add man page gosh(1) and include it in the deb/rpm packages

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
add assignments name=value and unset
2026-10-04 13:59:09 +02:00 · 2026-10-04 00:17:38 +02:00 · 2026-10-04 00:16:29 +02:00 · 2026-10-04 00:05:28 +02:00
12 changed files with 2113 additions and 231 deletions
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 gosh
 dist/
+packaging/man/gosh.1.gz
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ before:
  hooks:
    - go mod tidy
    - go test ./...
+    # Man page with the release version, gzipped for /usr/share/man
+    - sh -c 'sed "s/@VERSION@/{{ .Version }}/" packaging/man/gosh.1 | gzip -9n > packaging/man/gosh.1.gz'

 builds:
  - id: gosh
@@ -50,6 +52,10 @@ archives:
      - src: README.md
        info:
          mode: 0644
+      - src: packaging/man/gosh.1.gz
+        dst: man/gosh.1.gz
+        info:
+          mode: 0644

 nfpms:
  - id: gosh
@@ -75,6 +81,10 @@ nfpms:
        dst: /usr/share/doc/gosh/README.md
        file_info:
          mode: 0644
+      - src: packaging/man/gosh.1.gz
+        dst: /usr/share/man/man1/gosh.1.gz
+        file_info:
+          mode: 0644
    scripts:
      postinstall: packaging/scripts/postinstall.sh
      postremove: packaging/scripts/postremove.sh
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-`gosh` eine einfache Shell, geschrieben in golang.
+`gosh` eine Shell, in golang geschrieben.

 ```
 gosh - Go Shell
-Version: 0.2.1 (branch: main, commit: 03e791c)
+Version: 0.13.0 (branch: main, commit: f79fb0b)

 Built-in commands:
  cd [dir]       - Change directory (cd with no args goes to home)
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ Built-in commands:
  quit [code]   - Quit shell with status code (default: $?)
  set VAR=val   - Set environment variable
  export VAR=val - Export environment variable
+  unset VAR     - Remove a variable
  source file   - Run the commands of file in this shell (also: . file)
  jobs          - List background and stopped jobs
  fg [%n]       - Continue job n (default: current job) in the foreground
@@ -19,6 +20,9 @@ Built-in commands:
  wait [%n]     - Wait for job n or all background jobs
  alias [name[=value] ...] - Define or show aliases (alias ll='ls -l')
  unalias name  - Remove an alias (unalias -a: all aliases)
+  :             - Do nothing (exit status 0)
+  break [n]     - Leave the innermost (or n-th) for/while/until loop
+  continue [n]  - Continue with the next iteration of a loop
  help          - Show this help

 Features:
@@ -41,6 +45,9 @@ Features:
    GOSH_COLORS='user=1;33:path=36' (keys user, root, path, error; values
    are ANSI SGR codes, empty = no color); disabled with $NO_COLOR,
    TERM=dumb or when output is not a terminal
+  - Variables: name=value sets a variable (like set), name=value command
+    sets it only for that command; the value is not split or expanded as
+    a pattern
  - Environment variable expansion ($VAR, ${VAR}, ${VAR:-default});
    using an unset variable is an error, use ${VAR:-} for an empty default
  - Command substitution: $(command) is replaced by the output of command
@@ -48,6 +55,9 @@ Features:
    stays one word
  - Command lists: a ; b (run both), a && b (b only if a succeeded),
    a || b (b only if a failed); $? is the exit status of the last command
+  - Control structures: if cmd; then ...; elif cmd; then ...; else ...; fi,
+    for x in words; do ...; done, while cmd; do ...; done, until ...,
+    ! cmd negates the status; they can span several lines (prompt "> ")
  - Pipes (a | b) and redirections: < file, > file, >> file, 2> file,
    2>> file, 2>&1, >&2, &> file (stdout and stderr), &>> file
  - Job control: command & runs in the background, Ctrl+Z stops the
@@ -125,6 +135,73 @@ export LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 export PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH
 ```

+### Kontrollstrukturen
+
+gosh kennt `if`, `for`, `while` und `until` wie `sh`, auf einer Zeile oder über mehrere Zeilen:
+
+```bash
+if [ -f ~/.goshrc ]; then
+  echo "rc vorhanden"
+elif [ -d ~/.config ]; then
+  echo "nur .config"
+else
+  echo "nichts"
+fi
+
+for f in *.log; do
+  gzip "$f"
+done
+
+for i in {1..5}; do echo "Durchlauf $i"; done
+
+n=3
+while [ $n -gt 0 ]; do
+  echo $n
+  n=$(expr $n - 1)
+done
+
+until ping -c1 -W1 server >/dev/null; do sleep 1; done
+```
+
+| Konstrukt                                   | Bedeutung                                                         |
+|---------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `if befehl; then …; elif …; then …; else …; fi` | führt den Zweig aus, dessen Bedingung den Exit-Status 0 hat   |
+| `for x in wörter; do …; done`               | setzt `x` nacheinander auf jedes Wort                             |
+| `while befehl; do …; done`                  | wiederholt, solange `befehl` erfolgreich ist                      |
+| `until befehl; do …; done`                  | wiederholt, bis `befehl` erfolgreich ist                          |
+| `! befehl`                                  | kehrt den Exit-Status um                                          |
+| `break [n]`, `continue [n]`                 | verlässt die (n-te) Schleife bzw. springt zum nächsten Durchlauf  |
+| `:`                                         | tut nichts, Exit-Status 0 (z. B. `while :; do …; done`)           |
+
+- Bedingungen sind normale Befehle (auch Listen mit `&&`/`||`), meist `test` bzw. `[ … ]` (z. B. `[ -f datei ]`, `[ "$a" = b ]`, `[ $n -lt 3 ]`).
+- Die Wörter nach `for … in` werden wie Argumente expandiert: `*.go`, `{1..10}`, `$VAR`, `$(befehl)`. Ohne `in` läuft die Schleife nicht (Positionsparameter gibt es nicht).
+- Variablen, `$(...)` und Wildcards im Rumpf werden bei jedem Durchlauf neu ersetzt.
+- Ist ein Befehl noch nicht vollständig (z. B. nach `if …; then` oder `for …` + Enter, nach `&&`, `|` oder einem `\` am Zeilenende), zeigt gosh den Fortsetzungs-Prompt `> `; Ctrl+C verwirft die angefangene Eingabe. Skripte und Startdateien lesen entsprechend weiter.
+- Ctrl+C bricht die ganze Befehlszeile ab, also auch eine Schleife (`while true; do sleep 1; done`).
+- Der Exit-Status ist der des zuletzt ausgeführten Befehls; ein `if` ohne passenden Zweig und eine Schleife ohne Durchlauf haben den Status 0.
+- Nicht unterstützt: Kontrollstrukturen in Pipes (`for …; done | sort`), mit Umleitung (`done > datei`) oder im Hintergrund (`done &`), außerdem `case`, Funktionen und `read`. Arithmetik geht z. B. mit `n=$(expr $n + 1)`.
+
+### Variablen
+
+```bash
+name=wert                 # Variable setzen (wie set name=wert)
+a=1 b=2                   # mehrere auf einmal
+gruss="Hallo Welt"        # Leerzeichen im Wert brauchen Anführungszeichen
+heute=$(date +%F)         # Ausgabe eines Befehls
+PATH=~/bin:$PATH          # ~ wird auch nach = und : ersetzt
+LANG=C sort datei         # nur für diesen einen Befehl
+unset name                # Variable entfernen
+echo $name ${name:-standard}
+```
+
+- Eine Zuweisung ist ein Wort `name=wert` am Anfang eines Befehls, bei dem `name` und `=` ohne Anführungszeichen stehen und `name` aus Buchstaben, Ziffern und `_` besteht (nicht mit einer Ziffer beginnend). `"x=1"`, `x\=1` und `echo x=1` sind keine Zuweisungen.
+- Steht danach kein Befehl, wird die Variable in der Shell gesetzt. Wie bei `set` und `export` sind in gosh alle Variablen auch für gestartete Programme sichtbar (es gibt keine reinen Shell-Variablen).
+- Steht ein Befehl danach (`LANG=C sort datei`), gilt die Zuweisung nur für diesen Befehl, die Shell behält den alten Wert.
