diff --git a/lib/client/api.go b/lib/client/api.go
index da2382162d683..af5dd6051800a 100644
--- a/lib/client/api.go
+++ b/lib/client/api.go
@@ -327,9 +327,9 @@ type Config struct {
 	// SessionID is a session ID to use when opening a new session.
 	SessionID string
 
-	// extraEnvs contains additional environment variables that will be added
+	// ExtraEnvs contains additional environment variables that will be added
 	// to SSH session.
-	extraEnvs map[string]string
+	ExtraEnvs map[string]string
 
 	// InteractiveCommand tells tsh to launch a remote exec command in interactive mode,
 	// i.e. attaching the terminal to it.
@@ -3039,7 +3039,7 @@ func (tc *TeleportClient) newSessionEnv() map[string]string {
 		env[sshutils.SessionEnvVar] = tc.SessionID
 	}
 
-	for key, val := range tc.extraEnvs {
+	for key, val := range tc.ExtraEnvs {
 		env[key] = val
 	}
 	return env
diff --git a/lib/client/client.go b/lib/client/client.go
index 3c88cb88b71ed..aa6a06cf015bd 100644
--- a/lib/client/client.go
+++ b/lib/client/client.go
@@ -620,10 +620,10 @@ func (c *NodeClient) RunCommand(ctx context.Context, command []string, opts ...R
 // AddEnv add environment variable to SSH session. This method needs to be called
 // before the session is created.
 func (c *NodeClient) AddEnv(key, value string) {
-	if c.TC.extraEnvs == nil {
-		c.TC.extraEnvs = make(map[string]string)
+	if c.TC.ExtraEnvs == nil {
+		c.TC.ExtraEnvs = make(map[string]string)
 	}
-	c.TC.extraEnvs[key] = value
+	c.TC.ExtraEnvs[key] = value
 }
 
 func (c *NodeClient) handleGlobalRequests(ctx context.Context, requestCh <-chan *ssh.Request) {
diff --git a/tool/tsh/common/options.go b/tool/tsh/common/options.go
index 6ce01d7d2fbd3..3fd748e95af8b 100644
--- a/tool/tsh/common/options.go
+++ b/tool/tsh/common/options.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ var supportedOptions = map[string]setOption{
 	"RequestTTY":                       setRequestTTYOption,
 	"RhostsRSAAuthentication":          nil,
 	"RSAAuthentication":                nil,
-	"SendEnv":                          nil,
+	"SendEnv":                          setSendEnvOption,
 	"ServerAliveInterval":              nil,
 	"ServerAliveCountMax":              nil,
 	"StreamLocalBindMask":              nil,
@@ -157,6 +157,9 @@ type Options struct {
 	// ForwardX11Timeout specifies a timeout in seconds after which X11 forwarding
 	// attempts will be rejected when in untrusted forwarding mode.
 	ForwardX11Timeout time.Duration
+
+	// SendEnvVariables is a list of local environment variables to send to remote host.
+	SendEnvVariables []string
 }
 
 type setOption func(*Options, string) error
@@ -227,6 +230,11 @@ func setRequestTTYOption(o *Options, val string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func setSendEnvOption(o *Options, val string) error {
+	o.SendEnvVariables = append(o.SendEnvVariables, val)
+	return nil
+}
+
 func setStrictHostKeyCheckingOption(o *Options, val string) error {
 	parsedValue, err := parseBoolOption(val)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/tool/tsh/common/tsh.go b/tool/tsh/common/tsh.go
index a3171c6bbdf56..84f17512a45b2 100644
--- a/tool/tsh/common/tsh.go
+++ b/tool/tsh/common/tsh.go
@@ -4498,6 +4498,9 @@ func loadClientConfigFromCLIConf(cf *CLIConf, proxy string) (*client.Config, err
 		logger.InfoContext(ctx, "X11 forwarding is not properly configured, continuing without it", "error", err)
 	}
 
+	// send variables from user env
+	setEnvVariables(c, options)
+
 	// If the caller does not want to check host keys, pass in a insecure host
 	// key checker.
 	if !options.StrictHostKeyChecking {
@@ -4574,6 +4577,20 @@ func loadClientConfigFromCLIConf(cf *CLIConf, proxy string) (*client.Config, err
 	return c, nil
 }
 
+// setEnvVariables configures extra env variables to send in client config based on the requested options.
+// We match OpenSSH behavior: if the requested env var is not set (os.LookupEnv return false), we won't send it.
+func setEnvVariables(c *client.Config, options Options) {
+	if c.ExtraEnvs == nil {
+		c.ExtraEnvs = map[string]string{}
+	}
+	for _, variable := range options.SendEnvVariables {
+		value, found := os.LookupEnv(variable)
+		if found {
+			c.ExtraEnvs[variable] = value
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func initClientStore(cf *CLIConf, proxy string) (*client.Store, error) {
 	switch {
 	case cf.IdentityFileIn != "":
diff --git a/tool/tsh/common/tsh_test.go b/tool/tsh/common/tsh_test.go
index 2db166e61f5d9..189cdabf61b3b 100644
--- a/tool/tsh/common/tsh_test.go
+++ b/tool/tsh/common/tsh_test.go
@@ -7174,3 +7174,46 @@ func TestSCP(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSetEnvVariables(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name              string
+		envVars           map[string]string
+		sendEnvVariables  []string
+		expectedExtraEnvs map[string]string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "Skip unset var",
+			envVars: map[string]string{
+				"TEST_VAR1": "value1",
+				"TEST_VAR2": "value2",
+			},
+			sendEnvVariables: []string{"TEST_VAR1", "TEST_VAR2", "UNSET_VAR"},
+			expectedExtraEnvs: map[string]string{
+				"TEST_VAR1": "value1",
+				"TEST_VAR2": "value2",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:              "Sending empty var",
+			envVars:           map[string]string{"EMPTY_VAR": ""},
+			sendEnvVariables:  []string{"EMPTY_VAR"},
+			expectedExtraEnvs: map[string]string{"EMPTY_VAR": ""},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			for k, v := range tc.envVars {
+				t.Setenv(k, v)
+			}
+
+			c := &client.Config{}
+			options := Options{SendEnvVariables: tc.sendEnvVariables}
+
+			setEnvVariables(c, options)
+
+			require.Equal(t, tc.expectedExtraEnvs, c.ExtraEnvs)
+		})
+	}
+}