diff --git a/platypush/backend/http/app/mixins/__init__.py b/platypush/backend/http/app/mixins/__init__.py
index 516b111739..eec40e6b1f 100644
--- a/platypush/backend/http/app/mixins/__init__.py
+++ b/platypush/backend/http/app/mixins/__init__.py
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ class PubSubMixin:
         """
         try:
             with self.pubsub as pubsub:
+                pubsub.subscribe(*self._subscriptions)
                 for msg in pubsub.listen():
                     channel = msg.get('channel', b'').decode()
                     if msg.get('type') != 'message' or not (
diff --git a/platypush/backend/http/app/ws/cmd.py b/platypush/backend/http/app/ws/cmd.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fa71738148
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platypush/backend/http/app/ws/cmd.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+from base64 import b64decode
+import json
+from typing import Optional
+
+from platypush.common.cmd_stream import redis_topic
+
+from . import WSRoute, logger
+
+
+class WSCommandOutput(WSRoute):
+    """
+    Websocket route that pushes the output of an executed command to the client
+    as it is generated. Mapped to ``/ws/shell``.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(*args, subscriptions=[redis_topic], **kwargs)
+        self._id = None
+
+    @classmethod
+    def app_name(cls) -> str:
+        return 'shell'
+
+    @classmethod
+    def path(cls) -> str:
+        return f'/ws/{cls.app_name()}'
+
+    def _parse_msg(self, msg: bytes) -> Optional[bytes]:
+        parsed_msg = json.loads(msg)
+        cmd_id = parsed_msg.get('id')
+        output = parsed_msg.get('output')
+        if output is None:  # End-of-stream
+            raise StopIteration()
+
+        if cmd_id != self._id:
+            return None
+
+        return b64decode(output)
+
+    def open(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        self._id = next(iter(self.request.arguments['id']), b'').decode() or None
+        super().open(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def run(self) -> None:
+        super().run()
+        for msg in self.listen():
+            try:
+                output = self._parse_msg(msg.data)
+                if output is None:
+                    continue
+
+                self.send(output)
+            except StopIteration:
+                break
+            except Exception as e:
+                logger.warning('Failed to parse message: %s', e)
+                logger.exception(e)
+                continue
+
+        self._io_loop.add_callback(self._ws_close)
+
+    def _ws_close(self):
+        if not self.ws_connection:
+            return
+
+        self.ws_connection.close(1000, 'Command terminated')
diff --git a/platypush/common/cmd_stream.py b/platypush/common/cmd_stream.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..efa7bdb5f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platypush/common/cmd_stream.py
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+from platypush.config import Config
+
+
+redis_topic = f'_platypush/{Config.get("device_id")}/shell/cmd'
diff --git a/platypush/plugins/shell/__init__.py b/platypush/plugins/shell/__init__.py
index dfb1001864..dbc9e800df 100644
--- a/platypush/plugins/shell/__init__.py
+++ b/platypush/plugins/shell/__init__.py
@@ -1,39 +1,119 @@
+from base64 import b64encode
+import json
+import threading
 import subprocess
+from typing import Callable, Optional
+from uuid import uuid1
 
+from platypush.common.cmd_stream import redis_topic
 from platypush.plugins import Plugin, action
+from platypush.utils import get_redis
 
 
 class ShellPlugin(Plugin):
     """
-    Plugin to run custom shell commands.
+    Plugin to run shell commands.
     """
 
-    @action
-    def exec(self, cmd, background=False, ignore_errors=False):
-        """
-        Execute a command.
-
-        :param cmd: Command to execute
-        :type cmd: str
-
-        :param background: If set to True, execute the process in the background, otherwise wait for the process termination and return its output (deafult: False).
-        :param ignore_errors: If set, then any errors in the command execution will be ignored. Otherwise a RuntimeError will be thrown (default value: False)
-        :returns: A response object where the ``output`` field will contain the command output as a string, and the ``errors`` field will contain whatever was sent to stderr.
-        """
-
-        if background:
-            subprocess.Popen(cmd, shell=True)
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
 
+    def _exec(self, func: Callable, cmd: str, ignore_errors: bool = False):
         try:
-            return subprocess.check_output(
-                cmd, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, shell=True).decode('utf-8')
+            return func(cmd)
         except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
             if ignore_errors:
-                self.logger.warning('Command {} failed with error: {}'.format(
-                    cmd, e.output.decode('utf-8')))
-            else:
-                raise RuntimeError(e.output.decode('utf-8'))
+                self.logger.warning(
+                    'Command %s failed with error: %s', cmd, e.output.decode()
+                )
+                return None
+
+            raise RuntimeError(e.output.decode()) from e
+
+    def _exec_simple(self, cmd: str):
+        return subprocess.check_output(
+            cmd, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, shell=True
+        ).decode()
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _send_ws_output(cmd_id: str, buf: Optional[bytes]):
+        get_redis().publish(
+            redis_topic,
+            json.dumps(
+                {
+                    'id': cmd_id,
+                    'output': (b64encode(buf).decode() if buf is not None else None),
+                }
+            ),
+        )
+
+    def _exec_ws_thread(self, cmd: str, cmd_id: str):
+        try:
+            with subprocess.Popen(
+                cmd,
+                shell=True,
+                stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+            ) as proc:
+                while proc.poll() is None:
+                    if not proc.stdout:
+                        break
+
+                    while True:
+                        buf = proc.stdout.read(1024)
+                        if not buf:
+                            break
+
+                        self._send_ws_output(cmd_id, buf)
+        finally:
+            self._send_ws_output(cmd_id, None)
+
+    def _exec_ws(self, cmd: str):
+        cmd_id = str(uuid1())
+        threading.Thread(target=self._exec_ws_thread, args=(cmd, cmd_id)).start()
+        return {'ws_path': f'/ws/shell?id={cmd_id}'}
+
+    @action
+    def exec(
+        self,
+        cmd: str,
+        background: bool = False,
+        ws: bool = False,
+        ignore_errors: bool = False,
+    ):
+        """
+        Run a command.
+
+        :param cmd: Command to execute
+        :param background: If set to True, execute the process in the
+            background, otherwise wait for the process termination and return
+            its output (default: False).
+        :param ignore_errors: If set, then any errors in the command execution
+            will be ignored. Otherwise a RuntimeError will be thrown (default
+            value: False)
+        :param ws: If set to True then the output of the command will be
+            sent asynchronously over a websocket channel (default: False).
+            In this case, the method will return a response in the format:
+
+                .. code-block:: json
+
+                    {
+                        "ws_path": "/ws/shell?id=<cmd_id>"
+                    }
+
+            Where ``ws_path`` is the websocket path where the output of the
+            command will be sent. The websocket will be closed when the command
+            terminates.
+
+        :returns: A response object where the ``output`` field will contain the
+            command output as a string, and the ``errors`` field will contain
+            whatever was sent to stderr.
+        """
+        if background:
+            subprocess.Popen(cmd, shell=True)
+            return None
+
+        func = self._exec_ws if ws else self._exec_simple
+        return self._exec(func, cmd, ignore_errors=ignore_errors)
 
 
 # vim:sw=4:ts=4:et:
-