diff --git a/mercurial/dispatch.py b/mercurial/dispatch.py
--- a/mercurial/dispatch.py
+++ b/mercurial/dispatch.py
@@ -670,12 +670,8 @@ def _getlocal(ui, rpath, wd=None):
 
     return path, lui
 
-def _checkshellalias(lui, ui, args, precheck=True):
-    """Return the function to run the shell alias, if it is required
-
-    'precheck' is whether this function is invoked before adding
-    aliases or not.
-    """
+def _checkshellalias(lui, ui, args):
+    """Return the function to run the shell alias, if it is required"""
     options = {}
 
     try:
@@ -686,16 +682,11 @@ def _checkshellalias(lui, ui, args, prec
     if not args:
         return
 
-    if precheck:
-        strict = True
-        cmdtable = commands.table.copy()
-        addaliases(lui, cmdtable)
-    else:
-        strict = False
-        cmdtable = commands.table
+    cmdtable = commands.table
 
     cmd = args[0]
     try:
+        strict = ui.configbool("ui", "strict")
         aliases, entry = cmdutil.findcmd(cmd, cmdtable, strict)
     except (error.AmbiguousCommand, error.UnknownCommand):
         return
@@ -745,12 +736,6 @@ def _dispatch(req):
     rpath = _earlygetopt(["-R", "--repository", "--repo"], args)
     path, lui = _getlocal(ui, rpath)
 
-    # Now that we're operating in the right directory/repository with
-    # the right config settings, check for shell aliases
-    shellaliasfn = _checkshellalias(lui, ui, args)
-    if shellaliasfn:
-        return shellaliasfn()
-
     # Configure extensions in phases: uisetup, extsetup, cmdtable, and
     # reposetup. Programs like TortoiseHg will call _dispatch several
     # times so we keep track of configured extensions in _loaded.
@@ -772,13 +757,11 @@ def _dispatch(req):
 
     addaliases(lui, commands.table)
 
-    if not lui.configbool("ui", "strict"):
-        # All aliases and commands are completely defined, now.
-        # Check abbreviation/ambiguity of shell alias again, because shell
-        # alias may cause failure of "_parse" (see issue4355)
-        shellaliasfn = _checkshellalias(lui, ui, args, precheck=False)
-        if shellaliasfn:
-            return shellaliasfn()
+    # All aliases and commands are completely defined, now.
+    # Check abbreviation/ambiguity of shell alias.
+    shellaliasfn = _checkshellalias(lui, ui, args)
+    if shellaliasfn:
+        return shellaliasfn()
 
     # check for fallback encoding
     fallback = lui.config('ui', 'fallbackencoding')
diff --git a/tests/test-pager.t b/tests/test-pager.t
--- a/tests/test-pager.t
+++ b/tests/test-pager.t
@@ -177,3 +177,15 @@ even though stdout is no longer a tty.
   paged! 'date:        Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000\n'
   paged! 'summary:     modify a 8\n'
   paged! '\n'
+
+Pager works with shell aliases.
+
+  $ cat >> $HGRCPATH <<EOF
+  > [alias]
+  > echoa = !echo a
+  > EOF
+
+  $ hg echoa
+  a
+  $ hg --config pager.attend-echoa=yes echoa
+  paged! 'a\n'