diff --git a/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc b/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc
index 01546f9a0..62745b681 100644
--- a/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc
+++ b/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.cc
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 #include "command.hh"
 #include "tarball.hh"
 #include "fetch-to-store.hh"
+#include "compatibility-settings.hh"
+#include "eval-settings.hh"
 
 namespace nix {
 
@@ -33,6 +35,11 @@ EvalSettings evalSettings {
 
 static GlobalConfig::Register rEvalSettings(&evalSettings);
 
+CompatibilitySettings compatibilitySettings {};
+
+static GlobalConfig::Register rCompatibilitySettings(&compatibilitySettings);
+
+
 MixEvalArgs::MixEvalArgs()
 {
     addFlag({
diff --git a/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.hh b/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.hh
index 189abf0ed..8d303ee7c 100644
--- a/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.hh
+++ b/src/libcmd/common-eval-args.hh
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ namespace nix {
 class Store;
 class EvalState;
 struct EvalSettings;
+struct CompatibilitySettings;
 class Bindings;
 struct SourcePath;
 
@@ -21,6 +22,11 @@ struct SourcePath;
  */
 extern EvalSettings evalSettings;
 
+/**
+ * Settings that control behaviors that have changed since Nix 2.3.
+ */
+extern CompatibilitySettings compatibilitySettings;
+
 struct MixEvalArgs : virtual Args, virtual MixRepair
 {
     static constexpr auto category = "Common evaluation options";
diff --git a/src/libcmd/meson.build b/src/libcmd/meson.build
index d9a90508a..2c8a9fa33 100644
--- a/src/libcmd/meson.build
+++ b/src/libcmd/meson.build
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ headers = [config_h] + files(
   'command-installable-value.hh',
   'command.hh',
   'common-eval-args.hh',
+  'compatibility-settings.hh',
   'editor-for.hh',
   'installable-attr-path.hh',
   'installable-derived-path.hh',
diff --git a/src/nix-build/nix-build.cc b/src/nix-build/nix-build.cc
index 30cc86456..d37b16bdc 100644
--- a/src/nix-build/nix-build.cc
+++ b/src/nix-build/nix-build.cc
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "legacy.hh"
 #include "users.hh"
 #include "network-proxy.hh"
+#include "compatibility-settings.hh"
 
 using namespace nix;
 using namespace std::string_literals;
@@ -100,7 +101,13 @@ static SourcePath resolveShellExprPath(SourcePath path)
     auto resolvedOrDir = resolveExprPath(path, false);
     if (resolvedOrDir.resolveSymlinks().lstat().type == SourceAccessor::tDirectory) {
         if ((resolvedOrDir / "shell.nix").pathExists()) {
-            return resolvedOrDir / "shell.nix";
+            if (compatibilitySettings.nixShellAlwaysLooksForShellNix) {
+                return resolvedOrDir / "shell.nix";
+            } else {
+                warn("Skipping '%1%', because the setting '%2%' is disabled. This is a deprecated behavior. Consider enabling '%2%'.",
+                    resolvedOrDir / "shell.nix",
+                    "nix-shell-always-looks-for-shell-nix");
+            }
         }
         if ((resolvedOrDir / "default.nix").pathExists()) {
             return resolvedOrDir / "default.nix";
@@ -302,11 +309,17 @@ static void main_nix_build(int argc, char * * argv)
         fromArgs = true;
         remainingArgs = {joined.str()};
     } else if (!fromArgs && remainingArgs.empty()) {
-        remainingArgs = {"."};
+        if (isNixShell && !compatibilitySettings.nixShellAlwaysLooksForShellNix && std::filesystem::exists("shell.nix")) {
+            // If we're in 2.3 compatibility mode, we need to look for shell.nix
+            // now, because it won't be done later.
+            remainingArgs = {"shell.nix"};
+        } else {
+            remainingArgs = {"."};
 
-        // Instead of letting it throw later, we throw here to give a more relevant error message
-        if (isNixShell && !std::filesystem::exists("shell.nix") && !std::filesystem::exists("default.nix"))
-            throw Error("no argument specified and no '%s' or '%s' file found in the working directory", "shell.nix", "default.nix");
+            // Instead of letting it throw later, we throw here to give a more relevant error message
+            if (isNixShell && !std::filesystem::exists("shell.nix") && !std::filesystem::exists("default.nix"))
+                throw Error("no argument specified and no '%s' or '%s' file found in the working directory", "shell.nix", "default.nix");
+        }
     }
 
     if (isNixShell)
diff --git a/tests/functional/nix-shell.sh b/tests/functional/nix-shell.sh
index b7a7db27c..2a1d556dd 100755
--- a/tests/functional/nix-shell.sh
+++ b/tests/functional/nix-shell.sh
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ output=$(nix-shell --pure "$shellDotNix" -A shellDrv --run \
 
 [ "$output" = " - foo - bar - true" ]
 
+output=$(nix-shell --pure "$shellDotNix" -A shellDrv --option nix-shell-always-looks-for-shell-nix false --run \
+    'echo "$IMPURE_VAR - $VAR_FROM_STDENV_SETUP - $VAR_FROM_NIX - $TEST_inNixShell"')
+[ "$output" = " - foo - bar - true" ]
+
 # Test --keep
 output=$(nix-shell --pure --keep SELECTED_IMPURE_VAR "$shellDotNix" -A shellDrv --run \
     'echo "$IMPURE_VAR - $VAR_FROM_STDENV_SETUP - $VAR_FROM_NIX - $SELECTED_IMPURE_VAR"')
@@ -101,6 +105,11 @@ nix-shell $TEST_ROOT/lookup-test -A shellDrv --run 'echo "it works"' | grepQuiet
 # https://github.com/NixOS/nix/issues/4529
 nix-shell -I "testRoot=$TEST_ROOT" '<testRoot/lookup-test>' -A shellDrv --run 'echo "it works"' | grepQuiet "it works"
 
+expectStderr 1 nix-shell $TEST_ROOT/lookup-test -A shellDrv --run 'echo "it works"' --option nix-shell-always-looks-for-shell-nix false \
+  | grepQuiet -F "do not load default.nix!" # we did, because we chose to enable legacy behavior
+expectStderr 1 nix-shell $TEST_ROOT/lookup-test -A shellDrv --run 'echo "it works"' --option nix-shell-always-looks-for-shell-nix false \
+  | grepQuiet "Skipping .*lookup-test/shell\.nix.*, because the setting .*nix-shell-always-looks-for-shell-nix.* is disabled. This is a deprecated behavior\. Consider enabling .*nix-shell-always-looks-for-shell-nix.*"
+
 (
   cd $TEST_ROOT/empty;
   expectStderr 1 nix-shell | \