diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index ec7a8d3..67d36ba 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ members = [
     "crates/llm/ollama",
     "crates/platform/config",
     "crates/platform/permissions",
+    "crates/tools/bash",
     "crates/tools/fs",
 ]
 resolver = "2"
diff --git a/crates/app/cli/Cargo.toml b/crates/app/cli/Cargo.toml
index d5c7d26..f9e306b 100644
--- a/crates/app/cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/app/cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ serde_json = "1"
 color-eyre = "0.6"
 llm-ollama = { path = "../../llm/ollama" }
 tools-fs = { path = "../../tools/fs" }
+tools-bash = { path = "../../tools/bash" }
 config-agent = { package = "config-agent", path = "../../platform/config" }
 permissions = { path = "../../platform/permissions" }
 futures-util = "0.3.31"
diff --git a/crates/app/cli/src/main.rs b/crates/app/cli/src/main.rs
index 50a2241..9944e3b 100644
--- a/crates/app/cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/app/cli/src/main.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ enum Cmd {
     Grep { root: String, pattern: String },
     Write { path: String, content: String },
     Edit { path: String, old_string: String, new_string: String },
+    Bash { command: String, #[arg(long)] timeout: Option<u64> },
 }
 
 #[derive(Parser, Debug)]
@@ -143,6 +144,42 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
                     }
                 }
             }
+            Cmd::Bash { command, timeout } => {
+                // Check permission with command context for pattern matching
+                match perms.check(Tool::Bash, Some(&command)) {
+                    PermissionDecision::Allow => {
+                        let mut session = tools_bash::BashSession::new().await?;
+                        let output = session.execute(&command, timeout).await?;
+
+                        // Print stdout
+                        if !output.stdout.is_empty() {
+                            print!("{}", output.stdout);
+                        }
+
+                        // Print stderr to stderr
+                        if !output.stderr.is_empty() {
+                            eprint!("{}", output.stderr);
+                        }
+
+                        session.close().await?;
+
+                        // Exit with same code as command
+                        if !output.success {
+                            std::process::exit(output.exit_code);
+                        }
+
+                        return Ok(());
+                    }
+                    PermissionDecision::Ask => {
+                        return Err(eyre!(
+                            "Permission denied: Bash operation requires approval. Use --mode code to allow."
+                        ));
+                    }
+                    PermissionDecision::Deny => {
+                        return Err(eyre!("Permission denied: Bash operation is blocked."));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/crates/app/cli/tests/permissions.rs b/crates/app/cli/tests/permissions.rs
index 2c33bcb..000cb91 100644
--- a/crates/app/cli/tests/permissions.rs
+++ b/crates/app/cli/tests/permissions.rs
@@ -148,3 +148,32 @@ fn code_mode_allows_all_operations() {
 
     assert_eq!(fs::read_to_string(&file).unwrap(), "modified content");
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn plan_mode_blocks_bash_operations() {
+    // Bash operation should be blocked in plan mode (default)
+    let mut cmd = Command::new(assert_cmd::cargo::cargo_bin!("owlen"));
+    cmd.arg("bash").arg("echo hello");
+    cmd.assert().failure();
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn code_mode_allows_bash() {
+    // Bash operation should work in code mode
+    let mut cmd = Command::new(assert_cmd::cargo::cargo_bin!("owlen"));
+    cmd.arg("--mode").arg("code").arg("bash").arg("echo hello");
+    cmd.assert().success().stdout("hello\n");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn bash_command_timeout_works() {
+    // Test that timeout works
+    let mut cmd = Command::new(assert_cmd::cargo::cargo_bin!("owlen"));
+    cmd.arg("--mode")
+        .arg("code")
+        .arg("bash")
+        .arg("sleep 10")
+        .arg("--timeout")
+        .arg("1000");
+    cmd.assert().failure();
+}
diff --git a/crates/tools/bash/Cargo.toml b/crates/tools/bash/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c9792a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/tools/bash/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+[package]
+name = "tools-bash"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition.workspace = true
+license.workspace = true
+rust-version.workspace = true
+
+[dependencies]
+tokio = { version = "1.39", features = ["process", "io-util", "time", "sync"] }
+color-eyre = "0.6"
