diff --git a/pkg/api/types.go b/pkg/api/types.go
index 7328b459d28..331181df362 100644
--- a/pkg/api/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/types.go
@@ -1353,8 +1353,8 @@ type PodExecOptions struct {
 	// Container in which to execute the command.
 	Container string
 
-	// Command is the remote command to execute
-	Command string
+	// Command is the remote command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell.
+	Command []string
 }
 
 // PodProxyOptions is the query options to a Pod's proxy call
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
index 10573633b16..60210a5eef8 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/conversion.go
@@ -1715,7 +1715,12 @@ func init() {
 			out.Stderr = in.Stderr
 			out.TTY = in.TTY
 			out.Container = in.Container
-			out.Command = in.Command
+			if in.Command != nil {
+				out.Command = make([]string, len(in.Command))
+				for i := range in.Command {
+					out.Command[i] = in.Command[i]
+				}
+			}
 			return nil
 		},
 		func(in *newer.PodExecOptions, out *PodExecOptions, s conversion.Scope) error {
@@ -1727,7 +1732,12 @@ func init() {
 			out.Stderr = in.Stderr
 			out.TTY = in.TTY
 			out.Container = in.Container
-			out.Command = in.Command
+			if in.Command != nil {
+				out.Command = make([]string, len(in.Command))
+				for i := range in.Command {
+					out.Command[i] = in.Command[i]
+				}
+			}
 			return nil
 		},
 		func(in *PodList, out *newer.PodList, s conversion.Scope) error {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1/types.go b/pkg/api/v1/types.go
index cbde94d06b5..dafa218d7d0 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1/types.go
@@ -1339,8 +1339,8 @@ type PodExecOptions struct {
 	// Container in which to execute the command.
 	Container string `json:"container,omitempty" description:"the container in which to execute the command. Defaults to only container if there is only one container in the pod."`
 
-	// Command is the remote command to execute
-	Command string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute"`
+	// Command is the remote command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell.
+	Command []string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell"`
 }
 
 // PodProxyOptions is the query options to a Pod's proxy call
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
index 35e550e0f9c..cec76c88b69 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta1/types.go
@@ -1207,8 +1207,8 @@ type PodExecOptions struct {
 	// Container in which to execute the command.
 	Container string `json:"container,omitempty" description:"the container in which to execute the command. Defaults to only container if there is only one container in the pod."`
 
-	// Command is the remote command to execute
-	Command string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute"`
+	// Command is the remote command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell.
+	Command []string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell"`
 }
 
 // PodProxyOptions is the query options to a Pod's proxy call
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
index 50a849bbac8..8d601d904ae 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta2/types.go
@@ -1227,8 +1227,8 @@ type PodExecOptions struct {
 	// Container in which to execute the command.
 	Container string `json:"container,omitempty" description:"the container in which to execute the command. Defaults to only container if there is only one container in the pod."`
 
-	// Command is the remote command to execute
-	Command string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute"`
+	// Command is the remote command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell.
+	Command []string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell"`
 }
 
 // PodProxyOptions is the query options to a Pod's proxy call
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion.go
index b78c0b53ced..c3ebf70fb15 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta3/conversion.go
@@ -1850,7 +1850,12 @@ func convert_v1beta3_PodExecOptions_To_api_PodExecOptions(in *PodExecOptions, ou
 	out.Stderr = in.Stderr
 	out.TTY = in.TTY
 	out.Container = in.Container
-	out.Command = in.Command
+	if in.Command != nil {
+		out.Command = make([]string, len(in.Command))
+		for i := range in.Command {
+			out.Command[i] = in.Command[i]
+		}
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -1863,7 +1868,12 @@ func convert_api_PodExecOptions_To_v1beta3_PodExecOptions(in *newer.PodExecOptio
 	out.Stderr = in.Stderr
 	out.TTY = in.TTY
 	out.Container = in.Container
-	out.Command = in.Command
+	if in.Command != nil {
+		out.Command = make([]string, len(in.Command))
+		for i := range in.Command {
+			out.Command[i] = in.Command[i]
+		}
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go b/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
index e5b9af7c759..4be4746ab73 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1beta3/types.go
@@ -1339,8 +1339,8 @@ type PodExecOptions struct {
 	// Container in which to execute the command.
 	Container string `json:"container,omitempty" description:"the container in which to execute the command. Defaults to only container if there is only one container in the pod."`
 
-	// Command is the remote command to execute
-	Command string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute"`
+	// Command is the remote command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell.
+	Command []string `json:"command" description:"the command to execute; argv array; not executed within a shell"`
 }
 
 // PodProxyOptions is the query options to a Pod's proxy call
diff --git a/pkg/registry/pod/rest.go b/pkg/registry/pod/rest.go
index cc5d795d4b1..4e2ec94e91c 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/pod/rest.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/pod/rest.go
@@ -261,7 +261,9 @@ func ExecLocation(getter ResourceGetter, connInfo client.ConnectionInfoGetter, c
 	if opts.TTY {
 		params.Add(api.ExecTTYParam, "1")
 	}
-	params.Add("command", opts.Command)
+	for _, c := range opts.Command {
+		params.Add("command", c)
+	}
 	loc := &url.URL{
 		Scheme:   nodeScheme,
 		Host:     fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", nodeHost, nodePort),