diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5493aa1..004975b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # Unreleased
 
+## Features
+- Config: Add `bootCommands`, a list of shell commands run once (as root, in the
+  configured `workdir`) right after the VM boots and before the interactive
+  shell / user command. Commands run in order and boot aborts on the first
+  non-zero exit. Across config layers the lists are concatenated (parent first).
+
 
 # 0.3.1 (2026-07-08)
 
diff --git a/docs/Configuration.md b/docs/Configuration.md
index 4d164e3..90f5626 100644
--- a/docs/Configuration.md
+++ b/docs/Configuration.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ on), which in turn inherit from the global `~/.config/tuor/config.json`. In
 general, child settings override parent settings, except in the following cases:
 
 - Env vars, mounts, volumes get merged (shallow merge).
+- Boot commands are concatenated (parent commands run first).
 - Network: Child network mode overrides parent mode; allowed hosts are merged.
 
 
@@ -70,6 +71,13 @@ that is not set on the host is an error.
       "injectForHosts": ["*.github.com"]
     }
   },
+  // Shell commands run once, as root, right after boot and before the shell /
+  // user command, in the configured workdir. Run in order; a non-zero exit
+  // aborts boot (fail fast). Handy for provisioning the guest.
+  "bootCommands": [
+    "apk add --no-cache ripgrep",
+    "mkdir -p /workspace/.cache"
+  ],
   "mounts": [
     {
       // Absolute or relative to config.json
diff --git a/src/config/merge.test.ts b/src/config/merge.test.ts
index 4ab617c..49fb428 100644
--- a/src/config/merge.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/merge.test.ts
@@ -189,6 +189,14 @@ describe("mergeConfigs", () => {
       expect(result.volumes).toHaveLength(2);
     });
 
+    test("bootCommands are concatenated parent-first", () => {
+      const result = mergeConfigs([
+        layer("/a", { bootCommands: ["echo parent"] }),
+        layer("/b", { bootCommands: ["echo child"] }),
+      ]);
+      expect(result.bootCommands).toEqual(["echo parent", "echo child"]);
+    });
+
     test("parent-only mounts preserved when child has none", () => {
       const result = mergeConfigs([
         layer("/a", { mounts: [mount({ hostPath: "/data" })] }),
diff --git a/src/config/merge.ts b/src/config/merge.ts
index 280c456..1e74037 100644
--- a/src/config/merge.ts
+++ b/src/config/merge.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ function mergeTwoConfigs(parent: TuorConfig, child: TuorConfig): TuorConfig {
     // Arrays: concatenate
     ...mergeArrayField(parent.mounts, child.mounts, "mounts"),
     ...mergeArrayField(parent.volumes, child.volumes, "volumes"),
+    ...mergeArrayField(parent.bootCommands, child.bootCommands, "bootCommands"),
 
     // Objects: shallow merge
     ...mergeEnv(parent.env, child.env),
diff --git a/src/config/resolve.test.ts b/src/config/resolve.test.ts
index acbe59c..c783486 100644
--- a/src/config/resolve.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/resolve.test.ts
@@ -636,6 +636,16 @@ describe("createSessionSpecFromConfig env integration", () => {
     const spec = resolve({ env: { MY_VAR: "hello" } }, "/cfg");
     expect(spec.secrets).toBeUndefined();
   });
+
+  test("passes bootCommands through to the session spec", () => {
+    const spec = resolve({ bootCommands: ["npm ci", "echo ready"] });
+    expect(spec.bootCommands).toEqual(["npm ci", "echo ready"]);
+  });
+
+  test("omits bootCommands when none configured", () => {
+    const spec = resolve({});
+    expect(spec.bootCommands).toBeUndefined();
+  });
 });
 
 describe("_getOverlayStateDir", () => {
diff --git a/src/config/resolve.ts b/src/config/resolve.ts
index 1a3cbda..7e7fbf3 100644
--- a/src/config/resolve.ts
+++ b/src/config/resolve.ts
@@ -114,6 +114,9 @@ export function createSessionSpecFromConfig(
     ...(hasEnv ? { env: mergedEnv } : {}),
     ...(hasSecrets ? { secrets } : {}),
     ...(qemu ? { qemu } : {}),
+    ...(config.bootCommands && config.bootCommands.length > 0
+      ? { bootCommands: config.bootCommands }
+      : {}),
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/config/schema.test.ts b/src/config/schema.test.ts
index d5acb02..6bfa82a 100644
--- a/src/config/schema.test.ts
+++ b/src/config/schema.test.ts
@@ -132,6 +132,16 @@ describe("parseConfig", () => {
     expect(config.mounts![0]).not.toHaveProperty("ignoreFileRefs");
   });
 
+  test("accepts bootCommands as a list of shell strings", () => {
+    const config = parseConfig({ bootCommands: ["npm ci", "mkdir -p /cache"] });
+    expect(config.bootCommands).toEqual(["npm ci", "mkdir -p /cache"]);
+  });
+
+  test("omits bootCommands when not specified", () => {
+    const config = parseConfig({});
+    expect(config.bootCommands).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   test("accepts env with string values", () => {
     const config = parseConfig({ env: { MY_VAR: "hello" } });
     expect(config.env).toEqual({ MY_VAR: "hello" });
@@ -347,6 +357,8 @@ describe("parseConfig", () => {
       "volume with unknown field",
       { volumes: [{ guestPath: "/x", hostPath: "/y" }] },
     ],
+    ["bootCommands with empty-string entry", { bootCommands: [""] }],
+    ["bootCommands as a bare string", { bootCommands: "npm ci" }],
     ["non-object input", "not an object"],
     ["empty ignore array", { mounts: [{ hostPath: "/x", ignore: [] }] }],
     ["env with non-string value", { env: { X: { value: 123 } } }],
diff --git a/src/config/schema.ts b/src/config/schema.ts
index e862c1a..bb1f941 100644
--- a/src/config/schema.ts
+++ b/src/config/schema.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,18 @@ const types = scope({
   TuorConfig: {
     "+": "reject",
 