+tempfile = "3.23.0"
+
+[dev-dependencies]
+tokio = { version = "1.39", features = ["macros", "rt-multi-thread"] }
diff --git a/crates/tools/bash/src/lib.rs b/crates/tools/bash/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fd9426b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/tools/bash/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+use color_eyre::eyre::{Result, eyre};
+use std::process::Stdio;
+use tokio::io::{AsyncBufReadExt, AsyncWriteExt, BufReader};
+use tokio::process::{Child, Command};
+use tokio::sync::Mutex;
+use tokio::time::{timeout, Duration};
+
+const MAX_OUTPUT_LINES: usize = 2000;
+const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS: u64 = 120000; // 2 minutes
+const COMMAND_DELIMITER: &str = "___OWLEN_CMD_END___";
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct CommandOutput {
+    pub stdout: String,
+    pub stderr: String,
+    pub exit_code: i32,
+    pub success: bool,
+}
+
+pub struct BashSession {
+    child: Mutex<Child>,
+}
+
+impl BashSession {
+    /// Create a new persistent bash session
+    pub async fn new() -> Result<Self> {
+        let child = Command::new("bash")
+            .arg("--norc")
+            .arg("--noprofile")
+            .stdin(Stdio::piped())
+            .stdout(Stdio::piped())
+            .stderr(Stdio::piped())
+            .kill_on_drop(true)
+            .spawn()?;
+
+        // Verify the process started
+        if child.stdin.is_none() || child.stdout.is_none() || child.stderr.is_none() {
+            return Err(eyre!("Failed to capture bash process stdio"));
+        }
+
+        Ok(Self {
+            child: Mutex::new(child),
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Execute a command in the persistent bash session
+    ///
+    /// # Arguments
+    /// * `command` - The bash command to execute
+    /// * `timeout_ms` - Optional timeout in milliseconds (default: 2 minutes)
+    pub async fn execute(&mut self, command: &str, timeout_ms: Option<u64>) -> Result<CommandOutput> {
+        let timeout_duration = Duration::from_millis(timeout_ms.unwrap_or(DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS));
+
+        let result = timeout(timeout_duration, self.execute_internal(command)).await;
+
+        match result {
+            Ok(output) => output,
+            Err(_) => Err(eyre!("Command timed out after {}ms", timeout_duration.as_millis())),
+        }
+    }
+
+    async fn execute_internal(&mut self, command: &str) -> Result<CommandOutput> {
+        let mut child = self.child.lock().await;
+
+        // Take ownership of stdio handles
+        let mut stdin = child.stdin.take().ok_or_else(|| eyre!("No stdin"))?;
+        let stdout = child.stdout.take().ok_or_else(|| eyre!("No stdout"))?;
+        let stderr = child.stderr.take().ok_or_else(|| eyre!("No stderr"))?;
+
+        // Write command with delimiter and exit code capture
+        let full_command = format!(
+            "{}\necho $? > /tmp/owlen_exit_code_$$.tmp\necho '{}'\n",
+            command, COMMAND_DELIMITER
+        );
+        stdin.write_all(full_command.as_bytes()).await?;
+        stdin.flush().await?;
+
+        // Read stdout until delimiter
+        let mut stdout_reader = BufReader::new(stdout);
+        let mut stdout_lines = Vec::new();
+        let mut line = String::new();
+
+        loop {
+            line.clear();
+            let n = stdout_reader.read_line(&mut line).await?;
+            if n == 0 {
+                return Err(eyre!("Bash process terminated unexpectedly"));
+            }
+
+            if line.trim() == COMMAND_DELIMITER {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            stdout_lines.push(line.clone());
+
+            // Truncate if too many lines
+            if stdout_lines.len() > MAX_OUTPUT_LINES {
+                stdout_lines.push("<<<...output truncated...>>>\n".to_string());
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Read stderr (non-blocking, best effort)
+        let mut stderr_reader = BufReader::new(stderr);
+        let mut stderr_lines = Vec::new();
+        let mut stderr_line = String::new();
+
+        // Try to read stderr without blocking indefinitely
+        while let Ok(result) = timeout(Duration::from_millis(100), stderr_reader.read_line(&mut stderr_line)).await {
+            match result {
+                Ok(n) if n > 0 => {
+                    stderr_lines.push(stderr_line.clone());
+                    stderr_line.clear();
+
+                    if stderr_lines.len() > MAX_OUTPUT_LINES {
+                        stderr_lines.push("<<<...stderr truncated...>>>\n".to_string());
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+                _ => break,
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Read exit code
+        let exit_code_cmd = "cat /tmp/owlen_exit_code_$$.tmp 2>/dev/null; rm -f /tmp/owlen_exit_code_$$.tmp\n";
