diff --git a/src/env.cpp b/src/env.cpp
index 1a2b3e245..a5d9b8f75 100644
--- a/src/env.cpp
+++ b/src/env.cpp
@@ -347,6 +347,11 @@ void env_init(const struct config_paths_t *paths, bool do_uvars, bool default_pa
     // Set up $IFS - this used to be in share/config.fish, but really breaks if it isn't done.
     vars.set_one(L"IFS", ENV_GLOBAL, L"\n \t");
 
+    // Ensure this var is present even before an interactive command is run so that if it is used
+    // in a function like `fish_prompt` or `fish_right_prompt` it is defined at the time the first
+    // prompt is written.
+    vars.set_one(L"CMD_DURATION", ENV_UNEXPORT, L"0");
+
     // Set up the version variable.
     wcstring version = str2wcstring(get_fish_version());
     vars.set_one(L"version", ENV_GLOBAL, version);
diff --git a/src/reader.cpp b/src/reader.cpp
index 72ba6cefb..4fef7c104 100644
--- a/src/reader.cpp
+++ b/src/reader.cpp
@@ -1391,13 +1391,6 @@ void reader_data_t::exec_prompt() {
 }
 
 void reader_init() {
-    auto &vars = parser_t::principal_parser().vars();
-
-    // Ensure this var is present even before an interactive command is run so that if it is used
-    // in a function like `fish_prompt` or `fish_right_prompt` it is defined at the time the first
-    // prompt is written.
-    vars.set_one(ENV_CMD_DURATION, ENV_UNEXPORT, L"0");
-
     // Save the initial terminal mode.
     tcgetattr(STDIN_FILENO, &terminal_mode_on_startup);