+    /**
+     * Shell commands run once, as root, right after the VM boots and before the
+     * interactive shell / user command starts. Each entry is a command line
+     * executed via `sh -c` in the configured `workdir`. Useful for provisioning
+     * the guest (installing packages, seeding directories, …).
+     *
+     * Commands run in order; if any exits non-zero, boot is aborted and the VM
+     * is shut down (fail fast) so the workload never runs in a half-provisioned
+     * guest. Across config layers the lists are concatenated (parent first).
+     */
+    "bootCommands?": "(string > 0)[]",
+
     /** Environment variables to set in the guest. */
     "env?": { "[string]": "EnvValue" },
 
diff --git a/src/core/session.test.ts b/src/core/session.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e7767d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/session.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import { _formatCommandOutput } from "./session.ts";
+
+describe("_formatCommandOutput", () => {
+  test("returns empty string when both streams are empty", () => {
+    expect(_formatCommandOutput("", "")).toBe("");
+  });
+
+  test("gutter-prefixes each stdout line", () => {
+    expect(_formatCommandOutput("line1\nline2", "")).toBe(
+      "  │ line1\n  │ line2",
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("appends stderr after stdout", () => {
+    expect(_formatCommandOutput("out", "err")).toBe("  │ out\n  │ err");
+  });
+
+  test("trims trailing newline so no blank gutter line is printed", () => {
+    expect(_formatCommandOutput("out\n", "")).toBe("  │ out");
+  });
+
+  test("preserves leading indentation within a line", () => {
+    expect(_formatCommandOutput("  indented", "")).toBe("  │   indented");
+  });
+
+  test("skips an empty stream and shows only the other", () => {
+    expect(_formatCommandOutput("", "only err")).toBe("  │ only err");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/session.ts b/src/core/session.ts
index 65b3a9d..7704237 100644
--- a/src/core/session.ts
+++ b/src/core/session.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ export type SessionSpec = {
   env?: Record<string, string>;
   secrets?: Record<string, SecretSpec>;
   qemu?: QemuSpec;
+  /**
+   * Shell command lines run once, as root, after boot and before the shell.
+   * See TuorConfig.bootCommands.
+   */
+  bootCommands?: string[];
 };
 
 // --- Public API ---
@@ -78,6 +83,10 @@ export async function runSession(
     sandbox: spec.qemu,
   });
 
+  if (spec.bootCommands && spec.bootCommands.length > 0) {
+    await runBootCommands(vm, spec.bootCommands, spec.workdir);
+  }
+
   if (command) {
     console.log("Executing user command…");
   } else {
@@ -99,6 +108,63 @@ export async function runSession(
 
 // --- Internals ---
 
+/**
+ * Run each configured boot command in order, as root (the VM's default exec
+ * user). Each command's output is captured (buffered) and echoed under an
+ * explicit header so it's clearly attributable to the command that produced it.
+ * Fails fast: the first non-zero exit aborts by throwing, so the caller shuts
+ * the VM down before the workload runs in a half-provisioned guest.
+ */
+async function runBootCommands(
+  vm: VM,
+  bootCommands: string[],
+  cwd: string,
+): Promise<void> {
+  for (const bootCommand of bootCommands) {
+    console.log(`Running boot command: ${bootCommand}`);
+    const result = await vm.exec(["/bin/sh", "-c", bootCommand], {
+      cwd,
+      stdout: "buffer",
+      stderr: "buffer",
+    });
+    // Echo stdout & stderr unconditionally for now. In the future we might add
+    // verbosity levels (-v/-vv) and gate output behind them.
+    const output = _formatCommandOutput(result.stdout, result.stderr);
+    if (output) {
+      console.log(output);
+    }
+    if (result.exitCode !== 0) {
+      await vm.close();
+      throw new Error(
+        `Boot command failed (exit ${result.exitCode}): ${bootCommand}`,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Merge a boot command's captured stdout and stderr into a single block for
+ * logging, prefixing each line with a gutter so command output is visually
+ * distinct from Tuor's own log lines. Returns "" when there is nothing to show.
+ *
+ * stdout and stderr are concatenated (stdout first). Buffer mode keeps them in
+ * separate buffers, so their original interleaving is not preserved — for now
+ * we accept this trade-off.
+ */
+export function _formatCommandOutput(stdout: string, stderr: string): string {
+  const combined = [stdout, stderr]
+    .map((stream) => stream.trimEnd())
+    .filter((stream) => stream.length > 0)
+    .join("\n");
+  if (combined.length === 0) {
+    return "";
+  }
+  return combined
+    .split("\n")
+    .map((line) => `  │ ${line}`)
+    .join("\n");
+}
+
 function buildNetworkOptions(
   network: NetworkSpec,
   secrets?: Record<string, SecretSpec>,