diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs
index 7099b70ba8..07272701f3 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/repl.rs
@@ -268,6 +268,9 @@ fn loop_iteration(ctx: LoopContext) -> (bool, Stack, Reedline) {
     if let Err(err) = engine_state.merge_env(&mut stack, cwd) {
         report_error_new(engine_state, &err);
     }
+    // Check whether $env.NU_USE_IR is set, so that the user can change it in the REPL
+    // Temporary while IR eval is optional
+    stack.use_ir = stack.has_env_var(engine_state, "NU_USE_IR");
     perf!("merge env", start_time, use_color);
 
     start_time = std::time::Instant::now();