diff --git a/plugins/bookmarks b/plugins/bookmarks
index 614b20f2..65670cd5 100755
--- a/plugins/bookmarks
+++ b/plugins/bookmarks
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@
 # Shell: POSIX compliant
 # Author: Todd Yamakawa
 
-BOOKMARKS_DIR="${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/nnn/bookmarks"
+if [ -z "$BOOKMARKS_DIR" ]; then
+  BOOKMARKS_DIR="${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/nnn/bookmarks"
+fi
 
 # Check if NNN_PIPE is set
 if [ -z "$NNN_PIPE" ]; then