diff --git a/cli/consumer_command.go b/cli/consumer_command.go
index e1dcd859..d36004e1 100644
--- a/cli/consumer_command.go
+++ b/cli/consumer_command.go
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import (
 	"math"
 	"math/rand"
 	"os"
-	"os/exec"
 	"os/signal"
 	"regexp"
 	"sort"
@@ -561,11 +560,6 @@ func (c *consumerCmd) leaderStandDownAction(_ *fisk.ParseContext) error {
 }
 
 func (c *consumerCmd) interactiveEdit(cfg api.ConsumerConfig) (*api.ConsumerConfig, error) {
-	editor := os.Getenv("EDITOR")
-	if editor == "" {
-		return &api.ConsumerConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("set EDITOR environment variable to your chosen editor")
-	}
-
 	cj, err := decoratedYamlMarshal(cfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return &api.ConsumerConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("could not create temporary file: %s", err)
@@ -584,14 +578,9 @@ func (c *consumerCmd) interactiveEdit(cfg api.ConsumerConfig) (*api.ConsumerConf
 
 	tfile.Close()
 
-	cmd := exec.Command(editor, tfile.Name())
-	cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
-	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
-	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
-
-	err = cmd.Run()
+	err = iu.EditFile(tfile.Name())
 	if err != nil {
-		return &api.ConsumerConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("could not create temporary file: %s", err)
+		return &api.ConsumerConfig{}, err
 	}
 
 	nb, err := os.ReadFile(tfile.Name())
diff --git a/cli/context_command.go b/cli/context_command.go
index af48a417..355d810c 100644
--- a/cli/context_command.go
+++ b/cli/context_command.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"os/exec"
 	"os/user"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
@@ -234,11 +233,6 @@ socks_proxy: {{ .SocksProxy | t }}
 `
 
 func (c *ctxCommand) editCommand(pc *fisk.ParseContext) error {
-	editor := os.Getenv("EDITOR")
-	if editor == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("set EDITOR environment variable to your chosen editor")
-	}
-
 	if !natscontext.IsKnown(c.name) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unknown context %q", c.name)
 	}
@@ -247,7 +241,7 @@ func (c *ctxCommand) editCommand(pc *fisk.ParseContext) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	editFile := path
+	editFp := path
 
 	var ctx *natscontext.Context
 
@@ -286,21 +280,16 @@ func (c *ctxCommand) editCommand(pc *fisk.ParseContext) error {
 		}
 		f.Close()
 
-		editFile = f.Name()
+		editFp = f.Name()
 	}
 
-	cmd := exec.Command(editor, editFile)
-	cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
-	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
-	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
-
-	err = cmd.Run()
+	err = iu.EditFile(editFp)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if path != editFile {
-		yctx, err := os.ReadFile(editFile)
+	if path != editFp {
+		yctx, err := os.ReadFile(editFp)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("could not read temporary copy: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -332,7 +321,7 @@ func (c *ctxCommand) editCommand(pc *fisk.ParseContext) error {
 	err = c.showCommand(pc)
 	if err != nil {
 		// but not if the file was already corrupt and we are editing the json directly
-		if path == editFile {
+		if path == editFp {
 			return err
 		}
 
diff --git a/cli/errors_command.go b/cli/errors_command.go
index a8c05d44..dbc4314f 100644
--- a/cli/errors_command.go
+++ b/cli/errors_command.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"os/exec"
 	"regexp"
 	"sort"
 	"strconv"
@@ -28,6 +27,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/fatih/color"
 	"github.com/nats-io/jsm.go/schemas"
 	"github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2/server"
+	iu "github.com/nats-io/natscli/internal/util"
 )
 
 type errCmd struct {
@@ -122,10 +122,6 @@ func (c *errCmd) listAction(_ *fisk.ParseContext) error {
 }
 
 func (c *errCmd) editAction(pc *fisk.ParseContext) error {
-	if os.Getenv("EDITOR") == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("EDITOR variable is not set")
-	}
-
 	errs, err := c.loadErrors(nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -162,15 +158,12 @@ func (c *errCmd) editAction(pc *fisk.ParseContext) error {
 	tfile.Write(fj)
 	tfile.Close()
 
-	for {
-		cmd := exec.Command(os.Getenv("EDITOR"), tfile.Name())
-		cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
-		cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
-		cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+	fp := tfile.Name()
 
