diff --git a/powerline/bindings/bash/powerline.sh b/powerline/bindings/bash/powerline.sh
index 8e3782d6..501b48aa 100644
--- a/powerline/bindings/bash/powerline.sh
+++ b/powerline/bindings/bash/powerline.sh
@@ -54,14 +54,12 @@ _powerline_set_prompt() {
 _powerline_setup_prompt() {
 	VIRTUAL_ENV_DISABLE_PROMPT=1
 	if test -z "${POWERLINE_COMMAND}" ; then
-		if which powerline &>/dev/null ; then
-			export POWERLINE_COMMAND=powerline
-		elif which powerline-render &>/dev/null ; then
-			export POWERLINE_COMMAND=powerline-render
+		if which powerline-config &>/dev/null ; then
+			export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$(powerline-config shell command)"
 		else
 			# `$0` is set to `-bash` when using SSH so that won't work
 			local powerline_dir="$(dirname "$BASH_SOURCE")/../../.."
-			export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$powerline_dir/scripts/powerline"
+			export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$($powerline_dir/scripts/powerline-config shell command)"
 		fi
 	fi
 	test "x$PROMPT_COMMAND" != "x${PROMPT_COMMAND%_powerline_set_prompt*}" ||
diff --git a/powerline/bindings/config.py b/powerline/bindings/config.py
index 3591903a..846c66f0 100644
--- a/powerline/bindings/config.py
+++ b/powerline/bindings/config.py
@@ -6,11 +6,12 @@ from collections import namedtuple
 import os
 import subprocess
 import re
+import sys
 
-from powerline.config import TMUX_CONFIG_DIRECTORY
+from powerline.config import POWERLINE_ROOT, TMUX_CONFIG_DIRECTORY
 from powerline.lib.config import ConfigLoader
 from powerline import generate_config_finder, load_config, create_logger, PowerlineLogger, finish_common_config
-from powerline.lib.shell import run_cmd
+from powerline.lib.shell import run_cmd, which
 
 
 TmuxVersionInfo = namedtuple('TmuxVersionInfo', ('major', 'minor', 'suffix'))
@@ -119,3 +120,35 @@ def create_powerline_logger(args):
 	common_config = finish_common_config(config['common'])
 	logger = create_logger(common_config)
 	return PowerlineLogger(use_daemon_threads=True, logger=logger, ext='config')
+
+
+def check_command(cmd):
+	if which(cmd):
+		print(cmd)
+		sys.exit(0)
+
+
+def shell_command(pl, args):
+	'''Deduce which command to use for ``powerline``
+
+	Candidates:
+
+	* ``powerline``. Present only when installed system-wide.
+	* ``{powerline_root}/scripts/powerline``. Present after ``pip install -e`` 
+	  was run and C client was compiled (in this case ``pip`` does not install 
+	  binary file).
+	* ``{powerline_root}/client/powerline.sh``. Useful when ``sh``, ``sed`` and 
+	  ``socat`` are present, but ``pip`` or ``setup.py`` was not run.
+	* ``{powerline_root}/client/powerline.py``. Like above, but when one of 
+	  ``sh``, ``sed`` and ``socat`` was not present.
+	* ``powerline-render``. Should not really ever be used.
+	* ``{powerline_root}/scripts/powerline-render``. Same.
+	'''
+	check_command('powerline')
+	check_command(os.path.join(POWERLINE_ROOT, 'scripts', 'powerline'))
+	if which('sh') and which('sed') and which('socat'):
+		check_command(os.path.join(POWERLINE_ROOT, 'client', 'powerline.sh'))
+	check_command(os.path.join(POWERLINE_ROOT, 'client', 'powerline.py'))
+	check_command('powerline-render')
+	check_command(os.path.join(POWERLINE_ROOT, 'scripts', 'powerline-render'))
+	sys.exit(1)
diff --git a/powerline/bindings/fish/powerline-setup.fish b/powerline/bindings/fish/powerline-setup.fish
index 32f50131..89fe9778 100644
--- a/powerline/bindings/fish/powerline-setup.fish
+++ b/powerline/bindings/fish/powerline-setup.fish
@@ -20,12 +20,11 @@ function powerline-setup
 