+- Der Wert wird nicht in Wörter geteilt und nicht als Wildcard oder `{a,b}` expandiert: `x=$(ls)` speichert die ganze Ausgabe, `x=*.go` speichert `*.go`. Variablen, `$(...)` und `~` (am Anfang, nach `=` und nach `:`) werden ersetzt.
+- `$?` ist nach einer Zuweisung der Status des letzten `$(...)` darin, sonst 0.
+- Variablen in den Argumenten werden ersetzt, bevor die Zuweisung davor gilt: `x=1 echo $x` gibt nicht `1` aus, sondern meldet `x: unbound variable` (wenn `x` vorher nicht gesetzt war).
+- In einer Pipeline (`x=1 | cat`) ändert eine Zuweisung die Shell nicht.
+
 ### Befehlsersetzung

 `$(befehl)` wird durch die Ausgabe von `befehl` ersetzt:
@@ -221,7 +298,7 @@ $ ls -d */            # nur Verzeichnisse
 - Versteckte Dateien (mit `.` am Anfang) werden nur gefunden, wenn das Muster selbst mit `.` beginnt: `*` findet `.bashrc` nicht, `.*rc` schon.
 - Passt keine Datei, bleibt das Wort unverändert stehen (wie in `sh`), `ls *.xyz` meldet dann also `ls` den Fehler.
 - In Anführungszeichen oder mit `\` davor sind die Zeichen normale Zeichen: `echo "*"`, `echo '*.go'`, `echo \*`.
- Werte von Variablen werden nicht als Muster behandelt (anders als in `sh`): Nach `set P=*.go` gibt `echo $P` wörtlich `*.go` aus. So kann ein Variablenwert nie unbemerkt auf viele Dateien passen. `echo $DIR/*.go` funktioniert dagegen, weil das `*` direkt in der Zeile steht.
+- Werte von Variablen werden nicht als Muster behandelt (anders als in `sh`): Nach `P='*.go'` gibt `echo $P` wörtlich `*.go` aus. So kann ein Variablenwert nie unbemerkt auf viele Dateien passen. `echo $DIR/*.go` funktioniert dagegen, weil das `*` direkt in der Zeile steht.
 - Bei einer Umleitung muss das Muster genau eine Datei treffen (`> *.log`), sonst meldet gosh `ambiguous redirect`.

 ### Pipes und Umleitungen
@@ -430,4 +507,4 @@ git push origin v0.1.0
 goreleaser release --clean
 ```

-Das Paket installiert `/usr/bin/gosh` und trägt die Shell in `/etc/shells` ein, sodass sie mit `chsh -s /usr/bin/gosh` gesetzt werden kann.
+Das Paket installiert `/usr/bin/gosh` und die Man-Page `gosh(1)` (`man gosh`, Quelle: `packaging/man/gosh.1`, lokal ansehen mit `man ./packaging/man/gosh.1`) und trägt die Shell in `/etc/shells` ein, sodass sie mit `chsh -s /usr/bin/gosh` gesetzt werden kann.
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func expandAliasesIn(line string, active map[string]bool) string {
 	for i := 0; i < len(line); i++ {
 		ch := line[i]
 		if quote == 0 && !escaped && commandPos {
-			if ch == ' ' || ch == '\t' {
+			if ch == ' ' || ch == '\t' || ch == '\n' {
 				out.WriteByte(ch)
 				continue
 			}
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestTokenize_Assignments(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("HOME", "/home/u")
+	tests := []struct {
+		input  string
+		word   string
+		assign bool
+	}{
+		{"x=1", "x=1", true},
+		{"_a1=", "_a1=", true},
+		{`x="a b"`, "x=a b", true},
+		{"x=a=b", "x=a=b", true},
+		{"P=~/bin:~/go/bin", "P=/home/u/bin:/home/u/go/bin", true},
+		{"x=a~b", "x=a~b", true},
+		{"x=~", "x=/home/u", true},
+		// Not an assignment: quoted or escaped name or =, invalid name
+		{`"x=1"`, "x=1", false},
+		{`x"=1"`, "x=1", false},
+		{`x\=1`, "x=1", false},
+		{"1x=2", "1x=2", false},
+		{"=x", "=x", false},
+		{"a-b=1", "a-b=1", false},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		tokens, err := tokenize(tc.input)
+		if err != nil || len(tokens) != 1 {
+			t.Errorf("tokenize(%q) = %+v, %v", tc.input, tokens, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if tokens[0].word != tc.word || tokens[0].assign != tc.assign {
+			t.Errorf("tokenize(%q) = %q (assign %v), want %q (assign %v)",
+				tc.input, tokens[0].word, tokens[0].assign, tc.word, tc.assign)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// The output of $(...) is not split in an assignment
+	tokens, _ := tokenize("x=$(echo a b) y")
+	if len(tokens) != 2 || tokens[0].word != "x=a b" || !tokens[0].assign {
+		t.Errorf("x=$(echo a b): %+v", tokens)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExec_Assignments(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, name := range []string{"GOSH_A", "GOSH_B", "GOSH_C"} {
+		os.Unsetenv(name)
+		defer os.Unsetenv(name)
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		input string
+		want  string
+	}{
+		{"GOSH_A=1; echo $GOSH_A > out", "1\n"},
+		{"GOSH_A=1 GOSH_B=2; echo $GOSH_A$GOSH_B > out", "12\n"},
+		{`GOSH_A="a  b"; echo "$GOSH_A" > out`, "a  b\n"},
+		{"GOSH_A=$(printf 'a b\\nc'); echo \"$GOSH_A\" > out", "a b\nc\n"},
+		// No wildcard or brace expansion in the value
+		{"touch x.go; GOSH_A=*.go; echo \"$GOSH_A\" > out", "*.go\n"},
+		{"GOSH_A={a,b}; echo $GOSH_A > out", "{a,b}\n"},
+		// ... but as an argument, assignment-like words are normal words
+		{"echo GOSH_A={a,b} > out", "GOSH_A=a GOSH_A=b\n"},
+		// Before a command, only in its environment
+		{"GOSH_C=temp sh -c 'echo $GOSH_C' > out; echo ${GOSH_C:-unset} >> out", "temp\nunset\n"},
+		{"GOSH_A=old; GOSH_A=new sh -c 'echo $GOSH_A' > out; echo $GOSH_A >> out", "new\nold\n"},
+		// ... and before a builtin only while it runs
+		{"GOSH_C=temp pwd > /dev/null; echo ${GOSH_C:-unset} > out", "unset\n"},
+		// In a pipeline or with a command they do not change the shell
+		{"GOSH_C=x | cat; echo ${GOSH_C:-unset} > out", "unset\n"},
+		// Redirections are applied
+		{"GOSH_A=r > out", ""},
+		// In loops
+		{"for i in 1 2 3; do GOSH_A=$i; done; echo $GOSH_A > out", "3\n"},
+		{"GOSH_B=0; while [ $GOSH_B -lt 3 ]; do echo $GOSH_B >> out; GOSH_B=$(expr $GOSH_B + 1); done", "0\n1\n2\n"},
+		// Not assignments
+		{`echo "GOSH_A=1" GOSH_B=2 > out`, "GOSH_A=1 GOSH_B=2\n"},
+		// unset
+		{"GOSH_A=1; unset GOSH_A; echo ${GOSH_A:-gone} > out", "gone\n"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		if got := runIn(t, tc.input); got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("%q: out = %q, want %q", tc.input, got, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// The status of an assignment is the one of its last $(...)
