diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 2f92437ee..6fac8b9c6 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 # Changes in GAP.jl
 
+- Remove the GAP user preference `IncludeJuliaStartupFile`
+  that was used to control whether `~/.julia/config/startup.jl`
+  gets included by Julia when GAP is started together with Julia
+  via a `gap.sh` script.
+  In this situation, one can now use the environment variable
+  `JULIA_STARTUP_FILE_IN_GAP`;
+  if its value is `yes` then the startup file gets included, otherwise not.
+
 ## Version 0.11.1 (released 2024-06-06)
 
 - Optimize conversion from `UInt` to `GapObj`
diff --git a/pkg/JuliaInterface/gap/JuliaInterface.gd b/pkg/JuliaInterface/gap/JuliaInterface.gd
index 777fe2ded..bdd5c6cc4 100644
--- a/pkg/JuliaInterface/gap/JuliaInterface.gd
+++ b/pkg/JuliaInterface/gap/JuliaInterface.gd
@@ -86,9 +86,6 @@
 #!  <URL><Link>https://github.com/oscar-system/GAP.jl</Link>
 #!  <LinkText>the &Julia; package <C>GAP.jl</C></LinkText></URL>,
 #!  hence it can be found there.
-#!
-#! @Section User preferences in the <Package>JuliaInterface</Package> package
-#! @InsertChunk IncludeJuliaStartupFile
 
 #! @Chapter Using &Julia; from &GAP;
 #! @Section Filters for <Package>JuliaInterface</Package>
diff --git a/pkg/JuliaInterface/init.g b/pkg/JuliaInterface/init.g
index c53e98aca..bf91cc98c 100644
--- a/pkg/JuliaInterface/init.g
+++ b/pkg/JuliaInterface/init.g
@@ -4,93 +4,9 @@
 # Reading the declaration part of the package.
 #
 
-#! @BeginChunk IncludeJuliaStartupFile
-#!  <Subsection Label="subsect:IncludeJuliaStartupFile">
-#!  <Heading>User preference <C>IncludeJuliaStartupFile</C></Heading>
-#!  <Index Key="IncludeJuliaStartupFile"><C>IncludeJuliaStartupFile</C></Index>
-#!
-#!  When one starts an interactive &Julia; session,
-#!  the &Julia; startup file <F>~/.julia/config/startup.jl</F> gets
-#!  included automatically by default,
-#!  see <URL><Link>https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/stdlib/REPL</Link>
-#!  <LinkText>the section <Q>The Julia REPL</Q> in the &Julia; documentation</LinkText></URL>.
-#!  Hence the effects of this inclusion can be used in a &GAP; session
-#!  which one gets via the following input.
-#!  <Listing Type="Julia">using GAP; GAP.prompt()</Listing>
-#!  <P/>
-#!  However,
-#!  this &Julia; startup file is <E>not</E> included into &Julia; by default
-#!  when &GAP; gets started via the <F>gap.sh</F> script that is created
-#!  during the installation of &GAP; (controlled by &Julia;).
-#!  <P/>
-#!  The user preference <C>IncludeJuliaStartupFile</C> can be used to
-#!  force that the startup file gets included also in the latter situation,
-#!  as follows.
-#!  <P/>
-#!  If the value is <K>true</K> then the file
-#!  <F>~/.julia/config/startup.jl</F>
-#!  gets included into &Julia; after startup.
-#!  If the value is a nonempty string that is the name of a directory
-#!  then the <F>startup.jl</F> file in this directory gets included into
-#!  &Julia;.
-#!  Otherwise (this is the default) no <F>startup.jl</F> file will be
-#!  included automatically.
-#!  </Subsection>
-#! @EndChunk IncludeJuliaStartupFile
-##
-DeclareUserPreference( rec(
-    package:= "JuliaInterface",
-    name:= "IncludeJuliaStartupFile",
-    description:= [
-      "If the value is 'true' then the file '~/.julia/config/startup.jl'",
-      "gets included into Julia after startup.",
-      "If the value is a nonempty string that is the name of a directory",
-      "then the 'startup.jl' file in this directory gets imported into",
-      "Julia.",
-      "Otherwise no 'startup.jl' file will be imported automatically,",
-      "since apparently 'libjulia' does not import such a file.",
-    ],
-    default:= "",
-    ) );
-
 LoadDynamicModule(_path_JuliaInterface_so);
 Unbind(_path_JuliaInterface_so);
 
-
-##
-##  Import the 'startup.jl' file if wanted.
-##
-CallFuncList( function()
-    local dir, filename, res;
-
-    if JuliaEvalString( "Int64(Base.JLOptions().startupfile)" ) <> 2 then
-      # Julia has already read the file, do not read it again.
-      return;
-    fi;
-
-    dir:= UserPreference( "JuliaInterface", "IncludeJuliaStartupFile" );
-    if dir = true then
-      filename:= Filename( DirectoryHome(), ".julia/config/startup.jl" );
-    elif IsString( dir ) and dir <> "" then
-      filename:= Filename( Directory( dir ), "startup.jl" );
-    else
-      return;
-    fi;
-
-    if IsReadableFile( filename ) then
-      res:= JuliaEvalString(
-                Concatenation( "try include( \"", filename, "\" ); ",
-                    "; return true; catch e; return e; end" ) );
-      if res = true then
-        return;
-      fi;
-    fi;
-
-    Info( InfoWarning, 1,
-          "The file '", filename, "' cannot be included by Julia." );
-    end, [] );
-
-
 ReadPackage( "JuliaInterface", "gap/JuliaInterface.gd");
 
 ReadPackage( "JuliaInterface", "gap/convert.gd" );
diff --git a/src/setup.jl b/src/setup.jl
index 1b52a5ce7..8b829c125 100644
--- a/src/setup.jl
+++ b/src/setup.jl
@@ -286,7 +286,13 @@ function create_gap_sh(dstdir::String)
         # But you can always instead load this file as if it was a .jl file via any
         # other Julia executable.
         #=
-        exec $(joinpath(Sys.BINDIR, Base.julia_exename())) --startup-file=no --project=$(dstdir) -i -- "$(gap_sh_path)" "\$@"
+        if [ "\$JULIA_STARTUP_FILE_IN_GAP" = "yes" ]
+        then
+            READ_STARTUP_FILE="yes"
+        else
+            READ_STARTUP_FILE="no"
+        fi
+        exec $(joinpath(Sys.BINDIR, Base.julia_exename())) --startup-file=\$READ_STARTUP_FILE --project=$(dstdir) -i -- "$(gap_sh_path)" "\$@"
         =#
 
         # pass command line arguments to GAP.jl via a small hack