diff --git a/packages/shell-api/src/helpers.spec.ts b/packages/shell-api/src/helpers.spec.ts
index d23939054..2661bea90 100644
--- a/packages/shell-api/src/helpers.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/shell-api/src/helpers.spec.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import sinon from 'ts-sinon';
 import chai, { expect } from 'chai';
 import { EventEmitter } from 'events';
 import sinonChai from 'sinon-chai';
+import { stub } from 'sinon';
 chai.use(sinonChai);
 
 const fakeConfigDb = makeFakeConfigDatabase(
@@ -129,6 +130,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
   const testServer = startSharedTestServer();
 
   let mongo: Mongo;
+  let db: Database;
   let configDatabase: Database;
   let serviceProvider: ServiceProvider;
   let inBalancerRound = false;
@@ -150,6 +152,11 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
     configDatabase = new Database(mongo, 'config_test');
     expect(configDatabase.getName()).to.equal('config_test');
 
+    db = {
+      _maybeCachedHello: stub().returns({ msg: 'isdbgrid' }),
+      getSiblingDB: stub().withArgs('config').returns(configDatabase),
+    } as unknown as Database;
+
     const origRunCommandWithCheck = serviceProvider.runCommandWithCheck;
     serviceProvider.runCommandWithCheck = async (db, cmd) => {
       if (cmd.hello) {
@@ -186,7 +193,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
   });
 
   it('returns an object with sharding information', async function () {
-    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
     expect(status.shardingVersion.clusterId).to.be.instanceOf(bson.ObjectId);
     expect(status.shards.map(({ host }: { host: string }) => host)).to.include(
       'shard01/localhost:27018,localhost:27019,localhost:27020'
@@ -213,7 +220,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
       'upgradeState',
     ]) {
       it(`does not show ${hiddenField} in shardingVersion`, async function () {
-        const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+        const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
         expect((status.shardingVersion as any)[hiddenField]).to.equal(
           undefined
         );
@@ -224,19 +231,19 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
   it('returns whether the balancer is currently running', async function () {
     {
       inBalancerRound = true;
-      const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, true);
+      const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, true);
       expect(status.balancer['Currently running']).to.equal('yes');
     }
 
     {
       inBalancerRound = false;
-      const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, true);
+      const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, true);
       expect(status.balancer['Currently running']).to.equal('no');
     }
   });
 
   it('returns an object with verbose sharding information if requested', async function () {
-    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, true);
+    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, true);
     expect((status['most recently active mongoses'][0] as any).up).to.be.a(
       'number'
     );
@@ -250,7 +257,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
       _id: 'balancer',
       activeWindow: { start: '00:00', stop: '23:59' },
     });
-    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
     expect(status.balancer['Balancer active window is set between']).to.equal(
       '00:00 and 23:59 server local time'
     );
@@ -266,7 +273,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
       what: 'balancer.round',
       ns: '',
     });
-    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
     expect(
       status.balancer['Failed balancer rounds in last 5 attempts']
     ).to.equal(1);
@@ -280,7 +287,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
       ts: new bson.ObjectId('5fce116c579db766a198a176'),
       when: new Date('2020-12-07T11:26:36.803Z'),
     });
-    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
     expect(
       status.balancer['Collections with active migrations']
     ).to.have.lengthOf(1);
@@ -295,7 +302,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
       what: 'moveChunk.from',
       details: { from: 'shard0', to: 'shard1', note: 'success' },
     });
-    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
     expect(
       status.balancer['Migration Results for the last 24 hours']
     ).to.deep.equal({ 1: 'Success' });
@@ -307,7 +314,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
       what: 'moveChunk.from',
       details: { from: 'shard0', to: 'shard1', errmsg: 'oopsie' },
     });
-    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+    const status = await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
 
     expect(
       status.balancer['Migration Results for the last 24 hours']
@@ -317,7 +324,7 @@ describe('getPrintableShardStatus', function () {
   it('fails when config.version is empty', async function () {
     await configDatabase.getCollection('version').drop();
     try {
-      await getPrintableShardStatus(configDatabase, false);
+      await getPrintableShardStatus(db, false);
     } catch (err: any) {
       expect(err.name).to.equal('MongoshInvalidInputError');
       return;