diff --git a/newsfragments/4934.feature.rst b/newsfragments/4934.feature.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..96abb169a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/newsfragments/4934.feature.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Restored support for install_scripts --executable (and classic behavior for the executable for those invocations). Instead, build_editable provides the portable form of the executables for downstream installers to rewrite.
diff --git a/setuptools/_distutils/command/build_scripts.py b/setuptools/_distutils/command/build_scripts.py
index 127c51d8dc..b86ee6e6ba 100644
--- a/setuptools/_distutils/command/build_scripts.py
+++ b/setuptools/_distutils/command/build_scripts.py
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ def _copy_script(self, script, outfiles, updated_files):
             log.info("copying and adjusting %s -> %s", script, self.build_dir)
             if not self.dry_run:
                 post_interp = shebang_match.group(1) or ''
-                shebang = f"#!python{post_interp}\n"
+                shebang = "#!" + self.executable + post_interp + "\n"
                 self._validate_shebang(shebang, f.encoding)
                 with open(outfile, "w", encoding=f.encoding) as outf:
                     outf.write(shebang)
diff --git a/setuptools/command/editable_wheel.py b/setuptools/command/editable_wheel.py
index 1a544ec258..917d5f149b 100644
--- a/setuptools/command/editable_wheel.py
+++ b/setuptools/command/editable_wheel.py
@@ -211,6 +211,11 @@ def _configure_build(
         install.install_headers = headers
         install.install_data = data
 
+        # For portability, ensure scripts are built with #!python shebang
+        # pypa/setuptools#4863
+        build_scripts = dist.get_command_obj("build_scripts")
+        build_scripts.executable = 'python'
+
         install_scripts = cast(
             install_scripts_cls, dist.get_command_obj("install_scripts")
         )