diff --git a/raven/tui_rpc/methods/__init__.py b/raven/tui_rpc/methods/__init__.py
index 3b50352..9052287 100644
--- a/raven/tui_rpc/methods/__init__.py
+++ b/raven/tui_rpc/methods/__init__.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 from raven.tui_rpc.methods.reload import register_reload_methods
 from raven.tui_rpc.methods.session import register_session_methods
 from raven.tui_rpc.methods.setup import register_setup_methods
+from raven.tui_rpc.methods.shell_exec import register_shell_methods
 from raven.tui_rpc.methods.slash_routing import register_slash_routing_methods
 from raven.tui_rpc.methods.system import register_system_methods
 from raven.tui_rpc.methods.terminal import register_terminal_methods
@@ -144,6 +145,10 @@ def register_aligned_methods_except_system(
     # Register it only when this gateway owns an interactive approval broker.
     if approval_broker is not None:
         register_approval_methods(dispatcher, approval_broker=approval_broker)
+    # shell.exec — the `!`-prefixed bang-shell escape (useSubmission.ts's
+    # shellExec/interpolate). Independent of the slash pipeline above: it
+    # carries no session_id and always runs on the host (#171).
+    register_shell_methods(dispatcher)
     # turn.{send,subscribe,unsubscribe,cancel}. The handlers
     # need a SubscriptionEmitter to push streaming events; when the caller
     # has not built one (demo runner / production path pre-wire) we skip
@@ -184,6 +189,7 @@ def register_aligned_methods_except_system(
     "register_terminal_methods",
     "register_stub_methods",
     "register_model_methods",
+    "register_shell_methods",
     "register_slash_routing_methods",
     "register_turn_methods",
     "register_approval_methods",
diff --git a/raven/tui_rpc/methods/shell_exec.py b/raven/tui_rpc/methods/shell_exec.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e373da2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/raven/tui_rpc/methods/shell_exec.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+"""``shell.exec`` RPC method handler.
+
+Wires the RPC method the TUI's `!`-prefixed bang-shell escape calls
+(``ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts``'s ``shellExec`` / ``interpolate``) but
+which the backend never registered, so every bang command failed with
+``[rpc -32601] method_not_found`` (EverMind-AI/Raven#171).
+
+The issue's own root-cause evidence was gathered against the released
+v0.1.6 bundle, which called a method named ``command.dispatch``; that name
+is gone from the current frontend source, which calls ``shell.exec``
+instead (``useSubmission.ts:180,212``) — ``command.dispatch`` only survives
+as dead code in ``createSlashHandler.ts``'s unreachable ``.catch()``
+fallback (``slash.exec`` never rejects, so that branch cannot fire). On
+current HEAD ``shell.exec`` is the method that is actually missing.
+
+``shell.exec`` carries no ``session_id`` (both call sites pass only
+``{command}``), so there is no session-scoped sandbox executor to route
+through; it always runs on the host via :class:`DirectExecutor`, same as a
+plain shell escape.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
+
+from raven.sandbox import DirectExecutor
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from raven.tui_rpc.dispatcher import Dispatcher
+
+_TIMEOUT_S = 60
+
+
+async def shell_exec(params: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """Run a bang-shell command on the host; return ``ShellExecResponse``.
+
+    Never raises -32xxx: ``useSubmission.ts`` reads ``{code, stdout, stderr}``
+    off a resolved promise, so an empty command or a executor failure
+    degrades to a non-zero ``code`` instead of an RPC error.
+    """
+    command = str(params.get("command", "")).strip()
+    if not command:
+        return {"code": 1, "stdout": "", "stderr": "empty command"}
+
+    try:
+        result = await DirectExecutor().exec(command, timeout=_TIMEOUT_S)
+    except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — surface as stderr, not an RPC error
+        return {"code": 1, "stdout": "", "stderr": f"{type(exc).__name__}: {exc}"}
+
+    return {"code": result.exit_code, "stdout": result.stdout, "stderr": result.stderr}
+
+
+def register_shell_methods(dispatcher: "Dispatcher") -> None:
+    """Register ``shell.exec`` on a dispatcher instance."""
+    dispatcher.register("shell.exec", shell_exec)
+
+
+__all__ = ["register_shell_methods", "shell_exec"]
diff --git a/tests/test_tui_rpc_shell_exec.py b/tests/test_tui_rpc_shell_exec.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac70f7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_tui_rpc_shell_exec.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+"""Tests for the ``shell.exec`` RPC method.
+
+Covers EverMind-AI/Raven#171: every `!`-prefixed bang command in the TUI
+failed with ``[rpc -32601] method_not_found``. ``useSubmission.ts``'s
+``shellExec`` / ``interpolate`` call ``gw.request('shell.exec', {command})``,
+but the backend never registered a ``shell.exec`` handler.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pytest
+
+from raven.tui_rpc.dispatcher import Dispatcher
+from raven.tui_rpc.methods.shell_exec import register_shell_methods, shell_exec
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def dispatcher() -> Dispatcher:
+    d = Dispatcher()
+    register_shell_methods(d)
+    return d
+
+
+async def test_shell_exec_registered_on_umbrella_dispatcher() -> None:
+    """The production umbrella (register_aligned_methods_except_system) must
+    expose ``shell.exec`` — the same registration-drift bug the
+    slash_routing methods were added to prevent."""
+    from raven.tui_rpc.methods import register_aligned_methods_except_system
+
+    d = Dispatcher()
+    register_aligned_methods_except_system(d)
+    assert "shell.exec" in d.methods()
+
+
+async def test_shell_exec_runs_command_and_returns_stdout(dispatcher: Dispatcher) -> None:
+    frame = {
+        "jsonrpc": "2.0",
+        "id": 1,
+        "method": "shell.exec",
+        "params": {"command": "echo hello"},
+    }
+    response = await dispatcher.dispatch(frame)
+
+    assert "error" not in response
+    result = response["result"]
+    assert result["code"] == 0
+    assert result["stdout"].strip() == "hello"
+
+
+async def test_shell_exec_reports_nonzero_exit_code(dispatcher: Dispatcher) -> None:
+    frame = {
+        "jsonrpc": "2.0",
+        "id": 2,
+        "method": "shell.exec",
+        "params": {"command": "exit 3"},
+    }
+    response = await dispatcher.dispatch(frame)
+
+    assert response["result"]["code"] == 3
+
+
+async def test_shell_exec_empty_command_does_not_raise() -> None:
+    result = await shell_exec({"command": "  "})
+
+    assert result["code"] != 0
+    assert result["stdout"] == ""