diff --git a/bin/pyenv-virtualenv-init b/bin/pyenv-virtualenv-init
index 634ce6f..138fb48 100755
--- a/bin/pyenv-virtualenv-init
+++ b/bin/pyenv-virtualenv-init
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ EOS
       return \$ret
     fi
     if [ "\${PWD}" = "\${_PYENV_VH_PWD-}" ] \\
-      && [ "\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} \${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} 2>/dev/null)" = "\${_PYENV_VH_MTIMES-}" ]; then
+      && [ "\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} "\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS[@]}" 2>/dev/null)" = "\${_PYENV_VH_MTIMES-}" ]; then
       return \$ret
     fi
   fi
@@ -227,25 +227,25 @@ EOS
   _PYENV_VH_VERSION="\${PYENV_VERSION-}"
   _PYENV_VH_VENV="\${VIRTUAL_ENV-}"
   local _pvh_d="\${PWD}" _pvh_found_local=0
-  _PYENV_VH_PATHS=""
+  _PYENV_VH_PATHS=()
   while :; do
     if [ -f "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ] || [ -L "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ]; then
-      _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${_pvh_d}/.python-version"
+      _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${_pvh_d}/.python-version")
       if [ -f "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ]; then 
         _pvh_found_local=1
         break
       fi
     else
-      _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${_pvh_d}"
+      _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${_pvh_d}")
     fi
     [ "\${_pvh_d}" = "/" ] && break
     _pvh_d="\${_pvh_d%/*}"
     [ -z "\${_pvh_d}" ] && _pvh_d="/"
   done
   if [ "\${_pvh_found_local}" = "0" ]; then
-    _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${PYENV_ROOT}/version"
+    _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${PYENV_ROOT}/version")
   fi
-  _PYENV_VH_MTIMES="\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} \${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} 2>/dev/null)"
+  _PYENV_VH_MTIMES="\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} "\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS[@]}" 2>/dev/null)"
   return \$ret
 };
 EOS
diff --git a/test/init.bats b/test/init.bats
index 1b942cf..2aacc8f 100644
--- a/test/init.bats
+++ b/test/init.bats
@@ -39,16 +39,6 @@ load test_helper
   assert_output_contains 'eval "$(pyenv virtualenv-init -)"'
 }
 
-@test "generated hook code is valid POSIX sh" {
-  # Get output directly to avoid bats env affecting shell detection
-  # The bash output should be POSIX sh-compatible (no bash arrays, etc.)
-  output=$(bash bin/pyenv-virtualenv-init - bash 2>/dev/null)
-  # Validate syntax with dash (POSIX sh)
-  result=$(echo "$output" | dash -n - 2>&1)
-  status=$?
-  [ $status -eq 0 ] || echo "dash failed: $result" >&2
-}
-
 @test "fish instructions" {
   run pyenv-virtualenv-init fish
   assert [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
@@ -71,7 +61,7 @@ _pyenv_virtualenv_hook() {
       return \$ret
     fi
     if [ "\${PWD}" = "\${_PYENV_VH_PWD-}" ] \\
-      && [ "\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} \${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} 2>/dev/null)" = "\${_PYENV_VH_MTIMES-}" ]; then
+      && [ "\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} "\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS[@]}" 2>/dev/null)" = "\${_PYENV_VH_MTIMES-}" ]; then
       return \$ret
     fi
   fi
@@ -84,25 +74,25 @@ _pyenv_virtualenv_hook() {
   _PYENV_VH_VERSION="\${PYENV_VERSION-}"
   _PYENV_VH_VENV="\${VIRTUAL_ENV-}"
   local _pvh_d="\${PWD}" _pvh_found_local=0
-  _PYENV_VH_PATHS=""
+  _PYENV_VH_PATHS=()
   while :; do
     if [ -f "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ] || [ -L "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ]; then
-      _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${_pvh_d}/.python-version"
+      _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${_pvh_d}/.python-version")
       if [ -f "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ]; then 
         _pvh_found_local=1
         break
       fi
     else
-      _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${_pvh_d}"
+      _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${_pvh_d}")
     fi
     [ "\${_pvh_d}" = "/" ] && break
     _pvh_d="\${_pvh_d%/*}"
     [ -z "\${_pvh_d}" ] && _pvh_d="/"
   done
   if [ "\${_pvh_found_local}" = "0" ]; then
-    _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${PYENV_ROOT}/version"
+    _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${PYENV_ROOT}/version")
   fi
-  _PYENV_VH_MTIMES="\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} \${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} 2>/dev/null)"
+  _PYENV_VH_MTIMES="\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} "\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS[@]}" 2>/dev/null)"
   return \$ret
 };
 if ! [[ "\${PROMPT_COMMAND-}" =~ _pyenv_virtualenv_hook ]]; then
@@ -182,7 +172,7 @@ _pyenv_virtualenv_hook() {
       return \$ret
     fi
     if [ "\${PWD}" = "\${_PYENV_VH_PWD-}" ] \\
-      && [ "\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} \${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} 2>/dev/null)" = "\${_PYENV_VH_MTIMES-}" ]; then
+      && [ "\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} "\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS[@]}" 2>/dev/null)" = "\${_PYENV_VH_MTIMES-}" ]; then
       return \$ret
     fi
   fi
@@ -195,25 +185,25 @@ _pyenv_virtualenv_hook() {
   _PYENV_VH_VERSION="\${PYENV_VERSION-}"
   _PYENV_VH_VENV="\${VIRTUAL_ENV-}"
   local _pvh_d="\${PWD}" _pvh_found_local=0
-  _PYENV_VH_PATHS=""
+  _PYENV_VH_PATHS=()
   while :; do
     if [ -f "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ] || [ -L "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ]; then
-      _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${_pvh_d}/.python-version"
+      _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${_pvh_d}/.python-version")
       if [ -f "\${_pvh_d}/.python-version" ]; then 
         _pvh_found_local=1
         break
       fi
     else
-      _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${_pvh_d}"
+      _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${_pvh_d}")
     fi
     [ "\${_pvh_d}" = "/" ] && break
     _pvh_d="\${_pvh_d%/*}"
     [ -z "\${_pvh_d}" ] && _pvh_d="/"
   done
   if [ "\${_pvh_found_local}" = "0" ]; then
-    _PYENV_VH_PATHS="\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} \${PYENV_ROOT}/version"
+    _PYENV_VH_PATHS+=("\${PYENV_ROOT}/version")
   fi
-  _PYENV_VH_MTIMES="\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} \${_PYENV_VH_PATHS} 2>/dev/null)"
+  _PYENV_VH_MTIMES="\$(stat ${_stat_fmt} "\${_PYENV_VH_PATHS[@]}" 2>/dev/null)"
   return \$ret
 };
 typeset -g -a precmd_functions