diff --git a/js/misc/util.js b/js/misc/util.js
index 748c7b7d5..7c6d11124 100644
--- a/js/misc/util.js
+++ b/js/misc/util.js
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ function spawnApp(argv) {
                                                       Gio.AppInfoCreateFlags.SUPPORTS_STARTUP_NOTIFICATION);
 
         let context = global.create_app_launch_context(0, -1);
-        app.launch([], context);
+        app.launch([], context, false);
     } catch(err) {
         _handleSpawnError(argv[0], err);
     }
diff --git a/js/ui/calendar.js b/js/ui/calendar.js
index ec3732e00..2ed812613 100644
--- a/js/ui/calendar.js
+++ b/js/ui/calendar.js
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ const EventsSection = new Lang.Class({
         let app = this._getCalendarApp();
         if (app.get_id() == 'evolution.desktop')
             app = Gio.DesktopAppInfo.new('evolution-calendar.desktop');
-        app.launch([], global.create_app_launch_context(0, -1));
+        app.launch([], global.create_app_launch_context(0, -1), false);
     },
 
     setDate: function(date) {
diff --git a/js/ui/components/autorunManager.js b/js/ui/components/autorunManager.js
index 90a296161..4fd08f9cc 100644
--- a/js/ui/components/autorunManager.js
+++ b/js/ui/components/autorunManager.js
@@ -64,7 +64,8 @@ function startAppForMount(app, mount) {
 
     try {
         retval = app.launch(files, 
-                            global.create_app_launch_context(0, -1))
+                            global.create_app_launch_context(0, -1),
+                            false)
     } catch (e) {
         log('Unable to launch the application ' + app.get_name()
             + ': ' + e.toString());
diff --git a/js/ui/remoteSearch.js b/js/ui/remoteSearch.js
index efe6bc28d..baeaa1269 100644
--- a/js/ui/remoteSearch.js
+++ b/js/ui/remoteSearch.js
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ const RemoteSearchProvider = new Lang.Class({
         // the provider is not compatible with the new version of the interface, launch
         // the app itself but warn so we can catch the error in logs
         log('Search provider ' + this.appInfo.get_id() + ' does not implement LaunchSearch');
-        this.appInfo.launch([], global.create_app_launch_context(0, -1));
+        this.appInfo.launch([], global.create_app_launch_context(0, -1), false);
     }
 });
 
diff --git a/js/ui/status/network.js b/js/ui/status/network.js
index 9f4293ab7..a9cc4d1e6 100644
--- a/js/ui/status/network.js
+++ b/js/ui/status/network.js
@@ -1501,7 +1501,7 @@ const NMVPNSection = new Lang.Class({
         if (nItems > 1) {
             let appSys = Shell.AppSystem.get_default();
             let app = appSys.lookup_app('gnome-network-panel.desktop');
-            app.launch(0, -1);
+            app.launch(0, -1, false);
         } else {
             let connection = this._connections[0];
             Util.spawnApp(['gnome-control-center', 'network', 'show-device',
diff --git a/src/shell-app.c b/src/shell-app.c
index 7f61dc369..b383d9ca5 100644
--- a/src/shell-app.c
+++ b/src/shell-app.c
@@ -505,7 +505,7 @@ shell_app_activate_full (ShellApp      *app,
       case SHELL_APP_STATE_STOPPED:
         {
           GError *error = NULL;
-          if (!shell_app_launch (app, timestamp, workspace, &error))
+          if (!shell_app_launch (app, timestamp, workspace, FALSE, &error))
             {
               char *msg;
               msg = g_strdup_printf (_("Failed to launch “%s”"), shell_app_get_name (app));
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ shell_app_open_new_window (ShellApp      *app,
    * as say Pidgin.  Ideally, we have the application express to us
    * that it supports an explicit new-window action.
    */
-  shell_app_launch (app, 0, workspace, NULL);
+  shell_app_launch (app, 0, workspace, FALSE, NULL);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1200,12 +1200,14 @@ app_child_setup (gpointer user_data)
  * shell_app_launch:
  * @timestamp: Event timestamp, or 0 for current event timestamp
  * @workspace: Start on this workspace, or -1 for default
+ * @discrete_gpu: Whether to start on the discrete GPU
  * @error: A #GError
  */
 gboolean
 shell_app_launch (ShellApp     *app,
                   guint         timestamp,
                   int           workspace,
+                  gboolean      discrete_gpu,
                   GError      **error)
 {
   ShellGlobal *global;
@@ -1227,6 +1229,8 @@ shell_app_launch (ShellApp     *app,
 
   global = shell_global_get ();
   context = shell_global_create_app_launch_context (global, timestamp, workspace);
+  if (discrete_gpu)
+    g_app_launch_context_setenv (context, "DRI_PRIME", "1");
 
   ret = g_desktop_app_info_launch_uris_as_manager (app->info, NULL,
                                                    context,
diff --git a/src/shell-app.h b/src/shell-app.h
index 7fc582a2a..f02f53a31 100644
--- a/src/shell-app.h
+++ b/src/shell-app.h
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ gboolean shell_app_is_on_workspace (ShellApp *app, MetaWorkspace *workspace);
 gboolean shell_app_launch (ShellApp     *app,
                            guint         timestamp,
                            int           workspace,
+                           gboolean      discrete_gpu,
                            GError      **error);
 
 void shell_app_launch_action (ShellApp        *app,