diff --git a/src/runner/driver.rs b/src/runner/driver.rs
index a4219de..0aa6700 100644
--- a/src/runner/driver.rs
+++ b/src/runner/driver.rs
@@ -465,6 +465,16 @@ fn render_settle<W: Write>(
     let _ = writeln!(out, "{} {}", path, renderer.style(syntax, glyph));
 }
 
+/// Render an automatically-run shell command on one line: `{path} $ {script}`,
+/// the whole line dark grey like the trace chrome so it reads as announce
+/// rather than as the command's own output that follows. The `$` stands in for
+/// a shell prompt (distinct from the operator's `▶` edit prompt). Trailing
+/// whitespace is trimmed so a code block's blank tail line is not echoed.
+fn render_command<W: Write>(out: &mut W, qualified: &str, script: &str, renderer: &dyn Render) {
+    let line = renderer.style(Syntax::Marker, &format!("{} $ {}", qualified, script.trim_end()));
+    let _ = writeln!(out, "{}", line);
+}
+
 /// Render a Section heading: its numeral and title.
 fn render_section<W: Write>(out: &mut W, numeral: &str, title: &str, renderer: &dyn Render) {
     let styled_numeral = renderer.style(crate::formatting::Syntax::StepItem, numeral);
@@ -1236,8 +1246,8 @@ impl<W: Write> Driver for Automatic<W> {
         UserInput::Skip
     }
 
-    fn command(&mut self, _qualified: &str, script: &str) -> UserInput {
-        write_indented(&mut self.output, script);
+    fn command(&mut self, qualified: &str, script: &str) -> UserInput {
+        render_command(&mut self.output, &display_path(qualified), script, self.renderer);
         UserInput::Done(Value::Literali(script.to_string()))
     }
 
diff --git a/src/runner/library.rs b/src/runner/library.rs
index 4272f28..3a38e33 100644
--- a/src/runner/library.rs
+++ b/src/runner/library.rs
@@ -264,12 +264,12 @@ fn pairs(_context: &Context, args: &[Value]) -> Result<Value, RunnerError> {
     Ok(Value::Arraeum(pairs))
 }
 
-/// `exec(script)` — run a shell script, teeing its stdout through the Context
-/// to the operator as it streams while accumulating it as the return value.
-/// Output is held as bytes until the end so a chunk split mid-UTF-8 is
-/// harmless and only one String is allocated. Trailing newlines are trimmed
-/// from the captured value (matching the usual experience when doing shell
-/// `$(...)` substitution). A non-zero exit is an error.
+/// `exec(script)` — run a shell script, teeing its combined stdout and stderr
+/// through the Context to the operator as it streams while accumulating it as
+/// the return value. Output is held as bytes until the end so a chunk split
+/// mid-UTF-8 is harmless and only one String is allocated. Trailing newlines
+/// are trimmed from the captured value (matching the usual experience when
+/// doing shell `$(...)` substitution). A non-zero exit is an error.
 fn exec(context: &Context, args: &[Value]) -> Result<Value, RunnerError> {
     let script = match &args[0] {
         Value::Literali(script) => script,
@@ -281,9 +281,13 @@ fn exec(context: &Context, args: &[Value]) -> Result<Value, RunnerError> {
         }
     };
 
+    // Fold the child's stderr into its stdout (`exec 2>&1`) so the two streams
+    // are teed and captured together as one ordered transcript. A single pipe
+    // keeps this to one reader, with no risk of deadlocking on a full stderr
+    // buffer the way two separately drained pipes would.
     let mut child = Command::new("bash")
         .arg("-c")
-        .arg(script)
+        .arg(format!("exec 2>&1\n{}", script))
         .stdout(Stdio::piped())
         .spawn()
         .map_err(RunnerError::ExecError)?;