-		err = cmd.Run()
+	for {
+		err = iu.EditFile(fp)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("could not edit error: %s", err)
+			return err
 		}
 
 		eb, err := os.ReadFile(tfile.Name())
diff --git a/cli/stream_command.go b/cli/stream_command.go
index fa6ca129..b25becdd 100644
--- a/cli/stream_command.go
+++ b/cli/stream_command.go
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"math"
 	"os"
-	"os/exec"
 	"os/signal"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"sort"
@@ -1793,11 +1792,6 @@ func (c *streamCmd) copyAndEditStream(cfg api.StreamConfig, pc *fisk.ParseContex
 }
 
 func (c *streamCmd) interactiveEdit(cfg api.StreamConfig) (api.StreamConfig, error) {
-	editor := os.Getenv("EDITOR")
-	if editor == "" {
-		return api.StreamConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("set EDITOR environment variable to your chosen editor")
-	}
-
 	cj, err := decoratedYamlMarshal(cfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return api.StreamConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("could not create temporary file: %s", err)
@@ -1816,14 +1810,9 @@ func (c *streamCmd) interactiveEdit(cfg api.StreamConfig) (api.StreamConfig, err
 
 	tfile.Close()
 
-	cmd := exec.Command(editor, tfile.Name())
-	cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
-	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
-	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
-
-	err = cmd.Run()
+	err = iu.EditFile(tfile.Name())
 	if err != nil {
-		return api.StreamConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("could not create temporary file: %s", err)
+		return api.StreamConfig{}, err
 	}
 
 	nb, err := os.ReadFile(tfile.Name())
diff --git a/internal/util/util.go b/internal/util/util.go
index b6d25732..2de121ce 100644
--- a/internal/util/util.go
+++ b/internal/util/util.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"math"
 	"os"
+	"os/exec"
 	"reflect"
 	"regexp"
 	"sort"
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
 	"github.com/dustin/go-humanize"
+	"github.com/google/shlex"
 	"github.com/guptarohit/asciigraph"
 	"github.com/nats-io/jsm.go"
 	"github.com/nats-io/nats.go"
@@ -430,3 +432,41 @@ func ProgressWidth() int {
 func JSONString(s string) string {
 	return "\"" + s + "\""
 }
+
+// Split the string into a command and its arguments.
+func SplitCommand(s string) (string, []string, error) {
+	cmdAndArgs, err := shlex.Split(s)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", nil, err
+	}
+
+	cmd := cmdAndArgs[0]
+	args := cmdAndArgs[1:]
+	return cmd, args, nil
+}
+
+// Edit the file at filepath f using the environment variable EDITOR command.
+func EditFile(f string) error {
+	rawEditor := os.Getenv("EDITOR")
+	if rawEditor == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("set EDITOR environment variable to your chosen editor")
+	}
+
+	editor, args, err := SplitCommand(rawEditor)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("could not parse EDITOR: %v", rawEditor)
+	}
+
+	args = append(args, f)
+	cmd := exec.Command(editor, args...)
+	cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
+	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
+	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+
+	err = cmd.Run()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("could not edit file %v: %s", f, err)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/util/util_test.go b/internal/util/util_test.go
index 24c02db1..402d2169 100644
--- a/internal/util/util_test.go
+++ b/internal/util/util_test.go
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@
 package util
 
 import (
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
 
@@ -34,3 +38,83 @@ func TestMultipleSort(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected true")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSplitCommand(t *testing.T) {
+	cmd, args, err := SplitCommand("vim")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected err to be nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if cmd != "vim" && len(args) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected vim and [], got %v and %v", cmd, args)
+	}
+
+	cmd, args, err = SplitCommand("code --wait")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected err to be nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if cmd != "code" && !slices.Equal(args, []string{"--wait"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected code and [\"--wait\"], got %v and %v", cmd, args)
+	}
+
+	cmd, args, err = SplitCommand("code --wait --new-window")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected err to be nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if cmd != "code" && !slices.Equal(args, []string{"--wait", "--new-window"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected code and [\"--wait\", \"--new-window\"], got %v and %v", cmd, args)
+	}
+
+	// EOF found when expecting closing quote
+	_, _, err = SplitCommand("foo --bar 'hello")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Expected err to not be nil, got nil")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEditFile(t *testing.T) {
+	r, w, _ := os.Pipe()
+	os.Stdout = w
+	defer r.Close()
+	defer w.Close()
+
+	f, err := os.CreateTemp("", "test_edit_file")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected err to be nil, got %v", err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	defer os.Remove(f.Name())
+
+	t.Run("EDITOR unset", func(t *testing.T) {
+		os.Unsetenv("EDITOR")
+		err := EditFile("")
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("Expected err to not be nil, got nil")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("EDITOR set", func(t *testing.T) {
+		os.Setenv("EDITOR", "echo")
+		err := EditFile(f.Name())
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Expected err to be nil, got %v", err)
+		}
+
+		w.Close()
+		stdout, err := io.ReadAll(r)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Expected err to be nil, got %v", err)
+		}
+		r.Close()
+
+		actual := string(stdout)
+		lines := strings.Split(actual, "\n")
+
+		if len(lines) != 2 || lines[1] != "" {
+			t.Fatalf("Expected one line of output, got %v", actual)
+		}
+
+		if !strings.Contains(lines[0], "test_edit_file") {
+			t.Fatalf("Expected echo output, got %v", actual)
+		}
+	})
+}