+	for input, want := range map[string]int{
+		"GOSH_A=1":                       0,
+		"GOSH_A=$(false)":                1,
+		"GOSH_A=$(sh -c 'exit 3')":       3,
+		"GOSH_A=$(false) GOSH_B=$(true)": 0,
+	} {
+		runIn(t, input)
+		if lastStatus != want {
+			t.Errorf("%q: $? = %d, want %d", input, lastStatus, want)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if err := execInput("unset 1x"); err == nil || err.Error() != "unset: `1x': not a valid identifier" {
+		t.Errorf("unset 1x: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := execInput(`"GOSH_A=1"`); err == nil || exitStatus(err) != 127 {
+		t.Errorf(`"GOSH_A=1" must be a command: %v`, err)
+	}
+}
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ func expandBraceWords(input string) (string, error) {
 	var (
 		out           strings.Builder
 		afterRedirect bool // the next word is the target of a redirection
+		commandStart  = true
 	)

 	for i := 0; i < len(input); {
@@ -33,6 +34,8 @@ func expandBraceWords(input string) (string, error) {
 		case strings.IndexByte(";&|<>", ch) >= 0:
 			if ch == '<' || ch == '>' {
 				afterRedirect = true
+			} else {
+				commandStart = true
 			}
 			out.WriteByte(ch)
 			i++
@@ -42,6 +45,16 @@ func expandBraceWords(input string) (string, error) {
 			return out.String(), nil
 		default:
 			end := wordEnd(input, i)
+			if commandStart && !afterRedirect && isAssignment(input[i:end]) {
+				// name=value before the command: no brace expansion, like
+				// in bash
+				out.WriteString(input[i:end])
+				i = end
+				continue
+			}
+			if !afterRedirect {
+				commandStart = false
+			}
 			words, err := expandBraces(input[i:end])
 			if err != nil {
 				return "", err
@@ -57,6 +70,12 @@ func expandBraceWords(input string) (string, error) {
 	return out.String(), nil
 }

+// isAssignment reports whether a word starts with name= (unquoted).
+func isAssignment(word string) bool {
+	name, _, ok := strings.Cut(word, "=")
+	return ok && isVarName(name)
+}
+
 // wordEnd returns the end of the word starting at i: the next unquoted blank
 // or operator character.
 func wordEnd(s string, i int) int {
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ type token struct {
 	word    string // the word, if op == ""
 	pattern string // the word as glob pattern (quoted characters escaped)
 	glob    bool   // the word contains unquoted * ? or [ and is expanded
+	assign  bool   // the word is an assignment name=value (unquoted name and =)
 	fd      int    // the redirected file descriptor (for redirections)
 	dup     int    // the target file descriptor of >& and <&
 }
@@ -136,7 +137,8 @@ type token struct {
 //   - $VAR, ${VAR} and ${VAR:-default} are expanded outside single quotes;
 //     an unset variable is an error, so that e.g. "rm -rf $DIR/x" never runs
 //     with an empty $DIR
-//   - ~ and ~/... are expanded at the start of an unquoted word
+//   - ~ and ~/... are expanded at the start of an unquoted word, and after
+//     the = and : of an assignment (PATH=~/bin:~/go/bin)
 //   - unquoted |, <, >, >>, N<, N>, N>>, N>&M, N<&M, &> and &>> are operators
 //
 // Expanded values are never split into several words.
@@ -147,6 +149,9 @@ func tokenize(input string) ([]token, error) {
 		pat      strings.Builder // the word as glob pattern, quoted parts escaped
 		glob     bool            // the word contains unquoted * ? or [
 		inWord   bool            // a word has been started (even if it is still empty)
+		plain    = true          // the word so far has no quotes, escapes or expansions
+		assign   bool            // the word is an assignment name=value
+		tildeOK  bool            // ~ may be expanded here (after = or : of an assignment)
 		quote    byte
 		escaped  bool
 		rawStart = -1 // start of the current word in input
@@ -154,16 +159,17 @@ func tokenize(input string) ([]token, error) {

 	endWord := func() {
 		if inWord {
-			tokens = append(tokens, token{word: b.String(), pattern: pat.String(), glob: glob})
+			tokens = append(tokens, token{word: b.String(), pattern: pat.String(), glob: glob, assign: assign})
 		}
 		b.Reset()
 		pat.Reset()
-		glob = false
+		glob, assign, plain = false, false, true
 		inWord = false
 		rawStart = -1
 	}
 	// literal adds quoted, escaped or expanded text: it is never a pattern
 	literal := func(s string) {
+		plain = false
 		b.WriteString(s)
 		pat.WriteString(escapeGlob(s))
 	}
@@ -175,6 +181,8 @@ func tokenize(input string) ([]token, error) {

 	for i := 0; i < len(input); i++ {
 		ch := input[i]
+		afterAssignSep := tildeOK
+		tildeOK = false
 		switch {
 		case escaped:
 			if quote == '"' && !strings.ContainsRune("$\"\\`", rune(ch)) {
@@ -202,7 +210,8 @@ func tokenize(input string) ([]token, error) {
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
-			if quote == '"' {
+			if quote == '"' || assign {
+				// Quoted or in an assignment, the output is one word
 				literal(out)
 				inWord = true
 			} else {
@@ -241,6 +250,7 @@ func tokenize(input string) ([]token, error) {
 			}
 		case ch == '"' || ch == '\'':
 			startRaw(i)
+			plain = false
 			quote = ch
 			inWord = true
 		case ch == ' ' || ch == '\t' || ch == '\n':
@@ -296,8 +306,8 @@ func tokenize(input string) ([]token, error) {
 				i = j - 1
 			}
 			tokens = append(tokens, t)
-		case ch == '~' && !inWord && b.Len() == 0 &&
-			(i+1 == len(input) || strings.IndexByte("/ \t\n|<>", input[i+1]) >= 0):
+		case ch == '~' && (!inWord && b.Len() == 0 || afterAssignSep) &&
+			(i+1 == len(input) || strings.IndexByte("/ \t\n|<>:", input[i+1]) >= 0):
 			startRaw(i)
 			home := getHomeDir()
 			if home == "" {
@@ -307,6 +317,14 @@ func tokenize(input string) ([]token, error) {
 			inWord = true
 		default:
 			startRaw(i)
+			switch {
+			case ch == '=' && plain && !assign && isVarName(b.String()):
+				// name=value; ~ may follow
+				assign, tildeOK = true, true
+			case ch == ':' && assign:
+				// PATH=~/bin:~/go/bin
+				tildeOK = true
+			}
 			b.WriteByte(ch)
 			switch {
 			case ch == '*' || ch == '?' || ch == '[':
@@ -742,7 +760,7 @@ type shellCompleter struct {

 func newShellCompleter() *shellCompleter {
 	return &shellCompleter{
-		commands: []string{"cd", "pwd", "echo", "exit", "quit", "set", "export", "source", "jobs", "fg", "bg", "wait", "alias", "unalias", "help"},
+		commands: []string{"cd", "pwd", "echo", "exit", "quit", "set", "export", "source", "jobs", "fg", "bg", "wait", "alias", "unalias", "break", "continue", "unset", "help"},
 	}
 }

@@ -756,6 +774,13 @@ func (c *shellCompleter) Do(line []rune, pos int) ([][]rune, int) {
 	before := strings.TrimSpace(string(line[:start]))
 	isFirstWord := before == "" || strings.HasSuffix(before, "|") ||
 		strings.HasSuffix(before, ";") || strings.HasSuffix(before, "&&")
+	// ... and after if, then, do etc.
+	if fields := strings.Fields(before); len(fields) > 0 {
+		switch fields[len(fields)-1] {
+		case "if", "then", "elif", "else", "do", "while", "until", "!":
+			isFirstWord = true
+		}
+	}

 	// Plain "~" -> "~/"
 	if word == "~" {
@@ -1070,28 +1095,56 @@ func sourceFile(cmd, path string) error {
 	return nil
 }

-// runScript executes the commands from r line by line. Like sh, it does not
-// stop at a failing command and returns the exit status of the last one.
-// Empty lines and lines starting with # (e.g. a #!/usr/bin/gosh line) are
-// skipped. If name is set, errors are reported with file name and line.
