diff --git a/snapcraft.yaml b/snapcraft.yaml
index aef044ed..51ed7721 100644
--- a/snapcraft.yaml
+++ b/snapcraft.yaml
@@ -11,8 +11,15 @@ apps:
   subiquity:
     command: usr/bin/subiquity-cmd
     environment:
+      # Save original values of environment variables, we want to restore them
+      # for the debug shell (LP: #1975629) and restart (LP: #1978139)
+      PYTHONPATH_ORIG: $PYTHONPATH
+      PATH_ORIG: $PATH
+      PYTHONIOENCODING_ORIG: $PYTHONIOENCODING
       PYTHONIOENCODING: utf-8
+      SUBIQUITY_ROOT_ORIG: $SUBIQUITY_ROOT
       SUBIQUITY_ROOT: $SNAP
+      PYTHON_ORIG: $PYTHON
       PYTHON: $SNAP/usr/bin/python3.8
   probert:
     command: bin/probert
diff --git a/subiquity/client/client.py b/subiquity/client/client.py
index cecd1cc3..f266341b 100644
--- a/subiquity/client/client.py
+++ b/subiquity/client/client.py
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ class SubiquityClient(TuiApplication):
                 cmdline.extend(['--server-pid', self.opts.server_pid])
             log.debug("restarting %r", cmdline)
 
-        os.execvp(cmdline[0], cmdline)
+        os.execvpe(cmdline[0], cmdline, orig_environ(os.environ))
 
     def resp_hook(self, response):
         headers = response.headers
diff --git a/subiquity/server/controllers/refresh.py b/subiquity/server/controllers/refresh.py
index 5cbac3ab..5ef5693f 100644
--- a/subiquity/server/controllers/refresh.py
+++ b/subiquity/server/controllers/refresh.py
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class RefreshController(SubiquityController):
     async def start_update(self, context):
         change = await self.app.snapd.post(
             'v2/snaps/{}'.format(self.snap_name),
-            {'action': 'refresh'})
+            {'action': 'refresh', 'ignore-running': True})
         context.description = "change id: {}".format(change)
         return change