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
 
 struct io_streams_t;
+class environment_t;
 
 // Fish supports multiple shells writing to history at once. Here is its strategy:
 //
@@ -214,6 +215,9 @@ class history_t {
     // Returns history with the given name, creating it if necessary.
     static history_t &history_with_name(const wcstring &name);
 
+    /// Returns whether this is using the default name.
+    bool is_default() const;
+
     // Determines whether the history is empty. Unfortunately this cannot be const, since it may
     // require populating the history.
     bool is_empty();
@@ -357,7 +361,7 @@ class history_search_t {
 void history_save_all();
 
 /// Return the prefix for the files to be used for command and read history.
-wcstring history_session_id();
+wcstring history_session_id(const environment_t &vars);
 
 /// Given a list of paths and a working directory, return the paths that are valid
 /// This does disk I/O and may only be called in a background thread
diff --git a/src/reader.cpp b/src/reader.cpp
index 6784c4138..26c2cab80 100644
--- a/src/reader.cpp
+++ b/src/reader.cpp
@@ -2150,8 +2150,9 @@ void reader_import_history_if_necessary() {
         data->history->populate_from_config_path();
     }
 
-    // Import history from bash, etc. if our current history is still empty.
-    if (data->history && data->history->is_empty()) {
+    // Import history from bash, etc. if our current history is still empty and is the default
+    // history.
+    if (data->history && data->history->is_empty() && data->history->is_default()) {
         // Try opening a bash file. We make an effort to respect $HISTFILE; this isn't very complete
         // (AFAIK it doesn't have to be exported), and to really get this right we ought to ask bash
         // itself. But this is better than nothing.
@@ -2346,7 +2347,8 @@ uint32_t reader_run_count() { return run_count; }
 
 /// Read interactively. Read input from stdin while providing editing facilities.
 static int read_i() {
-    reader_push(history_session_id());
+    parser_t &parser = parser_t::principal_parser();
+    reader_push(history_session_id(parser.vars()));
     reader_set_complete_function(&complete);
     reader_set_highlight_function(&highlight_shell);
     reader_set_test_function(&reader_shell_test);
@@ -2354,7 +2356,6 @@ static int read_i() {
     reader_set_expand_abbreviations(true);
     reader_import_history_if_necessary();
 
-    parser_t &parser = parser_t::principal_parser();
     reader_data_t *data = current_data();
     data->prev_end_loop = 0;