+// runScript executes the commands from r. Each command is executed as soon
+// as it is complete (a control structure can span several lines). Like sh,
+// it does not stop at a failing command and returns the exit status of the
+// last one. If name is set, errors are reported with file name and line.
 func runScript(r io.Reader, name string) int {
-	status := 0
-	for lineNo := 1; ; lineNo++ {
-		line, err := readLine(r)
-		if trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(line); trimmed != "" && !strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "#") {
-			cmdErr := execInput(line)
-			status = lastStatus
-			if name != "" && cmdErr != nil {
-				cmdErr = fmt.Errorf("%s:%d: %w", sanitize(name), lineNo, cmdErr)
-			}
-			printError(cmdErr)
+	var (
+		buf       strings.Builder
+		startLine int
+	)
+	report := func(err error, line int) {
+		if name != "" && err != nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("%s:%d: %w", sanitize(name), line, err)
 		}
-		if err != nil {
-			if err != io.EOF {
-				fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "gosh:", err)
+		printError(err)
+	}
+
+	for lineNo := 1; ; lineNo++ {
+		line, readErr := readLine(r)
+		if readErr == nil || line != "" {
+			if buf.Len() == 0 {
+				if strings.TrimSpace(line) == "" {
+					goto next
+				}
+				startLine = lineNo
+			}
+			buf.WriteString(line)
+			buf.WriteByte('\n')
+			tree, err := parse(buf.String())
+			if errors.Is(err, errIncomplete) {
+				goto next // read the rest of the command
+			}
+			buf.Reset()
+			if err != nil {
+				lastStatus = exitStatus(err)
+				report(err, startLine)
+			} else {
+				report(tree.exec(), startLine)
+			}
+		}
+	next:
+		if readErr != nil {
+			if readErr != io.EOF {
+				fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "gosh:", readErr)
 				return 1
 			}
-			return status
+			if buf.Len() > 0 {
+				lastStatus = 2
+				report(errors.New("syntax error: unexpected end of file"), startLine)
+			}
+			return lastStatus
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -1129,10 +1182,16 @@ func exitStatus(err error) int {
 	if errors.As(err, &statusErr) {
 		return int(statusErr)
 	}
-	var synErr syntaxError
-	if errors.As(err, &synErr) {
+	var (
+		synErr syntaxError
+		lc     loopControl
+	)
+	if errors.As(err, &synErr) || errors.Is(err, errIncomplete) {
 		return 2
 	}
+	if errors.As(err, &lc) {
+		return 0
+	}
 	var exitErr *exec.ExitError
 	if errors.As(err, &exitErr) {
 		if ws, ok := exitErr.Sys().(syscall.WaitStatus); ok && ws.Signaled() {
@@ -1184,23 +1243,35 @@ func interactive() {
 	}
 	defer l.Close()

-	// Main loop
+	// Main loop. A command that is not complete yet (e.g. if without fi)
+	// is continued on the next line with the prompt "> ".
+	var buf strings.Builder
 	for {
-		// Report finished and stopped background jobs
-		reapJobs(true)
-
-		// Update prompt dynamically (in case directory changed)
-		l.SetPrompt(getPrompt())
+		if buf.Len() == 0 {
+			// Report finished and stopped background jobs
+			reapJobs(true)
+			// Update prompt dynamically (in case directory changed)
+			l.SetPrompt(getPrompt())
+		} else {
+			l.SetPrompt("> ")
+		}

 		line, err := l.Readline()
 		if err != nil {
-			// Ctrl+C discards the current line
+			// Ctrl+C discards the current line (and an incomplete command)
 			if err == readline.ErrInterrupt {
+				buf.Reset()
 				continue
 			}
 			// Handle EOF (Ctrl+D)
 			if err == io.EOF {
 				fmt.Println()
+				if buf.Len() > 0 {
+					buf.Reset()
+					lastStatus = 2
+					fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "gosh: syntax error: unexpected end of file")
+					continue
+				}
 				if hasStoppedJobs() && !exitWarned {
 					exitWarned = true
 					fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "gosh: there are stopped jobs")
@@ -1213,7 +1284,7 @@ func interactive() {
 		}

 		// Skip empty input
-		if strings.TrimSpace(line) == "" {
+		if buf.Len() == 0 && strings.TrimSpace(line) == "" {
 			continue
 		}

@@ -1223,8 +1294,19 @@ func interactive() {
 			l.SaveHistory(line)
 		}

-		// Execute the input
-		printError(execInput(line))
+		buf.WriteString(line)
+		buf.WriteByte('\n')
+		tree, err := parse(buf.String())
+		if errors.Is(err, errIncomplete) {
+			continue
+		}
+		buf.Reset()
+		if err != nil {
+			lastStatus = exitStatus(err)
+			printError(err)
+			continue
+		}
+		printError(tree.exec())
 	}
 }

@@ -1256,144 +1338,24 @@ func printError(err error) {
 	var (
 		exitErr   *exec.ExitError
 		statusErr statusError
+		lc        loopControl
 	)
-	if err == nil || errors.As(err, &exitErr) || errors.As(err, &statusErr) {
+	if err == nil || errors.As(err, &exitErr) || errors.As(err, &statusErr) || errors.As(err, &lc) {
 		return
 	}
 	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "gosh:", err)
 }

-// listItem is a command of a command list together with the operator that
-// connects it to the previous command ("" for the first one).
-type listItem struct {
-	op         string // "", ";", "&&" or "||"
-	command    string
-	background bool // the command ends with &
-}
-
-// splitList splits input at unquoted ;, &, && and ||. Quotes, escapes, ${...}
-// and comments are handled like in splitWords, but nothing is expanded yet:
-// that happens per command when it runs, so "cd /tmp && echo $PWD" works.
-func splitList(input string) ([]listItem, error) {
-	var (
-		items     []listItem
-		op        string
-		start     int
-		quote     byte
-		escaped   bool
-		wordStart = true // the next character starts a word
-	)
-
-	end := len(input)
-	add := func(i int, next string) error {
-		command := input[start:i]
-		if strings.TrimSpace(command) == "" {
-			// "a;" is fine, but an operator needs a command on both sides
-			if next != "" || op == "&&" || op == "||" {
-				if next == "" {
-					next = op
-				}
-				return syntaxError(next)
-			}
-			return nil
-		}
-		items = append(items, listItem{op: op, command: command})
-		return nil
-	}
-
-scan:
-	for i := 0; i < len(input); i++ {
-		ch := input[i]
-		isWordStart := wordStart
-		wordStart = false
-		switch {
-		case escaped:
-			escaped = false
-		case quote == '\'':
-			if ch == '\'' {
-				quote = 0
-			}
-		case ch == '\\':
-			escaped = true
-		case isSubstStart(input, i):
-			// Skip $(...) as a whole, its ; | & belong to the subshell
-			if j := substEnd(input, i); j >= 0 {
-				i = j
-			}
-		case ch == '$' && i+1 < len(input) && input[i+1] == '{':
-			// Skip ${...} as a whole, like expandVar does
-			if j := strings.IndexByte(input[i:], '}'); j >= 0 {
-				i += j
-			}
-		case quote == '"':
-			if ch == '"' {
-				quote = 0
-			}
-		case ch == '"' || ch == '\'':
-			quote = ch
-		case ch == ' ' || ch == '\t' || ch == '\n':
-			wordStart = true
-		case ch == '#' && isWordStart:
-			end = i
-			break scan
-		case ch == '&' && !(i+1 < len(input) && strings.IndexByte("&>", input[i+1]) >= 0) &&
-			!(i > 0 && strings.IndexByte("<>", input[i-1]) >= 0):
-			// A single & (not &&, &>, >& or <&) runs the command in the
-			// background
-			if err := add(i, "&"); err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
-			items[len(items)-1].background = true
-			op = ";"
-			start = i + 1
-			wordStart = true
-		case ch == ';',
-			ch == '&' && i+1 < len(input) && input[i+1] == '&',
-			ch == '|' && i+1 < len(input) && input[i+1] == '|':
-			next := input[i : i+1]
-			if ch != ';' {
-				next = input[i : i+2]
-			}
-			if err := add(i, next); err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
-			i += len(next) - 1
-			op = next
-			start = i + 1
-			wordStart = true
-		}
-	}
-
-	// An unterminated quote or a trailing \ is reported by splitWords
-	if err := add(end, ""); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	return items, nil
-}
-
-// execInput executes a line of input: a list of commands separated by ;, &&
-// and ||. It returns the error of the last command that was run; errors of
-// earlier commands are printed. $? is updated after each command.
+// execInput parses and executes input: a command line or a whole script.
