diff --git a/names.c b/names.c
index 76dec82c..ce5d0c51 100644
--- a/names.c
+++ b/names.c
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@
 
 #include "tmux.h"
 
-void	 window_name_callback(unused int, unused short, void *);
-char	*parse_window_name(const char *);
+void	 window_name_callback(int, short, void *);
+char	*parse_window_name(struct window *, const char *);
 
 void
 queue_window_name(struct window *w)
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@ window_name_callback(unused int fd, unused short events, void *data)
 		 */
 		if (w->active->cmd != NULL && *w->active->cmd == '\0' &&
 		    name != NULL && name[0] == '-' && name[1] != '\0')
-			wname = parse_window_name(name + 1);
+			wname = parse_window_name(w, name + 1);
 		else
-			wname = parse_window_name(name);
+			wname = parse_window_name(w, name);
 		free(name);
 	}
 
@@ -98,18 +98,22 @@ default_window_name(struct window *w)
 	if (w->active->screen != &w->active->base)
 		return (xstrdup("[tmux]"));
 	if (w->active->cmd != NULL && *w->active->cmd != '\0')
-		return (parse_window_name(w->active->cmd));
-	return (parse_window_name(w->active->shell));
+		return (parse_window_name(w, w->active->cmd));
+	return (parse_window_name(w, w->active->shell));
 }
 
 char *
-parse_window_name(const char *in)
+parse_window_name(struct window *w, const char *in)
 {
-	char	*copy, *name, *ptr;
+	char	*copy, *name, *ptr, *prefix;
+	size_t	 prefixlen;
+
+	prefix = options_get_string(&w->options, "command-prefix");
+	prefixlen = strlen(prefix);
 
 	name = copy = xstrdup(in);
-	if (strncmp(name, "exec ", (sizeof "exec ") - 1) == 0)
-		name = name + (sizeof "exec ") - 1;
+	if (strncmp(name, prefix, prefixlen) == 0)
+		name = name + prefixlen;
 
 	while (*name == ' ')
 		name++;
diff --git a/options-table.c b/options-table.c
index 23828bf8..5f9c81b1 100644
--- a/options-table.c
+++ b/options-table.c
@@ -477,7 +477,6 @@ const struct options_table_entry window_options_table[] = {
 	  .default_num = 1
 	},
 
-
 	{ .name = "c0-change-trigger",
 	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_NUMBER,
 	  .default_num = 250,
@@ -503,6 +502,11 @@ const struct options_table_entry window_options_table[] = {
 	  .default_num = 1
 	},
 
+	{ .name = "command-prefix",
+	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_STRING,
+	  .default_str = "exec "
+	},
+
 	{ .name = "force-height",
 	  .type = OPTIONS_TABLE_NUMBER,
 	  .minimum = 0,