diff --git a/src/input_common.rs b/src/input_common.rs
index f75ae65e9..91707f31e 100644
--- a/src/input_common.rs
+++ b/src/input_common.rs
@@ -431,13 +431,12 @@ pub fn update_wait_on_sequence_key_ms(vars: &EnvStack) {
 static TERMINAL_PROTOCOLS: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
 
 static IS_TMUX: RelaxedAtomicBool = RelaxedAtomicBool::new(false);
-static IN_MIDNIGHT_COMMANDER: RelaxedAtomicBool = RelaxedAtomicBool::new(false);
+pub static IN_MIDNIGHT_COMMANDER_PRE_CSI_U: RelaxedAtomicBool = RelaxedAtomicBool::new(false);
 static IN_ITERM_PRE_CSI_U: RelaxedAtomicBool = RelaxedAtomicBool::new(false);
 
 pub fn terminal_protocol_hacks() {
     use std::env::var_os;
     IS_TMUX.store(var_os("TMUX").is_some());
-    IN_MIDNIGHT_COMMANDER.store(var_os("MC_TMPDIR").is_some());
     IN_ITERM_PRE_CSI_U.store(
         var_os("LC_TERMINAL").is_some_and(|term| term.as_os_str().as_bytes() == b"iTerm2")
             && var_os("LC_TERMINAL_VERSION").is_some_and(|version| {
@@ -474,7 +473,7 @@ pub fn terminal_protocols_enable_ifn() {
         return;
     }
     TERMINAL_PROTOCOLS.store(true, Ordering::Release);
-    let sequences = if IN_MIDNIGHT_COMMANDER.load() {
+    let sequences = if IN_MIDNIGHT_COMMANDER_PRE_CSI_U.load() {
         "\x1b[?2004h"
     } else if IN_ITERM_PRE_CSI_U.load() {
         concat!("\x1b[?2004h", "\x1b[>4;1m", "\x1b[>5u", "\x1b=",)
diff --git a/src/reader.rs b/src/reader.rs
index a9b8e0130..d039f73dd 100644
--- a/src/reader.rs
+++ b/src/reader.rs
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ use crate::history::{
     SearchType,
 };
 use crate::input::init_input;
+use crate::input_common::IN_MIDNIGHT_COMMANDER_PRE_CSI_U;
 use crate::input_common::{
     terminal_protocol_hacks, terminal_protocols_enable_ifn, CharEvent, CharInputStyle, InputData,
     ReadlineCmd,
@@ -3976,6 +3977,8 @@ fn reader_interactive_init(parser: &Parser) {
         .set_one(L!("_"), EnvMode::GLOBAL, L!("fish").to_owned());
 
     terminal_protocol_hacks();
+    IN_MIDNIGHT_COMMANDER_PRE_CSI_U
+        .store(parser.vars().get_unless_empty(L!("__mc_csi_u")).is_none());
 }
 
 /// Destroy data for interactive use.