diff --git a/src/gall/daemon.gleam b/src/gall/daemon.gleam
index 34137a2..b3f91da 100644
--- a/src/gall/daemon.gleam
+++ b/src/gall/daemon.gleam
@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ fn git_blame_ffi(dir: String, path: String) -> String
 @external(erlang, "gall_ffi", "git_show_file")
 fn git_show_file_ffi(dir: String, ref: String, path: String) -> String
 
+@external(erlang, "gall_ffi", "exec")
+fn exec_ffi(dir: String, command: String) -> String
+
 @external(erlang, "gall_ffi", "list_gestalt_sessions")
 fn list_gestalt_sessions_ffi(gall_dir: String) -> String
 
@@ -383,6 +386,29 @@ fn handle_tool_call(
           }
         }
 
+        // Exec — shell command execution, witnessed as @exec
+        "exec" -> {
+          case json.get_string(args, "command") {
+            Error(_) -> #(
+              state,
+              Some(make_response(
+                id,
+                content_text(err_json("exec requires command")),
+              )),
+              None,
+            )
+            Ok(command) -> {
+              let out = exec_ffi(state.work_dir, command)
+              let #(next_state, exec_frag) = record_exec(state, command, out)
+              #(
+                next_state,
+                Some(make_response(id, content_text(json_string(out)))),
+                exec_frag,
+              )
+            }
+          }
+        }
+
         _ -> #(
           state,
           Some(make_response(
@@ -592,6 +618,43 @@ fn record_read(
   }
 }
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// @exec annotation
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// When the agent runs a shell command through gall, record it as an @exec
+/// Fragment. The fragment data carries the command and a hash of the output
+/// (not the full output, which could be huge).
+fn record_exec(
+  state: State,
+  command: String,
+  output: String,
+) -> #(State, Option(fragmentation.Fragment)) {
+  case state.sess {
+    Idle -> #(state, None)
+    Active(session: s, ..) as active -> {
+      let ts = int.to_string(now())
+      let author = case session.config(s) {
+        session.SessionConfig(author: a, ..) -> a
+      }
+      let fragmentation.Sha(self: output_hash) = fragmentation.hash(output)
+      let w =
+        fragmentation.witnessed(
+          fragmentation.Author(author),
+          fragmentation.Committer("gall"),
+          fragmentation.Timestamp(ts),
+          fragmentation.Message("@exec"),
+        )
+      let data = "command: " <> command <> "\noutput_sha: " <> output_hash
+      let r = fragmentation.ref(fragmentation.hash(ts <> data), "exec")
+      let frag = fragmentation.shard(r, w, data)
+      let #(s2, _) = session.act(s, "@exec", "command: " <> command)
+      let next_sess = Active(..active, session: s2)
+      #(State(..state, sess: next_sess), Some(frag))
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 fn path_visibility(path: String) -> String {
   case string.starts_with(path, "visibility/private/") {
     True -> ":private"
diff --git a/src/gall/tools.gleam b/src/gall/tools.gleam
index 522b1da..1ed9141 100644
--- a/src/gall/tools.gleam
+++ b/src/gall/tools.gleam
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@
 
 /// All tool names, in the order they appear in the daemon's tools/list.
 pub fn tool_names() -> List(String) {
-  list_append(ado_tool_names(), git_tool_names())
+  list_append(
+    ado_tool_names(),
+    list_append(git_tool_names(), exec_tool_names()),
+  )
 }
 
 /// ADO witnessing tool names.
@@ -29,6 +32,11 @@ pub fn git_tool_names() -> List(String) {
   ["git_status", "git_diff", "git_log", "git_blame", "git_show_file"]
 }
 
+/// Exec tool names (daemon-only).
+pub fn exec_tool_names() -> List(String) {
+  ["exec"]
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Composed tool lists (for tools/list responses)
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -53,6 +61,8 @@ pub fn daemon_tools_json() -> String {
   <> git_blame_schema()
   <> ","
   <> git_show_file_schema()
+  <> ","
+  <> exec_schema()
   <> "]}"
 }
 
@@ -183,6 +193,20 @@ pub fn git_show_file_schema() -> String {
   <> "\"required\":[\"path\"]}}"
 }
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Exec tool schema (daemon-only)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+pub fn exec_schema() -> String {
+  "{\"name\":\"exec\","
+  <> "\"description\":\"Execute a shell command in the project directory. Witnessed as @exec in the session trace.\","
+  <> "\"inputSchema\":{\"type\":\"object\","
+  <> "\"properties\":{"
+  <> "\"command\":{\"type\":\"string\","
+  <> "\"description\":\"Shell command to execute.\"}},"
+  <> "\"required\":[\"command\"]}}"
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Helpers
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/gall_ffi.erl b/src/gall_ffi.erl
index 486502d..ec28dd7 100644
--- a/src/gall_ffi.erl
+++ b/src/gall_ffi.erl
@@ -27,7 +27,9 @@
     git_show_file/3,
     %% Gestalt resources
     list_gestalt_sessions/1,
-    read_gestalt_session/2
+    read_gestalt_session/2,
+    %% Shell exec
+    exec/2
 ]).
 
 %% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -471,3 +473,12 @@ send_patch(RepoDir, Remote) ->
                    ++ " push " ++ RemoteStr ++ " HEAD 2>&1")
     end,
     ok.
+
+%% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+%% Shell exec
+%% ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+%% Execute a shell command in Dir, capturing stdout+stderr.
+exec(Dir, Command) ->
+    Cmd = "cd " ++ binary_to_list(Dir) ++ " && " ++ binary_to_list(Command) ++ " 2>&1",
+    unicode:characters_to_binary(os:cmd(Cmd)).
diff --git a/test/gall_exec_test.gleam b/test/gall_exec_test.gleam
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..563685e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/gall_exec_test.gleam
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import gall/tools
+import gleam/list
+import gleam/string
+import gleeunit/should
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// exec schema
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+pub fn exec_schema_has_name_test() {
+  let schema = tools.exec_schema()
+  schema |> string.contains("\"name\":\"exec\"") |> should.be_true()
+}
+
+pub fn exec_schema_has_required_command_test() {
+  let schema = tools.exec_schema()
+  schema |> string.contains("\"required\":[\"command\"]") |> should.be_true()
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// tool names include exec
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+pub fn tool_names_include_exec_test() {
+  let names = tools.tool_names()
+  names |> list.contains("exec") |> should.be_true()
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// daemon_tools_json includes exec
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+pub fn daemon_tools_json_contains_exec_test() {
+  let json = tools.daemon_tools_json()
+  json |> string.contains("\"exec\"") |> should.be_true()
+}
diff --git a/test/gall_tools_test.gleam b/test/gall_tools_test.gleam
index c523e29..2321657 100644
--- a/test/gall_tools_test.gleam
+++ b/test/gall_tools_test.gleam
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ pub fn tool_names_include_ado_tools_test() {
   names
   |> should.equal([
     "observe", "decide", "act", "commit", "git_status", "git_diff", "git_log",
-    "git_blame", "git_show_file",
+    "git_blame", "git_show_file", "exec",
   ])
 }