+        stdin.write_all(exit_code_cmd.as_bytes()).await?;
+        stdin.flush().await?;
+
+        let mut exit_line = String::new();
+        stdout_reader.read_line(&mut exit_line).await?;
+
+        let exit_code: i32 = exit_line.trim().parse().unwrap_or(0);
+
+        // Restore stdio handles
+        child.stdin = Some(stdin);
+        child.stdout = Some(stdout_reader.into_inner());
+        child.stderr = Some(stderr_reader.into_inner());
+
+        Ok(CommandOutput {
+            stdout: stdout_lines.join(""),
+            stderr: stderr_lines.join(""),
+            exit_code,
+            success: exit_code == 0,
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Close the bash session
+    pub async fn close(self) -> Result<()> {
+        let mut child = self.child.into_inner();
+
+        if let Some(mut stdin) = child.stdin.take() {
+            let _ = stdin.write_all(b"exit\n").await;
+            let _ = stdin.flush().await;
+        }
+
+        let _ = child.wait().await?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn can_create_session() {
+        let session = BashSession::new().await;
+        assert!(session.is_ok());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/tools/bash/tests/bash_session.rs b/crates/tools/bash/tests/bash_session.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..792e7c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/tools/bash/tests/bash_session.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+use tools_bash::BashSession;
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bash_persists_env_between_calls() {
+    let mut session = BashSession::new().await.unwrap();
+
+    // Set an environment variable
+    let output1 = session.execute("export TEST_VAR=hello", None).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(output1.success);
+
+    // Verify it persists in next command
+    let output2 = session.execute("echo $TEST_VAR", None).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(output2.success);
+    assert!(output2.stdout.contains("hello"));
+
+    session.close().await.unwrap();
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bash_persists_cwd_between_calls() {
+    let mut session = BashSession::new().await.unwrap();
+
+    // Change to /tmp
+    let output1 = session.execute("cd /tmp", None).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(output1.success);
+
+    // Verify cwd persists
+    let output2 = session.execute("pwd", None).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(output2.success);
+    assert!(output2.stdout.trim().ends_with("/tmp"));
+
+    session.close().await.unwrap();
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bash_command_timeout() {
+    let mut session = BashSession::new().await.unwrap();
+
+    // Command that sleeps for 5 seconds, but with 1 second timeout
+    let result = session.execute("sleep 5", Some(1000)).await;
+
+    assert!(result.is_err());
+    let err_msg = result.unwrap_err().to_string();
+    assert!(err_msg.contains("timeout") || err_msg.contains("timed out"));
+
+    session.close().await.unwrap();
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bash_output_truncation() {
+    let mut session = BashSession::new().await.unwrap();
+
+    // Generate a lot of output
+    let output = session
+        .execute("for i in {1..100}; do echo 'Line '$i; done", None)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert!(output.success);
+    // Should have output but might be truncated
+    assert!(!output.stdout.is_empty());
+
+    session.close().await.unwrap();
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bash_command_failure_returns_error_code() {
+    let mut session = BashSession::new().await.unwrap();
+
+    let output = session.execute("false", None).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(!output.success);
+    assert_eq!(output.exit_code, 1);
+
+    session.close().await.unwrap();
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bash_stderr_captured() {
+    let mut session = BashSession::new().await.unwrap();
+
+    let output = session
+        .execute("echo 'error message' >&2", None)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert!(output.success);
+    assert!(output.stderr.contains("error message"));
+
+    session.close().await.unwrap();
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bash_multiple_commands_in_sequence() {
+    let mut session = BashSession::new().await.unwrap();
+
+    // Set a variable
+    session.execute("X=1", None).await.unwrap();
+
+    // Increment it
+    session.execute("X=$((X + 1))", None).await.unwrap();
+
+    // Verify final value
+    let output = session.execute("echo $X", None).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(output.stdout.contains("2"));
+
+    session.close().await.unwrap();
+}