 	if test -z "$POWERLINE_NO_FISH_PROMPT$POWERLINE_NO_SHELL_PROMPT"
 		if test -z "$POWERLINE_COMMAND"
-			if which powerline >/dev/null
-				set -g -x POWERLINE_COMMAND powerline
-			else if which powerline-render >/dev/null
-				set -g -x POWERLINE_COMMAND powerline-render
+			if false ;and which powerline-config >/dev/null
+				set -g -x POWERLINE_COMMAND (powerline-config shell command)
 			else
-				set -g -x POWERLINE_COMMAND (dirname (status -f))/../../../scripts/powerline
+				set -l powerline_dir (dirname (status -f))/../../..
+				set -g -x POWERLINE_COMMAND (eval $powerline_dir/scripts/powerline-config shell command)
 			end
 		end
 		function --on-variable POWERLINE_COMMAND _powerline_update
diff --git a/powerline/bindings/shell/powerline.sh b/powerline/bindings/shell/powerline.sh
index 6f45ffde..ae5c035f 100644
--- a/powerline/bindings/shell/powerline.sh
+++ b/powerline/bindings/shell/powerline.sh
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+_POWERLINE_SOURCED="$_"
 _powerline_columns_fallback() {
 	if which stty >/dev/null ; then
 		# Ksh does not have “local” built-in
@@ -97,13 +98,11 @@ _powerline_set_set_jobs() {
 
 _powerline_set_command() {
 	if test -z "${POWERLINE_COMMAND}" ; then
-		if which powerline-client >/dev/null ; then
-			export POWERLINE_COMMAND=powerline-client
-		elif which powerline >/dev/null ; then
-			export POWERLINE_COMMAND=powerline
+		if which powerline-config &>/dev/null ; then
+			export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$(powerline-config shell command)"
 		else
-			# `$0` is set to `-bash` when using SSH so that won't work
-			export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$(dirname "$BASH_SOURCE")/../../../scripts/powerline"
+			local powerline_dir="$(dirname "$POWERLINE_SOURCED")/../../.."
+			export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$($powerline_dir/scripts/powerline-config shell command)"
 		fi
 	fi
 }
diff --git a/powerline/bindings/tcsh/powerline.tcsh b/powerline/bindings/tcsh/powerline.tcsh
index 1ff61cb2..69f34a2e 100644
--- a/powerline/bindings/tcsh/powerline.tcsh
+++ b/powerline/bindings/tcsh/powerline.tcsh
@@ -11,12 +11,10 @@ if ! ( $?POWERLINE_NO_TCSH_TMUX_SUPPORT || $?POWERLINE_NO_SHELL_TMUX_SUPPORT ) t
 endif
 if ! ( $?POWERLINE_NO_TCSH_PROMPT || $?POWERLINE_NO_SHELL_PROMPT ) then
 	if ! $?POWERLINE_COMMAND then
-		if ( { which powerline > /dev/null } ) then
-			setenv POWERLINE_COMMAND powerline
-		else if ( { which powerline-render > /dev/null } ) then
-			setenv POWERLINE_COMMAND powerline-render
+		if ( { which powerline-config > /dev/null } ) then
+			setenv POWERLINE_COMMAND "`powerline-config shell command`"
 		else
-			setenv POWERLINE_COMMAND $POWERLINE_SOURCED:h:h:h:h:q/scripts/powerline
+			setenv POWERLINE_COMMAND "`$POWERLINE_SOURCED[2]:h:h:h:h:q/scripts/powerline-config shell command`"
 		endif
 	endif
 
diff --git a/powerline/bindings/zsh/powerline.zsh b/powerline/bindings/zsh/powerline.zsh
index a9717749..5439167a 100644
--- a/powerline/bindings/zsh/powerline.zsh
+++ b/powerline/bindings/zsh/powerline.zsh
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+_POWERLINE_SOURCED="$0:A"
+
 _powerline_columns_fallback() {
 	if which stty &>/dev/null ; then
 		local cols="$(stty size 2>/dev/null)"
@@ -124,12 +126,11 @@ _powerline_setup_prompt() {
 		zpython 'del _powerline_setup'
 	else
 		if test -z "${POWERLINE_COMMAND}" ; then
-			if which powerline &>/dev/null ; then
-				export POWERLINE_COMMAND=powerline
-			elif which powerline-render &>/dev/null ; then
-				export POWERLINE_COMMAND=powerline-render
+			if which powerline-config &>/dev/null ; then
+				export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$(powerline-config shell command)"
 			else
-				export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$0:A:h:h:h:h/scripts/powerline"
+				local powerline_dir="$POWERLINE_SOURCED:h:h:h:h"
+				export POWERLINE_COMMAND="$($powerline_dir/scripts/powerline-config shell command)"
 			fi
 		fi
 
diff --git a/powerline/config.py b/powerline/config.py
index 53e530f4..c895da5e 100644
--- a/powerline/config.py
+++ b/powerline/config.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import, unicode_literals, print_function
 import os
 
