diff --git a/src/rlm/skills/__init__.py b/src/rlm/skills/__init__.py
index 53afde1..849523b 100644
--- a/src/rlm/skills/__init__.py
+++ b/src/rlm/skills/__init__.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 # Built-in skill name -> local module, or ``None`` for a supervisor-owned skill.
 _BUILTIN_SKILLS: dict[str, str | None] = {
+    "bash": "rlm.skills.bash",
     "edit": "rlm.skills.edit",
     "search": None,
 }
diff --git a/src/rlm/skills/bash.py b/src/rlm/skills/bash.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ec8858
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/rlm/skills/bash.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+"""Built-in ``bash`` skill — run a shell command from the REPL.
+
+Enabled via ``RLM_SKILLS``; pre-imported into the IPython kernel so the agent calls
+``await bash(command="...")`` (or ``await bash("...")``). One command per call, a fresh
+``bash -c`` subshell, with the same git-history guard as shell tool paths.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import os
+import subprocess
+
+from rlm.tools.git_block import find_blocked_command, refusal
+
+
+def _default_timeout() -> int:
+    raw = os.environ.get("RLM_EXEC_TIMEOUT", "")
+    return int(raw) if raw.isdigit() and int(raw) > 0 else 300
+
+
+def _run_bash(command: str, timeout: int) -> str:
+    """Execute via ``bash -c`` (never /bin/sh) and return combined output."""
+    blocked = find_blocked_command(command)
+    if blocked:
+        return refusal(blocked)
+    try:
+        proc = subprocess.run(
+            ["bash", "-c", command],
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=timeout,
+        )
+    except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+        return f"Error: command timed out after {timeout}s"
+    out = proc.stdout + (("\n" + proc.stderr) if proc.stderr else "")
+    if proc.returncode != 0:
+        out += f"\n[exit code {proc.returncode}]"
+    return out.strip() or "(no output)"
+
+
+async def run(command: str, timeout: int | None = None) -> str:
+    """Run a shell command and return its combined output.
+
+    Args:
+        command: The shell command to run (executed with ``bash -c``).
+        timeout: Seconds before the command is killed (default: the harness
+            exec timeout via ``RLM_EXEC_TIMEOUT``, else 300).
+
+    Returns:
+        stdout and stderr of the command (with the exit code when nonzero).
+    """
+    return await asyncio.to_thread(_run_bash, command, timeout or _default_timeout())
diff --git a/tests/test_builtin_skills.py b/tests/test_builtin_skills.py
index 4bf3f28..f38f0f8 100644
--- a/tests/test_builtin_skills.py
+++ b/tests/test_builtin_skills.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 )
 from rlm.engine import RLMEngine
 from rlm.skills import available_builtin_skills, enable_builtin_skills
+from rlm.skills.bash import run as bash
 from rlm.skills.edit import run as edit
 from rlm.skills.search import format_results
 from rlm.skills.search import run as run_search
@@ -155,3 +156,41 @@ async def post(self, url, **kwargs):
     assert secret not in source
     meta = json.loads((session.dir / "meta.json").read_text())
     assert meta["programmatic_tool_call_stats"]["by_tool_python"] == {"search": 1}
+
+
+async def test_bash_returns_output():
+    assert await bash("echo hello") == "hello"
+
+
+async def test_bash_runs_real_bash_not_sh():
+    # process substitution is a bashism that /bin/sh (dash) rejects
+    out = await bash("cat <(echo bashism-works)")
+    assert "bashism-works" in out
+
+
+async def test_bash_nonzero_exit_reported():
+    out = await bash("exit 3")
+    assert "[exit code 3]" in out
+
+
+async def test_bash_combines_stderr():
+    out = await bash("echo out && echo err >&2")
+    assert "out" in out and "err" in out
+
+
+async def test_bash_skill_enforces_git_history_guard():
+    out = await bash("git log --all --oneline")
+    assert "refused" in out.lower() or "--all" in out
+    assert "commit" not in out.splitlines()[0].lower()
+
+
+async def test_bash_skill_timeout_reports_error():
+    out = await bash("sleep 5", timeout=1)
+    assert "timed out" in out
+
+
+def test_enable_bash_skill_writes_stub(tmp_path):
+    enabled = enable_builtin_skills(["bash"], tmp_path)
+    assert enabled == ["bash"]
+    stub = (tmp_path / "bash.py").read_text()
+    assert "from rlm.skills.bash import run" in stub