+// It returns the error of the last command that was run; errors of earlier
+// commands are printed. $? is updated after each command.
 func execInput(input string) error {
-	if interactiveShell {
-		input = expandAliases(input)
-	}
-	items, err := splitList(input)
+	tree, err := parse(input)
 	if err != nil {
 		lastStatus = exitStatus(err)
 		return err
 	}
-
-	var lastErr error
-	for _, item := range items {
-		if (item.op == "&&" && lastStatus != 0) || (item.op == "||" && lastStatus == 0) {
-			continue
-		}
-		printError(lastErr)
-		lastErr = execCommand(item.command, item.background)
-		lastStatus = exitStatus(lastErr)
-	}
-	return lastErr
+	return tree.exec()
 }

 // execCommand executes a pipeline of simple commands with redirections, in
@@ -1447,6 +1409,7 @@ type redirect struct {

 // stage is a simple command of a pipeline.
 type stage struct {
+	assigns   []string // name=value before the command name
 	args      []string
 	redirects []redirect
 }
@@ -1457,13 +1420,18 @@ func parsePipeline(tokens []token) ([]stage, error) {
 		stages []stage
 		cur    stage
 	)
-	isEmpty := func(s stage) bool { return len(s.args) == 0 && len(s.redirects) == 0 }
+	isEmpty := func(s stage) bool { return len(s.assigns) == 0 && len(s.args) == 0 && len(s.redirects) == 0 }

 	for i := 0; i < len(tokens); i++ {
 		t := tokens[i]
 		switch t.op {
 		case "":
-			cur.args = append(cur.args, expandWord(t)...)
+			if t.assign && len(cur.args) == 0 {
+				// The value is not split and not expanded as a pattern
+				cur.assigns = append(cur.assigns, t.word)
+			} else {
+				cur.args = append(cur.args, expandWord(t)...)
+			}
 		case "|":
 			if isEmpty(cur) {
 				return nil, syntaxError("|")
@@ -1582,6 +1550,20 @@ func startStage(st stage, stdin, stdout *os.File, j *job, inPipeline, background
 	fds := [3]*os.File{stdin, stdout, os.Stderr}
 	opened, err := applyRedirects(&fds, st.redirects)
 	owned = append(owned, opened...)
+	if err == nil && len(st.args) == 0 && len(st.assigns) > 0 {
+		// Assignments without a command set variables of the shell (not in
+		// a pipeline or in the background, where sh runs them in a
+		// subshell). The status is the one of the last $(...) in them.
+		if !inPipeline && !background {
+			for _, a := range st.assigns {
+				name, value, _ := strings.Cut(a, "=")
+				os.Setenv(name, value)
+			}
+		}
+		if substStatus != 0 {
+			err = statusError(substStatus)
+		}
+	}
 	if err != nil || len(st.args) == 0 {
 		// A command without arguments only creates or truncates the files
 		closeOwned()
@@ -1608,6 +1590,8 @@ func startStage(st stage, stdin, stdout *os.File, j *job, inPipeline, background
 			return err
 		}
 		if !inPipeline && !background {
+			// name=value before a builtin applies only while it runs
+			defer setTemporarily(st.assigns)()
 			return finishedProc(run())
 		}
 		p := &proc{done: make(chan error, 1)}
@@ -1617,6 +1601,11 @@ func startStage(st stage, stdin, stdout *os.File, j *job, inPipeline, background

 	cmd := exec.Command(st.args[0], st.args[1:]...)
 	cmd.Stdin, cmd.Stdout, cmd.Stderr = fds[0], fds[1], fds[2]
+	if len(st.assigns) > 0 {
+		// name=value before a command is only in its environment (the
+		// last value of a name wins)
+		cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), st.assigns...)
+	}
 	if jobControl {
 		// All processes of the job share a process group: the one of the
 		// first process. In the foreground, the first process makes its
@@ -1649,6 +1638,31 @@ func startStage(st stage, stdin, stdout *os.File, j *job, inPipeline, background
 	return &proc{cmd: cmd}
 }

+// setTemporarily sets the variables of the assignments and returns a
+// function that restores the previous values.
+func setTemporarily(assigns []string) func() {
+	type saved struct {
+		name, value string
+		ok          bool
+	}
+	var restore []saved
+	for _, a := range assigns {
+		name, value, _ := strings.Cut(a, "=")
+		old, ok := os.LookupEnv(name)
+		restore = append(restore, saved{name, old, ok})
+		os.Setenv(name, value)
+	}
+	return func() {
+		for i := len(restore) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
+			if r := restore[i]; r.ok {
+				os.Setenv(r.name, r.value)
+			} else {
+				os.Unsetenv(r.name)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // applyRedirects applies the redirections in order to fds (stdin, stdout,
 // stderr) and returns the files it opened.
 func applyRedirects(fds *[3]*os.File, redirects []redirect) ([]*os.File, error) {
@@ -1701,21 +1715,25 @@ func applyRedirects(fds *[3]*os.File, redirects []redirect) ([]*os.File, error)
 // the shell cannot be used in a pipeline, since there they would run
 // concurrently (sh runs them in a subshell where they have no effect).
 var builtins = map[string]struct{ changesState bool }{
-	"cd":      {changesState: true},
-	"pwd":     {},
-	"exit":    {changesState: true},
-	"quit":    {changesState: true},
-	"set":     {changesState: true},
-	"export":  {changesState: true},
-	"help":    {},
-	"source":  {changesState: true},
-	".":       {changesState: true},
-	"jobs":    {},
-	"fg":      {changesState: true},
-	"bg":      {changesState: true},
-	"wait":    {changesState: true},
-	"alias":   {},
-	"unalias": {changesState: true},
+	"cd":       {changesState: true},
+	"pwd":      {},
+	"exit":     {changesState: true},
+	"quit":     {changesState: true},
+	"set":      {changesState: true},
+	"export":   {changesState: true},
+	"help":     {},
+	"source":   {changesState: true},
+	".":        {changesState: true},
+	"jobs":     {},
+	"fg":       {changesState: true},
+	"bg":       {changesState: true},
+	"wait":     {changesState: true},
+	"alias":    {},
+	"unalias":  {changesState: true},
+	":":        {},
+	"unset":    {changesState: true},
+	"break":    {changesState: true},
+	"continue": {changesState: true},
 }

 // runBuiltin executes a built-in command, writing its output to stdout.
@@ -1795,6 +1813,25 @@ func runBuiltin(args []string, stdout io.Writer) error {
 		}
 		os.Setenv(parts[0], parts[1])
 		return nil
+	case ":":
+		// Does nothing, successfully (e.g. while :; do ...)
+		return nil
+	case "unset":
+		// unset NAME ... - remove variables
+		if len(args) < 2 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("usage: unset NAME ...")
+		}
+		var err error
+		for _, name := range args[1:] {
+			if !isVarName(name) {
+				err = fmt.Errorf("unset: `%s': not a valid identifier", sanitize(name))
+				continue
+			}
+			os.Unsetenv(name)
+		}
+		return err
+	case "break", "continue":
+		return builtinLoopControl(args)
 	case "alias":
 		return builtinAlias(args, stdout)
 	case "unalias":
@@ -1824,6 +1861,7 @@ Built-in commands:
  quit [code]   - Quit shell with status code (default: $?)
  set VAR=val   - Set environment variable
  export VAR=val - Export environment variable
+  unset VAR     - Remove a variable
  source file   - Run the commands of file in this shell (also: . file)
  jobs          - List background and stopped jobs
  fg [%n]       - Continue job n (default: current job) in the foreground
@@ -1831,6 +1869,9 @@ Built-in commands:
  wait [%n]     - Wait for job n or all background jobs
  alias [name[=value] ...] - Define or show aliases (alias ll='ls -l')
  unalias name  - Remove an alias (unalias -a: all aliases)
+  :             - Do nothing (exit status 0)
+  break [n]     - Leave the innermost (or n-th) for/while/until loop
+  continue [n]  - Continue with the next iteration of a loop
  help          - Show this help

 Features:
@@ -1853,6 +1894,9 @@ Features:
    GOSH_COLORS='user=1;33:path=36' (keys user, root, path, error; values
    are ANSI SGR codes, empty = no color); disabled with $NO_COLOR,
    TERM=dumb or when output is not a terminal
+  - Variables: name=value sets a variable (like set), name=value command
+    sets it only for that command; the value is not split or expanded as
+    a pattern
  - Environment variable expansion ($VAR, ${VAR}, ${VAR:-default});
    using an unset variable is an error, use ${VAR:-} for an empty default
  - Command substitution: $(command) is replaced by the output of command
@@ -1860,6 +1904,9 @@ Features:
    stays one word
  - Command lists: a ; b (run both), a && b (b only if a succeeded),
    a || b (b only if a failed); $? is the exit status of the last command
+  - Control structures: if cmd; then ...; elif cmd; then ...; else ...; fi,
+    for x in words; do ...; done, while cmd; do ...; done, until ...,
+    ! cmd negates the status; they can span several lines (prompt "> ")
  - Pipes (a | b) and redirections: < file, > file, >> file, 2> file,
    2>> file, 2>&1, >&2, &> file (stdout and stderr), &>> file
  - Job control: command & runs in the background, Ctrl+Z stops the
@@ -842,7 +842,7 @@ func TestShellCompleter_Do(t *testing.T) {
 		want   []string
 		length int
 	}{
-		{"c", []string{"d "}, 1},
+		{"c", []string{"d ", "ontinue "}, 1},
 		{"e", []string{"cho ", "xit ", "xport "}, 1},
 		{"gi", []string{"tty "}, 2},
 		{"  gi", []string{"tty "}, 2},
@@ -1387,48 +1387,170 @@ func TestReadLine_DoesNotReadAhead(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

-func TestSplitList(t *testing.T) {
+// treeString formats a syntax tree for the tests: simple commands in
+// brackets, background commands with a trailing &.