-BINDINGS_DIRECTORY = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), 'bindings')
+POWERLINE_ROOT = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+BINDINGS_DIRECTORY = os.path.join(POWERLINE_ROOT, 'powerline', 'bindings')
 TMUX_CONFIG_DIRECTORY = os.path.join(BINDINGS_DIRECTORY, 'tmux')
 DEFAULT_SYSTEM_CONFIG_DIR = None
diff --git a/powerline/lib/shell.py b/powerline/lib/shell.py
index ea777770..4418c3d9 100644
--- a/powerline/lib/shell.py
+++ b/powerline/lib/shell.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
 from locale import getlocale, getdefaultlocale, LC_MESSAGES
 from functools import partial
 import sys
+import os
 
 
 if sys.platform.startswith('win32'):
@@ -60,3 +61,71 @@ def readlines(cmd, cwd):
 	with p.stdout:
 		for line in p.stdout:
 			yield line[:-1].decode(encoding)
+
+
+try:
+	from shutil import which
+except ImportError:
+	# shutil.which was added in python-3.3. Here is what was added:
+	# Lib/shutil.py, commit 5abe28a9c8fe701ba19b1db5190863384e96c798
+	def which(cmd, mode=os.F_OK | os.X_OK, path=None):  # NOQA
+		"""Given a command, mode, and a PATH string, return the path which
+		conforms to the given mode on the PATH, or None if there is no such
+		file.
+
+		`mode` defaults to os.F_OK | os.X_OK. `path` defaults to the result
+		of os.environ.get("PATH"), or can be overridden with a custom search
+		path.
+
+		"""
+		# Check that a given file can be accessed with the correct mode.
+		# Additionally check that `file` is not a directory, as on Windows
+		# directories pass the os.access check.
+		def _access_check(fn, mode):
+			return (os.path.exists(fn) and os.access(fn, mode)
+					and not os.path.isdir(fn))
+
+		# If we're given a path with a directory part, look it up directly rather
+		# than referring to PATH directories. This includes checking relative to the
+		# current directory, e.g. ./script
+		if os.path.dirname(cmd):
+			if _access_check(cmd, mode):
+				return cmd
+			return None
+
+		if path is None:
+			path = os.environ.get("PATH", os.defpath)
+		if not path:
+			return None
+		path = path.split(os.pathsep)
+
+		if sys.platform == "win32":
+			# The current directory takes precedence on Windows.
+			if not os.curdir in path:
+				path.insert(0, os.curdir)
+
+			# PATHEXT is necessary to check on Windows.
+			pathext = os.environ.get("PATHEXT", "").split(os.pathsep)
+			# See if the given file matches any of the expected path extensions.
+			# This will allow us to short circuit when given "python.exe".
+			# If it does match, only test that one, otherwise we have to try
+			# others.
+			if any(cmd.lower().endswith(ext.lower()) for ext in pathext):
+				files = [cmd]
+			else:
+				files = [cmd + ext for ext in pathext]
+		else:
+			# On other platforms you don't have things like PATHEXT to tell you
+			# what file suffixes are executable, so just pass on cmd as-is.
+			files = [cmd]
+
+		seen = set()
+		for dir in path:
+			normdir = os.path.normcase(dir)
+			if not normdir in seen:
+				seen.add(normdir)
+				for thefile in files:
+					name = os.path.join(dir, thefile)
+					if _access_check(name, mode):
+						return name
+		return None
diff --git a/scripts/powerline-config b/scripts/powerline-config
index bcece7e6..2e636437 100755
--- a/scripts/powerline-config
+++ b/scripts/powerline-config
@@ -18,6 +18,11 @@ TMUX_ACTIONS = {
 }
 
 
+SHELL_ACTIONS = {
+	'command': config.shell_command,
+}
+
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
 	parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
 	subparsers = parser.add_subparsers()
@@ -30,6 +35,14 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
 		help='If action is "source" then version-specific tmux configuration files are sourced.'
 	)
 
+	shell_parser = subparsers.add_parser('shell', help='Shell-specific commands')
+	shell_parser.add_argument(
+		'function',
+		choices=tuple(SHELL_ACTIONS.values()),
+		type=(lambda v: SHELL_ACTIONS.get(v)),
+		help='If action is "command" then preferred powerline command is output',
+	)
+
 	args = parser.parse_args()
 
 	pl = config.create_powerline_logger(args)