diff --git a/doc/xml/release.xml b/doc/xml/release.xml
index 1e61b99ac..2f4cd0704 100644
--- a/doc/xml/release.xml
+++ b/doc/xml/release.xml
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@
                 </release-improvement-list>
 
                 <release-development-list>
+                    <release-item>
+                        <p>Set config before <code>Main::main()</code> call to avoid secrets being exposed in a stack trace.</p>
+                    </release-item>
+
                     <release-item>
                         <release-item-contributor-list>
                             <release-item-ideator id="hunley.douglas"/>
diff --git a/lib/pgBackRest/Config/Config.pm b/lib/pgBackRest/Config/Config.pm
index 2b4fdc1fe..56c8d24e2 100644
--- a/lib/pgBackRest/Config/Config.pm
+++ b/lib/pgBackRest/Config/Config.pm
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ sub configLoad
     my $bInitLogging = shift;
     my $strBackRestBin = shift;
     my $strCommandName = shift;
-    my $strConfigJson = shift;
+    my $rstrConfigJson = shift;
 
     # Clear option in case it was loaded before
     %oOption = ();
@@ -100,14 +100,14 @@ sub configLoad
     eval
     {
         # Hacky fix for backslashes that need to be escaped
-        $strConfigJson =~ s/\\/\\\\/g;
+        $$rstrConfigJson =~ s/\\/\\\\/g;
 
-        $rhOption = (JSON::PP->new()->allow_nonref())->decode($strConfigJson);
+        $rhOption = (JSON::PP->new()->allow_nonref())->decode($$rstrConfigJson);
         return true;
     }
     or do
     {
-        confess &log(ASSERT, "$EVAL_ERROR" . (defined($strConfigJson) ? ":\n${strConfigJson}" : "<undef>"));
+        confess &log(ASSERT, "unable to parse config JSON");
     };
 
     # Load options into final option hash
diff --git a/lib/pgBackRest/Main.pm b/lib/pgBackRest/Main.pm
index c84afae35..d6f55d131 100644
--- a/lib/pgBackRest/Main.pm
+++ b/lib/pgBackRest/Main.pm
@@ -24,6 +24,16 @@ use pgBackRest::Config::Config;
 use pgBackRest::Protocol::Helper;
 use pgBackRest::Version;
 
+####################################################################################################################################
+# Set config JSON separately to avoid exposing secrets in the stack trace
+####################################################################################################################################
+my $strConfigJson;
+
+sub configSet
+{
+    $strConfigJson = shift;
+}
+
 ####################################################################################################################################
 # Main entry point for the library
 ####################################################################################################################################
@@ -31,7 +41,6 @@ sub main
 {
     my $strBackRestBin = shift;
     my $strCommand = shift;
-    my $strConfigJson = shift;
     my @stryCommandArg = @_;
 
     ################################################################################################################################
@@ -40,9 +49,9 @@ sub main
     eval
     {
         ############################################################################################################################
-        # Load command line parameters and config
+        # Load command line parameters and config -- pass config by reference to hide secrets more than for efficiency
         ############################################################################################################################
-        configLoad(undef, $strBackRestBin, $strCommand, $strConfigJson);
+        configLoad(undef, $strBackRestBin, $strCommand, \$strConfigJson);
 
         # Set test options
         if (cfgOptionTest(CFGOPT_TEST) && cfgOption(CFGOPT_TEST))
diff --git a/src/perl/exec.c b/src/perl/exec.c
index c227b0c37..c444a0b23 100644
--- a/src/perl/exec.c
+++ b/src/perl/exec.c
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ Constants used to build perl options
 ***********************************************************************************************************************************/
 #define PGBACKREST_MODULE                                           PGBACKREST_NAME "::Main"
 #define PGBACKREST_MAIN                                             PGBACKREST_MODULE "::main"
+#define PGBACKREST_CONFIG_SET                                       PGBACKREST_MODULE "::configSet"
 
 /***********************************************************************************************************************************
 Build list of parameters to use for perl main
@@ -57,8 +58,7 @@ perlMain()
 
     // Construct Perl main call
     String *mainCall = strNewFmt(
-        PGBACKREST_MAIN "('%s','%s','%s'%s)", strPtr(cfgExe()), cfgCommandName(cfgCommand()), strPtr(perlOptionJson()),
-        strPtr(commandParam));
+        PGBACKREST_MAIN "('%s','%s'%s)", strPtr(cfgExe()), cfgCommandName(cfgCommand()), strPtr(commandParam));
 
     return mainCall;
 }
@@ -103,6 +103,9 @@ perlExec()
     PL_exit_flags |= PERL_EXIT_DESTRUCT_END;
     perl_run(my_perl);
 
+    // Set config data -- this is done separately to avoid it being included in stack traces
+    eval_pv(strPtr(strNewFmt(PGBACKREST_CONFIG_SET "('%s')", strPtr(perlOptionJson()))), TRUE);
+
     // Run perl main function
     eval_pv(strPtr(perlMain()), TRUE);
 }                                                                   // {uncoverable - perlExec() does not return}
diff --git a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Env/ConfigEnvTest.pm b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Env/ConfigEnvTest.pm
index c71b08d41..f2a0c903d 100644
--- a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Env/ConfigEnvTest.pm
+++ b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Env/ConfigEnvTest.pm
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ sub configTestLoad
     my @stryArg = $self->commandTestWrite(cfgCommandName($iCommandId), $self->{&CONFIGENVTEST});
     my $strConfigJson = cfgParseTest(backrestBin(), join('|', @stryArg));
     $self->testResult(
-        sub {configLoad(false, backrestBin(), cfgCommandName($iCommandId), $strConfigJson)},
+        sub {configLoad(false, backrestBin(), cfgCommandName($iCommandId), \$strConfigJson)},
         true, 'config load: ' . join(" ", @stryArg));
 }
 
diff --git a/test/src/module/perl/execTest.c b/test/src/module/perl/execTest.c
index 33950c79e..441b67026 100644
--- a/test/src/module/perl/execTest.c
+++ b/test/src/module/perl/execTest.c
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ testRun()
         cfgExeSet(strNew("/path/to/pgbackrest"));
 
         TEST_RESULT_STR(
-            strPtr(perlMain()), "pgBackRest::Main::main('/path/to/pgbackrest','info','{}')", "command with no options");
+            strPtr(perlMain()), "pgBackRest::Main::main('/path/to/pgbackrest','info')", "command with no options");
 
         // -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         cfgOptionValidSet(cfgOptCompress, true);
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ testRun()
 
         TEST_RESULT_STR(
             strPtr(perlMain()),
-            "pgBackRest::Main::main('/path/to/pgbackrest','info','{\"compress\":{\"source\":\"param\",\"value\":true}}','A','B')",
+            "pgBackRest::Main::main('/path/to/pgbackrest','info','A','B')",
             "command with one option and params");
     }