+func treeString(l *listNode) string {
+	var parts []string
+	for _, e := range l.items {
+		s := pipelineString(e.andOr.first)
+		for _, r := range e.andOr.rest {
+			s += " " + r.op + " " + pipelineString(r.pipeline)
+		}
+		if e.background {
+			s += " &"
+		}
+		parts = append(parts, s)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(parts, "; ")
+}
+
+func pipelineString(pl *pipelineNode) string {
+	s := ""
+	if pl.negate {
+		s = "! "
+	}
+	switch n := pl.cmd.(type) {
+	case *simpleNode:
+		s += "[" + n.text + "]"
+	case *ifNode:
+		s += "if"
+		for i := range n.conds {
+			if i > 0 {
+				s += " elif"
+			}
+			s += " " + treeString(n.conds[i]) + " then " + treeString(n.bodies[i])
+		}
+		if n.elseBody != nil {
+			s += " else " + treeString(n.elseBody)
+		}
+		s += " fi"
+	case *forNode:
+		s += "for " + n.name
+		if n.hasIn {
+			s += " in (" + n.words + ")"
+		}
+		s += " do " + treeString(n.body) + " done"
+	case *whileNode:
+		if n.until {
+			s += "until "
+		} else {
+			s += "while "
+		}
+		s += treeString(n.cond) + " do " + treeString(n.body) + " done"
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+func TestParse_Lists(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		input string
-		want  []listItem
+		want  string
 	}{
-		{"", nil},
-		{"   ", nil},
-		{"# only a comment", nil},
-		{"ls", []listItem{{"", "ls", false}}},
-		{"a; b", []listItem{{"", "a", false}, {";", " b", false}}},
-		{"a;", []listItem{{"", "a", false}}},
-		{"a && b || c", []listItem{{"", "a ", false}, {"&&", " b ", false}, {"||", " c", false}}},
-		{`echo "a;b" 'c&&d' e\;f`, []listItem{{"", `echo "a;b" 'c&&d' e\;f`, false}}},
-		{`echo "x\"; y"`, []listItem{{"", `echo "x\"; y"`, false}}},
-		{"echo ${X:-a;b}; c", []listItem{{"", "echo ${X:-a;b}", false}, {";", " c", false}}},
-		{"echo a # b; c", []listItem{{"", "echo a ", false}}},
-		{"echo a#b; c", []listItem{{"", "echo a#b", false}, {";", " c", false}}},
-		{"echo a|b", []listItem{{"", "echo a|b", false}}},
-		{"a & b", []listItem{{"", "a ", true}, {";", " b", false}}},
-		{"a &", []listItem{{"", "a ", true}}},
-		{"a&", []listItem{{"", "a", true}}},
-		{"a 2>&1 &", []listItem{{"", "a 2>&1 ", true}}},
-		{"a &> f &", []listItem{{"", "a &> f ", true}}},
-		{"a >&2 && b", []listItem{{"", "a >&2 ", false}, {"&&", " b", false}}},
-		{`echo "a & b" \&`, []listItem{{"", `echo "a & b" \&`, false}}},
+		{"", ""},
+		{"   ", ""},
+		{"# only a comment", ""},
+		{"ls", "[ls]"},
+		{"a; b", "[a]; [b]"},
+		{"a;", "[a]"},
+		{"a\nb\n", "[a]; [b]"},
+		{"a && b || c", "[a] && [b] || [c]"},
+		{"a &&\n  b", "[a] && [b]"},
+		{"a | b|c", "[a | b|c]"},
+		{"a |\n b", "[a |\n b]"},
+		{`echo "a;b" 'c&&d' e\;f`, `[echo "a;b" 'c&&d' e\;f]`},
+		{`echo "x\"; y"`, `[echo "x\"; y"]`},
+		{"echo ${X:-a;b}; c", "[echo ${X:-a;b}]; [c]"},
+		{"echo a # b; c", "[echo a]"},
+		{"echo a#b; c", "[echo a#b]; [c]"},
+		{"a & b", "[a] &; [b]"},
+		{"a&", "[a] &"},
+		{"a 2>&1 &", "[a 2>&1] &"},
+		{"a &> f &", "[a &> f] &"},
+		{"a >&2 && b", "[a >&2] && [b]"},
+		{`echo "a & b" \&`, `[echo "a & b" \&]`},
+		{"echo $(a; b && c | d) \"$(e || f)\" & g", `[echo $(a; b && c | d) "$(e || f)"] &; [g]`},
+		{"! false", "! [false]"},
+		{"echo a \\\n b", "[echo a  b]"},
+		// Reserved words are only special as the first word of a command
+		{"echo if then fi do done", "[echo if then fi do done]"},
 	}
 	for _, tc := range tests {
-		got, err := splitList(tc.input)
+		tree, err := parse(tc.input)
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Errorf("splitList(%q) returned error: %v", tc.input, err)
+			t.Errorf("parse(%q) returned error: %v", tc.input, err)
 			continue
 		}
-		if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tc.want) {
-			t.Errorf("splitList(%q) = %+v, want %+v", tc.input, got, tc.want)
+		if got := treeString(tree); got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("parse(%q) = %s, want %s", tc.input, got, tc.want)
 		}
 	}
 }

-func TestSplitList_SyntaxErrors(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, input := range []string{"; a", "a ;; b", "&& a", "a &&", "a ||", "a && ; b", "a || && b", "& a", "a & && b", "a & & b"} {
-		if _, err := splitList(input); err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "syntax error") {
-			t.Errorf("splitList(%q) = %v, want syntax error", input, err)
+func TestParse_ControlStructures(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input string
+		want  string
+	}{
+		{"if a; then b; fi", "if [a] then [b] fi"},
+		{"if a\nthen\n  b\n  c\nfi", "if [a] then [b]; [c] fi"},
+		{"if a; then b; elif c; then d; else e; fi", "if [a] then [b] elif [c] then [d] else [e] fi"},
+		{"if a && ! b; then c; fi; echo x", "if [a] && ! [b] then [c] fi; [echo x]"},
+		{"for x in a b c; do echo $x; done", "for x in (a b c) do [echo $x] done"},
+		{"for x in *.go {1..3}\ndo\n  echo $x\ndone", "for x in (*.go {1..3}) do [echo $x] done"},
+		{"for x; do echo; done", "for x do [echo] done"},
+		{"for x in; do echo; done", "for x in () do [echo] done"},
+		{"while a; do b; done", "while [a] do [b] done"},
+		{"until a; do b; done", "until [a] do [b] done"},
+		{"while a; do if b; then break; fi; done", "while [a] do if [b] then [break] fi done"},
+		{"for i in 1 2; do for j in 3 4; do echo $i$j; done; done", "for i in (1 2) do for j in (3 4) do [echo $i$j] done done"},
+		{"if a; then if b; then c; fi fi", "if [a] then if [b] then [c] fi fi"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		tree, err := parse(tc.input)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("parse(%q) returned error: %v", tc.input, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if got := treeString(tree); got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("parse(%q) = %s, want %s", tc.input, got, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_Incomplete(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, input := range []string{
+		"if a", "if a; then", "if a; then b", "if a; then b; else", "if a; then b; elif c",
+		"for x", "for x in a b", "for x in a; do", "for x in a; do b",
+		"while a", "while a; do b", "until a; do",
+		"a &&", "a ||", "a |", "echo 'open", `echo "open`, "echo $(a", "echo a \\",
+	} {
+		if _, err := parse(input); !errors.Is(err, errIncomplete) {
+			t.Errorf("parse(%q) = %v, want incomplete", input, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_SyntaxErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, input := range []string{
+		"; a", "a ;; b", "&& a", "a && ; b", "a || && b", "& a", "a & && b", "a & & b",
+		"fi", "then", "done", "if a; then fi", "if ; then a; fi", "while a; do done",
+		"if a; then b; done", "for 1x in a; do b; done", "for x in a do b; done; x",
+		"a | | b", "| a",
+	} {
+		_, err := parse(input)
+		if err == nil || errors.Is(err, errIncomplete) {
+			t.Errorf("parse(%q) = %v, want syntax error", input, err)
+		}
+	}
+	for input, want := range map[string]string{
+		"for x in a; do b; done | cat": "control structures in pipelines are not supported",
+		"echo | while a; do b; done":   "control structures in pipelines are not supported",
+		"if a; then b; fi > out":       "redirections of control structures are not supported (near `>')",
+		"for x in a; do b; done &":     "only simple commands and pipelines can run in the background",
+		"a && b &":                     "only simple commands and pipelines can run in the background",
+	} {
+		if _, err := parse(input); err == nil || err.Error() != want {
+			t.Errorf("parse(%q) = %v, want %q", input, err, want)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -1552,7 +1674,7 @@ func TestTokenize_Operators(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		// Patterns are tested in TestTokenize_Patterns
 		for i := range got {
-			got[i].pattern, got[i].glob = "", false
+			got[i].pattern, got[i].glob, got[i].assign = "", false, false
 		}
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tc.want) {
 			t.Errorf("tokenize(%q) = %+v, want %+v", tc.input, got, tc.want)
@@ -0,0 +1,504 @@
+.\" Man page for gosh. View with: man ./packaging/man/gosh.1
+.\" @VERSION@ is replaced by the release version when building packages.
