diff --git a/app/appshell/app-menu.ts b/app/appshell/app-menu.ts
index e0a8b4a5f0a..a08906cc2b6 100644
--- a/app/appshell/app-menu.ts
+++ b/app/appshell/app-menu.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ interface MenuItemOptions extends Electron.MenuItemOptions {}
 import * as _ from "lodash";
 import * as assert from "assert";
 import { Menu } from "electron";
-import * as main from "../shell";
+import * as shell from "./shell";
 
 const menuTemplate: MenuItemOptions[] = [];
 
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ export function addMenuItem(
             type: isSeparator ? "separator" : "normal",
             id,
             label: title,
-            click: () => main.getMainWindow().webContents.send("executeCommand", id)
+            click: () => shell.getMainWindow().webContents.send("executeCommand", id)
         };
 
         if (key) {
diff --git a/app/appshell/index.ts b/app/appshell/index.ts
index 802acf71d25..c5c3733d64d 100644
--- a/app/appshell/index.ts
+++ b/app/appshell/index.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { remote } from "electron";
 
 const app = _.extend({}, require("./app"), remote.require("./appshell/app-menu"));
 const fs = _.extend({}, require("fs-extra"), require("./fs-additions"));
+const shell = remote.require("./appshell/shell");
 
 // prevent using this alias, rather use .remove
 delete fs.delete;
@@ -13,4 +14,4 @@ delete fs.delete;
 fs.ensureDir(app.getExtensionsFolder());
 
 // this needs to be node-require style export
-module.exports = { app, fs, inElectron: true };
+module.exports = { app, fs, shell, inElectron: true };
diff --git a/app/appshell/shell.ts b/app/appshell/shell.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6cd7b187dca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/appshell/shell.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+/* eslint-env node */
+
+import { BrowserWindow } from "electron";
+
+export function getMainWindow(): Electron.BrowserWindow {
+    const wins = BrowserWindow.getAllWindows();
+    if (wins.length > 1) {
+        console.warn(`getMainWindow() -> ${wins.length} windows open`);
+    }
+    return wins[0];
+}
+
+export function getProcessArgv() {
+    return process.argv;
+}
diff --git a/app/index.ts b/app/index.ts
index ab5f8c33bac..4209bd7edd8 100644
--- a/app/index.ts
+++ b/app/index.ts
@@ -3,5 +3,5 @@
 import { handleStartupEvent } from "./squirrel-event-handler";
 
 if (!handleStartupEvent()) {
-    require("./shell");
+    require("./main");
 }
diff --git a/app/shell.ts b/app/main.ts
similarity index 98%
rename from app/shell.ts
rename to app/main.ts
index d56b7f52cc8..4888c958d57 100644
--- a/app/shell.ts
+++ b/app/main.ts
@@ -156,10 +156,6 @@ app.on("ready", function () {
     setLoggerWindow(win);
 });
 
-export function getMainWindow() {
-    return wins[0];
-};
-
 export function restart(query: {} | string) {
     while (wins.length > 0) {
         const win = wins.shift();