diff --git a/libs/base/System.idr b/libs/base/System.idr
index 3ee58c77a..625432d4c 100644
--- a/libs/base/System.idr
+++ b/libs/base/System.idr
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import Data.List
 import Data.String
 
 import public System.Escape
-import System.File.Process
+import System.File
 
 %default total
 
@@ -153,6 +153,24 @@ namespace Escaped
   system : HasIO io => List String -> io Int
   system = system . escapeCmd
 
+||| Run a shell command, returning its stdout, and exit code.
+export
+covering
+run : HasIO io => (cmd : String) -> io (String, Int)
+run cmd = do
+    Right f <- popen cmd Read
+        | Left err => pure ("", 1)
+    Right resp <- fRead f
+        | Left err => pure ("", 1)
+    exitCode <- pclose f
+    pure (resp, exitCode)
+
+namespace Escaped
+  export
+  covering
+  run : HasIO io => (cmd : List String) -> io (String, Int)
+  run = run . escapeCmd
+
 %foreign support "idris2_time"
          "javascript:lambda:() => Math.floor(new Date().getTime() / 1000)"
 prim__time : PrimIO Int
diff --git a/tests/base/system_run/Run.idr b/tests/base/system_run/Run.idr
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f74b3b118
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/base/system_run/Run.idr
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import Data.String
+
+import System
+import System.Info
+
+main : IO ()
+main = do
+    (contents, 0) <- run $ "echo " ++ escapeArg "Hello, world"
+        | (_, err) => printLn err
+    printLn $ trim contents
+
+    let cmd : List String = if not isWindows
+                               then ["printf", "Hello, %s", "$PATH"]
+                               else ["echo", "Hello, $PATH"]
+    (contents, 0) <- run cmd
+        | (_, err) => printLn err
+    printLn $ trim contents
+
+    printLn !(run ["exit", "17"])
diff --git a/tests/base/system_run/expected b/tests/base/system_run/expected
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..96a4fbd9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/base/system_run/expected
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+1/1: Building Run (Run.idr)
+Main> "Hello, world"
+"Hello, $PATH"
+("", 17)
+Main> Bye for now!
diff --git a/tests/base/system_run/input b/tests/base/system_run/input
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc5992c29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/base/system_run/input
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+:exec main
+:q
diff --git a/tests/base/system_run/run b/tests/base/system_run/run
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b79096cc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/base/system_run/run
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+rm -rf build
+
+$1 --no-color --console-width 0 --no-banner Run.idr < input