diff --git a/src/client/src/chatMessages.ts b/src/client/src/chatMessages.ts
index 3e57ce7..e46da10 100644
--- a/src/client/src/chatMessages.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/chatMessages.ts
@@ -31,13 +31,12 @@ function normalizeMessage(message: any): ChatLine[] {
 }
 
 function normalizeBashExecution(message: any): ChatLine {
-  const lines = [`$ ${message.command ?? ""}`];
+  const lines = message.excludeFromContext ? ["excluded from context", "", `$ ${message.command ?? ""}`] : [`$ ${message.command ?? ""}`];
   if (message.output) lines.push("", String(message.output));
   if (message.exitCode != null) lines.push("", `exit ${message.exitCode}`);
   if (message.cancelled) lines.push("", "cancelled");
   if (message.truncated) lines.push("", "output truncated");
   if (message.fullOutputPath) lines.push("", `full output: ${message.fullOutputPath}`);
-  if (message.excludeFromContext) lines.push("", "excluded from context");
   return { role: "bash", parts: [{ type: "text", text: lines.join("\n") }] };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/client/src/components/ChatView.ts b/src/client/src/components/ChatView.ts
index f8267b7..2e287ca 100644
--- a/src/client/src/components/ChatView.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/components/ChatView.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export class ChatView extends LitElement {
     return html`
       <article class="msg ${message.role}" data-index=${index}>
         <b class="label">${message.role}</b>
-        ${message.parts.map((part) => this.renderPart(part))}
+        ${message.parts.map((part) => this.renderPart(part, message))}
       </article>
     `;
   }
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ export class ChatView extends LitElement {
           ${messages.map((message) => html`
             <section class="group-msg ${message.role}">
               <b class="label">${message.role}</b>
-              ${message.parts.map((part) => this.renderPart(part))}
+              ${message.parts.map((part) => this.renderPart(part, message))}
             </section>
           `)}
         </div>
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ export class ChatView extends LitElement {
     `;
   }
 
-  private renderPart(part: ChatPart) {
+  private renderPart(part: ChatPart, message?: ChatLine) {
+    if (part.type === "text" && message?.role === "bash") return html`<pre class="part shell-output">${part.text}</pre>`;
     if (part.type === "text") return html`<formatted-text class="part" .text=${part.text}></formatted-text>`;
     if (part.type === "thinking") return html`<details class="part"><summary>thinking</summary><formatted-text .text=${part.text}></formatted-text></details>`;
     if (part.type === "toolCall") return html`<div class="part tool-line">▶ ${part.toolName}<span class="summary">${part.summary}</span></div>`;
diff --git a/src/client/src/components/shared.ts b/src/client/src/components/shared.ts
index 3751cd0..d44a6ff 100644
--- a/src/client/src/components/shared.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/components/shared.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ export const chatStyles = css`
   .part:is(details) { border-top: 1px solid #30363d; padding-top: 8px; }
   summary { cursor: pointer; color: #8b949e; }
   pre { margin: 6px 0 0; white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: anywhere; font: inherit; }
+  .shell-output { color: #e6edf3; font: 13px ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Consolas, monospace; line-height: 1.45; }
 `;
 
 export const formattedTextStyles = css`
diff --git a/src/client/src/shellMessages.ts b/src/client/src/shellMessages.ts
index 0455adf..88f0963 100644
--- a/src/client/src/shellMessages.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/shellMessages.ts
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ import type { ChatLine } from "./components/shared";
 import type { SessionUiEvent } from "./sessionSocket";
 
 export function shellStartMessage(command: string, excludeFromContext?: boolean): ChatLine {
-  return textMessage("bash", `$ ${command}${excludeFromContext ? "\n\nexcluded from context" : ""}`);
+  return textMessage("bash", `${excludeFromContext ? "excluded from context\n\n" : ""}$ ${command}`);
 }
 
 export function appendShellChunk(messages: ChatLine[], chunk: string): ChatLine[] {
   const last = messages.at(-1);
   const lastPart = last?.parts.at(-1);
   if (last?.role !== "bash" || lastPart?.type !== "text") return [...messages, textMessage("bash", chunk)];
-  const separator = lastPart.text.includes("\n\n") ? "" : "\n\n";
+  const separator = hasShellOutput(lastPart.text) ? "" : "\n\n";
   return [...messages.slice(0, -1), { ...last, parts: [...last.parts.slice(0, -1), { ...lastPart, text: lastPart.text + separator + chunk }] }];
 }
 
@@ -28,3 +28,9 @@ export function finalizeShellMessage(messages: ChatLine[], event: Extract<Sessio
   if (!notes.length) return messages;
   return [...messages.slice(0, -1), { ...last, parts: [...last.parts.slice(0, -1), { ...lastPart, text: `${lastPart.text}\n\n${notes.join("\n")}` }] }];
 }
+
+function hasShellOutput(text: string): boolean {
+  const outputStart = text.lastIndexOf("\n\n");
+  const promptStart = text.lastIndexOf("$ ");
+  return outputStart > promptStart;
+}