diff --git a/cli/cli_app.go b/cli/cli_app.go
index 049791cca..fb39c0c59 100644
--- a/cli/cli_app.go
+++ b/cli/cli_app.go
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ func runTerragrunt(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	return runTerraformCommand(terragruntOptions)
+	return shell.RunTerraformCommand(terragruntOptions, terragruntOptions.TerraformCliArgs...)
 }
 
 // Returns true if the command the user wants to execute is supposed to affect multiple Terraform modules, such as the
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ func downloadModules(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions) error {
 			return err
 		}
 		if shouldDownload {
-			return shell.RunShellCommand(terragruntOptions, terragruntOptions.TerraformPath, "get", "-update")
+			return shell.RunTerraformCommand(terragruntOptions, "get", "-update")
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -314,16 +314,6 @@ func outputAll(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions) error {
 	return stack.Output(terragruntOptions)
 }
 
-// Run the given Terraform command
-func runTerraformCommand(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions) error {
-	return shell.RunShellCommand(terragruntOptions, terragruntOptions.TerraformPath, terragruntOptions.TerraformCliArgs...)
-}
-
-// Run the given Terraform command and return the stdout as a string
-func runTerraformCommandAndCaptureOutput(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions) (string, error) {
-	return shell.RunShellCommandAndCaptureOutput(terragruntOptions, terragruntOptions.TerraformPath, terragruntOptions.TerraformCliArgs...)
-}
-
 // Custom error types
 
 var DontManuallyConfigureRemoteState = fmt.Errorf("Instead of manually using the 'remote config' command, define your remote state settings in %s and Terragrunt will automatically configure it for you (and all your team members) next time you run it.", config.DefaultTerragruntConfigPath)
diff --git a/cli/download_source.go b/cli/download_source.go
index 88274ac1b..d9ad2715b 100644
--- a/cli/download_source.go
+++ b/cli/download_source.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
+	"github.com/gruntwork-io/terragrunt/shell"
 )
 
 // This struct represents information about Terraform source code that needs to be downloaded
@@ -348,11 +349,6 @@ func getTerraformSourceUrl(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions, terragr
 func terraformInit(terraformSource *TerraformSource, terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions) error {
 	terragruntOptions.Logger.Printf("Downloading Terraform configurations from %s into %s", terraformSource.CanonicalSourceURL, terraformSource.DownloadDir)
 
-	terragruntInitOptions := terragruntOptions.Clone(terragruntOptions.TerragruntConfigPath)
-
 	// Backend and get configuration will be handled separately
-	terragruntInitOptions.TerraformCliArgs = []string{"init", "-backend=false", "-get=false"}
-	terragruntInitOptions.TerraformCliArgs = append(terragruntInitOptions.TerraformCliArgs, terraformSource.CanonicalSourceURL.String(), terraformSource.DownloadDir)
-
-	return runTerraformCommand(terragruntInitOptions)
+	return shell.RunTerraformCommand(terragruntOptions, "init", "-backend=false", "-get=false", terraformSource.CanonicalSourceURL.String(), terraformSource.DownloadDir)
 }
diff --git a/cli/version_check.go b/cli/version_check.go
index bd8705afa..9ed32437c 100644
--- a/cli/version_check.go
+++ b/cli/version_check.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gruntwork-io/terragrunt/options"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-version"
 	"regexp"
+	"github.com/gruntwork-io/terragrunt/shell"
 )
 
 // The terraform --version output is of the format: Terraform v0.9.3
@@ -38,10 +39,7 @@ func checkTerraformVersionMeetsConstraint(currentVersion *version.Version, const
 
 // Get the currently installed version of Terraform
 func getTerraformVersion(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions) (*version.Version, error) {
-	terragruntOptionsCopy := terragruntOptions.Clone(terragruntOptions.TerragruntConfigPath)
-	terragruntOptionsCopy.TerraformCliArgs = []string{"--version"}
-
-	output, err := runTerraformCommandAndCaptureOutput(terragruntOptionsCopy)
+	output, err := shell.RunTerraformCommandAndCaptureOutput(terragruntOptions, "--version")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/remote/remote_state.go b/remote/remote_state.go
index b4b0ba75a..c71a8b35a 100644
--- a/remote/remote_state.go
+++ b/remote/remote_state.go
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func (remoteState RemoteState) ConfigureRemoteState(terragruntOptions *options.T
 		}
 
 		terragruntOptions.Logger.Printf("Configuring remote state for the %s backend", remoteState.Backend)
-		return shell.RunShellCommand(terragruntOptions, terragruntOptions.TerraformPath, initCommand(remoteState)...)
+		return shell.RunTerraformCommand(terragruntOptions, initCommand(remoteState)...)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/shell/run_shell_cmd.go b/shell/run_shell_cmd.go
index 6b537ac3e..e6d281bc0 100644
--- a/shell/run_shell_cmd.go
+++ b/shell/run_shell_cmd.go
@@ -14,6 +14,16 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gruntwork-io/terragrunt/options"
 )
 
+// Run the given Terraform command
+func RunTerraformCommand(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions, args ...string) error {
+	return RunShellCommand(terragruntOptions, terragruntOptions.TerraformPath, args...)
+}
+
+// Run the given Terraform command and return the stdout as a string
+func RunTerraformCommandAndCaptureOutput(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions, args ...string) (string, error) {
+	return RunShellCommandAndCaptureOutput(terragruntOptions, terragruntOptions.TerraformPath, args...)
+}
+
 // Run the specified shell command with the specified arguments. Connect the command's stdin, stdout, and stderr to
 // the currently running app.
 func RunShellCommand(terragruntOptions *options.TerragruntOptions, command string, args ...string) error {