diff --git a/gio/gdbus-2.0/codegen/meson.build b/gio/gdbus-2.0/codegen/meson.build
index 67ea9f2ee..246ad4f3f 100644
--- a/gio/gdbus-2.0/codegen/meson.build
+++ b/gio/gdbus-2.0/codegen/meson.build
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ gdbus_codegen_conf = configuration_data()
 gdbus_codegen_conf.set('VERSION', glib_version)
 gdbus_codegen_conf.set('MAJOR_VERSION', major_version)
 gdbus_codegen_conf.set('MINOR_VERSION', minor_version)
-gdbus_codegen_conf.set('PYTHON', python.full_path())
+gdbus_codegen_conf.set('PYTHON', python_shebang)
 gdbus_codegen_conf.set('DATADIR', glib_datadir)
 
 # Install gdbus-codegen executable
diff --git a/glib/meson.build b/glib/meson.build
index 2522356ee..837960d62 100644
--- a/glib/meson.build
+++ b/glib/meson.build
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ endif
 
 report_conf = configuration_data()
 report_conf.set('GLIB_VERSION', glib_version)
-report_conf.set('PYTHON', python.full_path())
+report_conf.set('PYTHON', python_shebang)
 configure_file(
   input: 'gtester-report.in',
   output: 'gtester-report',
diff --git a/gobject/meson.build b/gobject/meson.build
index 748f72bc1..4bba94c96 100644
--- a/gobject/meson.build
+++ b/gobject/meson.build
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ python_tools = [
 
 python_tools_conf = configuration_data()
 python_tools_conf.set('VERSION', glib_version)
-python_tools_conf.set('PYTHON', python.full_path())
+python_tools_conf.set('PYTHON', python_shebang)
 
 foreach tool: python_tools
   tool_bin = configure_file(
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index f0820909b..484e7e8ed 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -2487,6 +2487,12 @@ glib_conf.set('HAVE_PROC_SELF_CMDLINE', have_proc_self_cmdline)
 
 python = import('python').find_installation()
 
+# Sets the shebang on script files. This has been changed many times including
+# using env, the absolute path to the Python executable, and using both python
+# and python3 names. Please review the history here, prior to suggesting
+# further changes: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/-/merge_requests/439
+python_shebang = '/usr/bin/env python3'
+
 python_version = python.language_version()
 python_version_req = '>=3.7'
 if not python_version.version_compare(python_version_req)