+.TH GOSH 1 "October 2026" "gosh @VERSION@" "User Commands"
+.SH NAME
+gosh \- a simple shell written in Go
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+.B gosh
+.RB [ \-l ]
+.RB [ \-i ]
+.RB [ \-\-norc ]
+.RB [ \-\-noprofile ]
+.RI [ script ]
+.br
+.B gosh
+.RB [ \-l ]
+.RB [ \-\-noprofile ]
+.B \-c
+.I command
+.br
+.B gosh
+.B \-version
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+.B gosh
+is a small command interpreter with a syntax close to
+.BR sh (1).
+It supports command history, tab completion, variables, command
+substitution, command lists, control structures, pipes, redirections,
+wildcards, brace expansion, aliases and job control.
+.PP
+Without arguments and with a terminal on standard input,
+.B gosh
+starts an interactive shell. With a
+.I script
+argument it runs the commands of that file, with
+.B \-c
+the given command string, and otherwise it reads commands from standard
+input.
+.PP
+.B gosh
+is a proof of concept and not meant for production use.
+.SH OPTIONS
+.TP
+.B \-c \fIcommand\fP
+Run
+.I command
+and exit.
+.TP
+.B \-i
+Force interactive mode, even if standard input is not a terminal.
+.TP
+.BR \-l ", " \-\-login
+Act as a login shell and read the profile files (see
+.BR "STARTUP FILES" ).
+A shell whose
+.I argv[0]
+starts with
+.B \-
+(as started by
+.BR login (1),
+.BR sshd (8)
+or
+.BR "su \-" )
+is a login shell as well.
+.TP
+.B \-\-norc
+Do not read the goshrc files.
+.TP
+.B \-\-noprofile
+Do not read the profile files.
+.TP
+.BR \-version ", " \-\-version ", " \-V
+Print the version, branch and commit and exit.
+.TP
+.BR \-h ", " \-\-help
+Print a usage summary and exit.
+.TP
+.B \-
+Read commands from standard input.
+.SH NON-INTERACTIVE USE
+Scripts, command strings and commands read from a pipe are executed line
+by line. Empty lines and lines starting with
+.B #
+are skipped, so a script may start with
+.BR "#!/usr/bin/gosh" .
+A failing command does not abort the script; the exit status of
+.B gosh
+is the one of the last command.
+.PP
+Because
+.B gosh
+supports
+.BR \-c ,
+.BR ssh (1),
+.BR scp (1)
+and
+.BR rsync (1)
+work when it is used as login shell.
+.SH STARTUP FILES
+Startup files are executed in the running shell, so variables and
+aliases defined there stay in effect.
+.TP
+Login shells
+read
+.I /etc/gosh/profile
+and
+.IR ~/.gosh_profile .
+.TP
+Interactive shells
+read
+.I /etc/gosh/goshrc
+and
+.IR ~/.goshrc .
+.PP
+An interactive login shell reads the profile files first, then the goshrc
+files. Scripts and
+.B \-c
+read no startup files unless
+.B gosh
+is a login shell. Missing files are skipped; errors are reported with file
+name and line number and the remaining lines still run. Files of other
+shells such as
+.I /etc/profile
+or
+.I ~/.bashrc
+are not read.
+.SH SYNTAX
+.SS Quoting
+.TP
+.B \(aq...\(aq
+Everything is literal.
+.TP
+.B \(dq...\(dq
+Variables and command substitutions are expanded, the result stays one
+word.
+.TP
+.B \e
+Escapes the next character.
+.SS Variables
+.TP
+.I name\fB=\fPvalue
+Set a variable. All variables are exported to the environment of started
+programs. The value is not split into words and not expanded as a pattern;
+variables, command substitutions and
+.B ~
+(at the start, after
+.B =
+and after
+.BR : )
+are expanded.
+.TP
+.I name\fB=\fPvalue command
+Set the variable only for
+.IR command .
+.TP
+.BR $VAR ", " ${VAR}
+The value of
+.BR VAR .
+Using an unset variable is an error and aborts the command.
+.TP
+.B ${VAR:\-default}
+The value of
+.BR VAR ,
+or
+.I default
+if it is unset or empty. Use
+.B ${VAR:\-}
+for an empty default.
+.TP
+.B $?
+The exit status of the last command.
+.SS Command substitution
+.B $(\fIcommand\fP)
+is replaced by the output of
+.IR command ,
+which runs in a subshell. Trailing newlines are removed. Unquoted, the
+output is split into words at blanks and newlines; inside double quotes it
+stays one word. Wildcards and operators in the output are not interpreted.
+Backticks and arithmetic expansion are not supported.
+.SS Tilde and brace expansion
+.B ~
+and
+.B ~/path
+at the start of an unquoted word are replaced by the home directory.
+.PP
+Brace expansion generates several words from one:
+.B a{b,c}d
+becomes
+.BR "abd acd" ,
+.B {1..5}
+becomes
+.BR "1 2 3 4 5" ,
+.B {01..10..4}
+becomes
+.B 01 05 09
+and
+.B {a..e}
+becomes
+.BR "a b c d e" .
+Brace expansion happens before all other expansions.
+.SS Wildcards
+.B *
+matches any string,
+.B ?
+any single character,
+.B [abc]
+and
+.B [a\-z]
+one of the given characters and
+.B [!abc]
+(or
+.BR [^abc] )
+any character except those. Matches are sorted. Hidden files are only
+matched if the pattern starts with a dot. A pattern without match is kept
+unchanged. Quoted wildcards and values of variables are never expanded.
+.SS Command lists
+.TP
+.IB a " ; " b
+Run
+.IR a ,
+then
+.IR b .
+.TP
+.IB a " && " b
+Run
+.I b
+only if
+.I a
+succeeded.
+.TP
+.IB a " || " b
+Run
+.I b
+only if
+.I a
+failed.
+.TP
+.IB command " &"
+Run
+.I command
+in the background.
+.SS Pipes and redirections
+.TP
+.IB a " | " b
+Connect standard output of
+.I a
+to standard input of
+.IR b .
+The exit status is the one of
+.IR b .
+.TP
+.BI < " file"
+Read standard input from
+.IR file .
+.TP
+.BR > " \fIfile\fP, " >> " \fIfile\fP"
+Write (or append) standard output to
+.IR file .
+.TP
+.BR 2> " \fIfile\fP, " 2>> " \fIfile\fP"
+Write (or append) standard error to
+.IR file .
+.TP
+.B 2>&1
+Redirect standard error to where standard output goes.
