diff --git a/app/env_test.go b/app/env_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 6791f3a1..00000000
--- a/app/env_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,89 +0,0 @@
-package app_test
-
-import (
-	"log"
-	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
-
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-const (
-	testEnvName = "tctl-test-env"
-)
-
-func (s *cliAppSuite) TestSetEnvValue() {
-	defer setupConfig(s.app)()
-
-	err := s.app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".address", "0.0.0.0:00000"})
-	s.NoError(err)
-
-	config := readConfig()
-	s.Contains(config, "tctl-test-env:")
-	s.Contains(config, "address: 0.0.0.0:00000")
-	s.Contains(config, "namespace: tctl-test-namespace")
-}
-
-func (s *cliAppSuite) TestDeleteEnvProperty() {
-	defer setupConfig(s.app)()
-
-	err := s.app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".address", "1.2.3.4:5678"})
-	s.NoError(err)
-
-	err = s.app.Run([]string{"", "env", "delete", testEnvName + ".address"})
-	s.NoError(err)
-
-	config := readConfig()
-	s.Contains(config, "tctl-test-env:")
-	s.Contains(config, "namespace: tctl-test-namespace")
-	s.NotContains(config, "address: 1.2.3.4:5678")
-}
-
-func (s *cliAppSuite) TestDeleteEnv() {
-	defer setupConfig(s.app)()
-
-	err := s.app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".address", "1.2.3.4:5678"})
-	s.NoError(err)
-
-	err = s.app.Run([]string{"", "env", "delete", testEnvName})
-	s.NoError(err)
-
-	config := readConfig()
-	s.NotContains(config, "tctl-test-env:")
-	s.NotContains(config, "namespace: tctl-test-namespace")
-	s.NotContains(config, "address: 1.2.3.4:5678")
-}
-
-func setupConfig(app *cli.App) func() {
-	err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".namespace", "tctl-test-namespace"})
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	return func() {
-		err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "delete", testEnvName})
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Printf("unable to unset test env: %s", err)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-func readConfig() string {
-	path := getConfigPath()
-	content, err := os.ReadFile(path)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	return string(content)
-}
-
-func getConfigPath() string {
-	dpath, err := os.UserHomeDir()
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	path := filepath.Join(dpath, ".config", "temporalio", "temporal.yaml")
-
-	return path
-}
diff --git a/env/env.go b/env/env.go
index 8771f36b..162345b8 100644
--- a/env/env.go
+++ b/env/env.go
@@ -213,6 +213,13 @@ func loadEnv(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
+	if env == config.DefaultEnv {
+		if envV := ClientConfig.Env(env); envV == nil {
+			// ignore if default env is not defined (ex. has been removed)
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+
 	for _, flag := range cmd.Flags {
 		name := flag.Names()[0]
 
diff --git a/tests/env_test.go b/tests/env_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..73192e56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/env_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+package tests
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+
+	"github.com/temporalio/tctl-kit/pkg/config"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+const (
+	testEnvName = "tctl-test-env"
+)
+
+func (s *e2eSuite) TestSetEnvValue() {
+	testserver, app, _ := s.setUpTestEnvironment()
+	defer func() {
+		_ = testserver.Stop()
+	}()
+
+	cleanup := setupConfig(s, app)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".address", "0.0.0.0:00000"})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	cfg := readConfig(s)
+	s.Contains(cfg, "tctl-test-env:")
+	s.Contains(cfg, "address: 0.0.0.0:00000")
+	s.Contains(cfg, "namespace: tctl-test-namespace")
+}
+
+func (s *e2eSuite) TestDeleteEnvProperty() {
+	testserver, app, _ := s.setUpTestEnvironment()
+	defer func() {
+		_ = testserver.Stop()
+	}()
+
+	cleanup := setupConfig(s, app)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".address", "1.2.3.4:5678"})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	err = app.Run([]string{"", "env", "delete", testEnvName + ".address"})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	cfg := readConfig(s)
+	s.Contains(cfg, "tctl-test-env:")
+	s.Contains(cfg, "namespace: tctl-test-namespace")
+	s.NotContains(cfg, "address: 1.2.3.4:5678")
+}
+
+func (s *e2eSuite) TestDeleteEnv() {
+	testserver, app, _ := s.setUpTestEnvironment()
+	defer func() {
+		_ = testserver.Stop()
+	}()
+
+	cleanup := setupConfig(s, app)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".address", "1.2.3.4:5678"})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	err = app.Run([]string{"", "env", "delete", testEnvName})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	cfg := readConfig(s)
+	s.NotContains(cfg, "tctl-test-env:")
+	s.NotContains(cfg, "namespace: tctl-test-namespace")
+	s.NotContains(cfg, "address: 1.2.3.4:5678")
+}
+
+func (s *e2eSuite) TestDeleteEnv_Default() {
+	testserver, app, _ := s.setUpTestEnvironment()
+	defer func() {
+		_ = testserver.Stop()
+	}()
+
+	cleanup := setupConfig(s, app)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".address", "1.2.3.4:5678"})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	err = app.Run([]string{"", "env", "delete", config.DefaultEnv})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	cfg := readConfig(s)
+	s.NotContains(cfg, "default:")
+
+	err = app.Run([]string{"", "workflow", "list"})
+	s.NoError(err)
+}
+
+func setupConfig(s *e2eSuite, app *cli.App) func() {
+	err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "set", testEnvName + ".namespace", "tctl-test-namespace"})
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	return func() {
+		err := app.Run([]string{"", "env", "delete", testEnvName})
+		s.NoError(err, "unable to unset test env")
+	}
+}
+
+func readConfig(s *e2eSuite) string {
+	path := getConfigPath(s)
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	return string(content)
+}
+
+func getConfigPath(s *e2eSuite) string {
+	dpath, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	s.NoError(err)
+
+	path := filepath.Join(dpath, ".config", "temporalio", "temporal.yaml")
+
+	return path
+}