diff --git a/ihaskell.cabal b/ihaskell.cabal
--- a/ihaskell.cabal
+++ b/ihaskell.cabal
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 -- PVP summary:      +-+------- breaking API changes
 --                   | | +----- non-breaking API additions
 --                   | | | +--- code changes with no API change
-version:             0.7.0.2
+version:             0.7.0.3
 
 -- A short (one-line) description of the package.
 synopsis:            A Haskell backend kernel for the IPython project.
diff --git a/main/Main.hs b/main/Main.hs
--- a/main/Main.hs
+++ b/main/Main.hs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 import           System.Directory
 import           System.Process (readProcess, readProcessWithExitCode)
 import           System.Exit (exitSuccess, ExitCode(ExitSuccess))
+import           Control.Exception (try, SomeException)
 import           System.Environment (getArgs)
 #if MIN_VERSION_ghc(7,8,0)
 import           System.Environment (setEnv)
@@ -116,11 +117,14 @@
   dir <- getIHaskellDir
   Stdin.recordKernelProfile dir profile
 
+#if MIN_VERSION_ghc(7,8,0)
   -- Detect if we have stack
-  (exitCode, stackStdout, _) <- readProcessWithExitCode "stack" [] ""
-  let stack = exitCode == ExitSuccess && "The Haskell Tool Stack" `isInfixOf` stackStdout
+  runResult <- try $ readProcessWithExitCode "stack" [] ""
+  let stack = 
+        case runResult :: Either SomeException (ExitCode, String, String) of 
+          Left _ -> False
+          Right (exitCode, stackStdout, _) -> exitCode == ExitSuccess && "The Haskell Tool Stack" `isInfixOf` stackStdout
 
-#if MIN_VERSION_ghc(7,8,0)
   -- If we're in a stack directory, use `stack` to set the environment
   -- We can't do this with base <= 4.6 because setEnv doesn't exist.
   when stack $ do