今手元に texlive 2014 以降があるので、shell_escape で眺めると以下のようになっていて、 ut さんのレポートと一致するようですね。
2014/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8, kpsewhich,makeindex,mpost,repstopdf,
2015/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8,extractbb, kpsewhich,makeindex,mpost,repstopdf,
2016/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8,extractbb,gregorio,kpsewhich,makeindex, repstopdf, texosquery-jre8,
2017/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8,extractbb,gregorio,kpsewhich,makeindex, repstopdf, texosquery-jre8,
2018/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8,extractbb,gregorio,kpsewhich,makeindex, repstopdf, texosquery-jre8,
2019/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8,extractbb,gregorio,kpsewhich,makeindex, repstopdf,r-mpost,texosquery-jre8,
2020/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8,extractbb,gregorio,kpsewhich,makeindex, repstopdf,r-mpost,texosquery-jre8,
2021/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf:shell_escape_commands = bibtex,bibtex8,extractbb,gregorio,kpsewhich,makeindex, repstopdf,r-mpost,texosquery-jre8,