diff --git a/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py b/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py
index 9bfd8408b..4b304d3ed 100644
--- a/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py
+++ b/backend/src/hatchling/builders/wheel.py
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@
 
 TIME_TUPLE = tuple[int, int, int, int, int, int]
 
+# The Linux kernel only reads the first BINPRM_BUF_SIZE (256) bytes of a shebang
+# line, so anything longer cannot be a functional shebang and is left untouched.
+MAX_SHEBANG_LENGTH = 256
+
 
 class FileSelectionOptions(NamedTuple):
     include: list[str]
@@ -162,6 +166,10 @@ def add_shared_file(self, shared_file: IncludedFile) -> tuple[str, str, str]:
         shared_file.distribution_path = f"{self.shared_data_directory}/data/{shared_file.distribution_path}"
         return self.add_file(shared_file)
 
+    def add_shared_script(self, shared_script: IncludedFile) -> tuple[str, str, str]:
+        shared_script.distribution_path = f"{self.shared_data_directory}/scripts/{shared_script.distribution_path}"
+        return self.add_file(shared_script)
+
     def add_extra_metadata_file(self, extra_metadata_file: IncludedFile) -> tuple[str, str, str]:
         extra_metadata_file.distribution_path = (
             f"{self.metadata_directory}/extra_metadata/{extra_metadata_file.distribution_path}"
@@ -681,24 +689,28 @@ def add_shared_scripts(self, archive: WheelArchive, records: RecordFile, build_d
 
         for shared_script in self.recurse_explicit_files(shared_scripts):
             with open(shared_script.path, "rb") as f:
-                content = BytesIO()
-                for line in f:
-                    # Ignore leading blank lines
-                    if not line.strip():
-                        continue
+                prefix = f.read(2)
 
-                    match = shebang.match(line)
-                    if match is None:
-                        content.write(line)
+                # A shebang is only honored on the first line starting at the very
+                # first byte, so anything else is kept as is.
+                if prefix != b"#!":
+                    record = archive.add_shared_script(shared_script)
+                else:
+                    line = prefix + f.readline(MAX_SHEBANG_LENGTH - len(prefix))
+                    if len(line) == MAX_SHEBANG_LENGTH and not line.endswith(b"\n"):
+                        # The line is too long to be a functional shebang.
+                        record = archive.add_shared_script(shared_script)
+                    elif (match := shebang.match(line)) is None:
+                        record = archive.add_shared_script(shared_script)
                     else:
+                        content = BytesIO()
                         content.write(b"#!python")
                         if remaining := match.group(1):
                             content.write(remaining)
+                        content.write(f.read())
 
-                    content.write(f.read())
-                    break
+                        record = archive.write_shared_script(shared_script, content.getvalue())
 
-            record = archive.write_shared_script(shared_script, content.getvalue())
             records.write(record)
 
     def add_sboms(self, archive: WheelArchive, records: RecordFile, build_data: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py b/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py
index ecc59a08b..f9c737fbb 100644
--- a/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py
+++ b/tests/backend/builders/test_wheel.py
@@ -2088,7 +2088,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts(self, hatch, platform, helpers, temp_dir, config
         (shared_data_path / "other_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/bin/sh arg1 arg2
                 echo "Hello, World!"
                 """
@@ -2097,7 +2096,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts(self, hatch, platform, helpers, temp_dir, config
         (shared_data_path / "python_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/usr/bin/env python3.11 arg1 arg2
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """
@@ -2106,7 +2104,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts(self, hatch, platform, helpers, temp_dir, config
         (shared_data_path / "pythonw_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/usr/bin/pythonw3.11 arg1 arg2
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """
@@ -2115,7 +2112,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts(self, hatch, platform, helpers, temp_dir, config
         (shared_data_path / "pypy_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/usr/bin/env pypy
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """
@@ -2124,7 +2120,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts(self, hatch, platform, helpers, temp_dir, config
         (shared_data_path / "pypyw_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!pypyw3.11 arg1 arg2
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """
@@ -2199,7 +2194,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts_from_build_data(self, hatch, platform, helpers,
         (shared_data_path / "other_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/bin/sh arg1 arg2
                 echo "Hello, World!"
                 """
@@ -2208,7 +2202,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts_from_build_data(self, hatch, platform, helpers,
         (shared_data_path / "python_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/usr/bin/env python3.11 arg1 arg2
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """
@@ -2217,7 +2210,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts_from_build_data(self, hatch, platform, helpers,
         (shared_data_path / "pythonw_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/usr/bin/pythonw3.11 arg1 arg2
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """
@@ -2226,7 +2218,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts_from_build_data(self, hatch, platform, helpers,
         (shared_data_path / "pypy_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!/usr/bin/env pypy
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """
@@ -2235,7 +2226,6 @@ def test_default_shared_scripts_from_build_data(self, hatch, platform, helpers,
         (shared_data_path / "pypyw_script.sh").write_text(
             helpers.dedent(
                 """
-
                 #!pypyw3.11 arg1 arg2
                 print("Hello, World!")
                 """