diff --git a/src/env.cpp b/src/env.cpp
index cb9cec7e3..b839300aa 100644
--- a/src/env.cpp
+++ b/src/env.cpp
@@ -1532,8 +1532,13 @@ std::unique_ptr<wcstring> list_to_array_val(const wcstring_list_t &list) {
         // Zero element arrays are internally encoded as this placeholder string.
         val->append(ENV_NULL);
     } else {
+        bool need_sep = false;
         for (auto it : list) {
-            if (!val->empty()) val->push_back(ARRAY_SEP);
+            if (need_sep) {
+                val->push_back(ARRAY_SEP);
+            } else {
+                need_sep = true;
+            }
             val->append(it);
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/fish_tests.cpp b/src/fish_tests.cpp
index 065656280..0a51d5ab2 100644
--- a/src/fish_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/fish_tests.cpp
@@ -948,21 +948,34 @@ static void test_list_to_array() {
         err(L"test_list_to_array failed on line %lu", __LINE__);
     }
 
-    list.push_back(L"abc");
+    list.push_back(L"");
     val = list_to_array_val(list);
     if (*val != list[0]) {
         err(L"test_list_to_array failed on line %lu", __LINE__);
     }
 
-    list.push_back(L"def");
+    list.push_back(L"abc");
     val = list_to_array_val(list);
-    if (*val != L"abc" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"def") {
+    if (*val != L"" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"abc") {
         err(L"test_list_to_array failed on line %lu", __LINE__);
     }
 
-    list.push_back(L"ghi");
+    list.insert(list.begin(), L"ghi");
     val = list_to_array_val(list);
-    if (*val != L"abc" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"def" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"ghi") {
+    if (*val != L"ghi" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"abc") {
+        err(L"test_list_to_array failed on line %lu", __LINE__);
+    }
+
+    list.push_back(L"");
+    val = list_to_array_val(list);
+    if (*val != L"ghi" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"abc" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"") {
+        err(L"test_list_to_array failed on line %lu", __LINE__);
+    }
+
+    list.push_back(L"def");
+    val = list_to_array_val(list);
+    if (*val !=
+        L"ghi" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"abc" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"" ARRAY_SEP_STR L"def") {
         err(L"test_list_to_array failed on line %lu", __LINE__);
     }