+.TP
+.B >&2
+Redirect standard output to where standard error goes.
+.TP
+.BR &> " \fIfile\fP, " &>> " \fIfile\fP"
+Write (or append) standard output and standard error to
+.IR file .
+.PP
+Redirections are evaluated from left to right. Only file descriptors 0, 1
+and 2 are supported.
+.SS Control structures
+.nf
+\fBif\fP \fIlist\fP; \fBthen\fP \fIlist\fP; [\fBelif\fP \fIlist\fP; \fBthen\fP \fIlist\fP;] [\fBelse\fP \fIlist\fP;] \fBfi\fP
+\fBfor\fP \fIname\fP \fBin\fP \fIwords\fP; \fBdo\fP \fIlist\fP; \fBdone\fP
+\fBwhile\fP \fIlist\fP; \fBdo\fP \fIlist\fP; \fBdone\fP
+\fBuntil\fP \fIlist\fP; \fBdo\fP \fIlist\fP; \fBdone\fP
+\fB!\fP \fIcommand\fP
+.fi
+.PP
+Control structures may span several lines; an incomplete command shows
+the continuation prompt
+.BR "> " .
+.B !
+negates the exit status of a command. Control structures cannot be used
+in pipes, with redirections or in the background.
+.B case
+and functions are not supported.
+.SS Aliases
+In interactive shells, the first word of a command is replaced by its
+alias. If the alias value ends with a blank, the next word is checked for
+an alias as well.
+.B \e\fIname\fP
+or
+.B \(aq\fIname\fP\(aq
+skips the alias. Aliases are not used in scripts and with
+.BR \-c .
+.SH BUILTIN COMMANDS
+.TP
+.BR cd " [\fIdir\fP]"
+Change the directory; without argument to the home directory.
+.TP
+.B pwd
+Print the working directory.
+.TP
+.BR echo " [\fIargs\fP]"
+Print the arguments.
+.TP
+.BR exit " [\fIcode\fP], " quit " [\fIcode\fP]"
+Exit the shell with status
+.I code
+(default:
+.BR $? ).
+.TP
+.BI set " VAR" = value
+Set a variable.
+.TP
+.BI export " VAR" = value
+Export a variable.
+.TP
+.BI unset " VAR"
+Remove a variable.
+.TP
+.BI source " file\fR, \fP" ". " file
+Run the commands of
+.I file
+in the current shell.
+.TP
+.B jobs
+List background and stopped jobs.
+.TP
+.BR fg " [\fB%\fP\fIn\fP]"
+Continue job
+.I n
+(default: the current job) in the foreground.
+.TP
+.BR bg " [\fB%\fP\fIn\fP]"
+Continue stopped job
+.I n
+in the background.
+.TP
+.BR wait " [\fB%\fP\fIn\fP]"
+Wait for job
+.I n
+or for all background jobs.
+.TP
+.BR alias " [\fIname\fP[\fB=\fP\fIvalue\fP] ...]"
+Define or show aliases.
+.TP
+.BR unalias " \fIname\fP, " "unalias \-a"
+Remove an alias, or all aliases.
+.TP
+.B :
+Do nothing, exit status 0.
+.TP
+.BR break " [\fIn\fP], " continue " [\fIn\fP]"
+Leave the innermost (or
+.IR n -th)
+loop, or continue with its next iteration.
+.TP
+.B help
+Show a summary of builtins and features.
+.SH JOB CONTROL
+In interactive shells, each command line runs as a job in its own process
+group.
+.B Ctrl+Z
+stops the foreground job,
+.B Ctrl+C
+interrupts it.
+.BR jobs ,
+.BR fg ,
+.B bg
+and
+.B wait
+manage the jobs;
+.B %n
+or
+.I n
+refers to job
+.IR n ,
+.B %\-
+to the previous job. Finished background jobs are reported before the
+next prompt. Exiting with stopped jobs warns once.
+.SH INTERACTIVE USE
+.TP
+.B Up/Down
+Browse the command history.
+.TP
+.B Tab
+Complete commands, aliases and file names.
+.TP
+.B Ctrl+C
+Cancel the current line or command.
+.TP
+.B Ctrl+D
+Exit the shell.
+.PP
+Lines starting with a space are not saved in the history.
+.PP
+The prompt shows
+.IR user @ host : dir
+followed by
+.BR $ .
+If the last command failed, its exit status is shown as
+.BI [ N ]
+before the
+.BR $ .
+.SH ENVIRONMENT
+.TP
+.B GOSH_HISTFILE
+Path of the history file. If set to an empty value, no history is saved.
+.TP
+.B XDG_STATE_HOME
+Base directory of the default history file
+.IR $XDG_STATE_HOME/gosh/history .
+.TP
+.B GOSH_COLORS
+Prompt colors as colon-separated
+.IB key = code
+entries. Keys are
+.B user
+(default
+.BR 1;32 ),
+.B root
+.RB ( 1;31 ),
+.B path
+.RB ( 1;34 )
+and
+.B error
+.RB ( 1;31 );
+values are ANSI SGR codes, an empty value disables the color. Example:
+.B GOSH_COLORS=\(aquser=1;33:path=36\(aq
+.TP
+.B NO_COLOR
+If set, the prompt is not colored. Colors are also disabled with
+.B TERM=dumb
+or when the output is not a terminal.
+.TP
+.B HOME
+Used for
+.B ~
+and
+.B cd
+without argument.
+.TP
+.B PATH
+Directories searched for commands.
+.SH FILES
+.TP
+.I /etc/gosh/profile
+System-wide profile for login shells.
+.TP
+.I ~/.gosh_profile
+Personal profile for login shells.
+.TP
+.I /etc/gosh/goshrc
+System-wide startup file for interactive shells.
+.TP
+.I ~/.goshrc
+Personal startup file for interactive shells.
+.TP
+.I ~/.local/state/gosh/history
+Default history file (mode 0600).
+.SH EXIT STATUS
+The exit status of the last command, or the argument of
+.BR exit .
+Typical values:
+.TP
+.B 1
+General error.
+.TP
+.B 2
+Syntax error or invalid option.
+.TP
+.B 126
+Command not executable.
+.TP
+.B 127
+Command not found.
+.TP
+.BI 128+ n
+Command terminated by signal
+.I n
+(130 for Ctrl+C).
+.SH EXAMPLES
+.nf
+gosh \-c \(aqcd /srv && git log | head\(aq
+for f in *.log; do gzip "$f"; done
+cp config.yaml{,.bak}
+make > build.log 2>&1 || echo "failed: $?"
+LANG=C sort file
+alias ll=\(aqls \-l\(aq
+chsh \-s /usr/bin/gosh
+.fi
+.SH SEE ALSO
+.BR sh (1),
+.BR bash (1),
+.BR chsh (1),
+.BR shells (5)
+.SH AUTHOR
+Florian Walther <florian.walther@certainity.com>
@@ -0,0 +1,841 @@
+package main
+
+// Parser and executor for command lines and scripts: lists (; & && || and
+// newlines), pipelines, ! and the control structures if, for, while and
+// until. Simple commands (with their pipes and redirections) are kept as
+// text; they are expanded and run by execCommand only when they are
+// executed, so that e.g. the variable of a for loop is expanded anew in
+// every iteration.
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// incompleteError is returned by parse if the input ends inside a
+// construct (if without fi, an open quote, a trailing && ...): an
+// interactive shell then reads another line.
+type incompleteError struct{}
+
+func (incompleteError) Error() string { return "syntax error: unexpected end of input" }
+
+var errIncomplete error = incompleteError{}
+
+// loopControl is returned by break and continue and ends the given number of
+// enclosing loops (break) or iterations (continue).
+type loopControl struct {
+	isBreak bool
+	n       int
+}
+
+func (c loopControl) Error() string {
+	if c.isBreak {
+		return "break"
+	}
+	return "continue"
+}
+
+// loopDepth is the number of loops that are currently running.
+var loopDepth int
+
+// aliasExpansion is false while the result of an alias expansion runs, so
+// that it is not expanded again.
+var aliasExpansion = true
+
+// reserved words that end a list; they are only recognized as the first word
+// of a command.
+var terminators = map[string]bool{"then": true, "elif": true, "else": true, "fi": true, "do": true, "done": true}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Lexer
+
+type tokenKind int
+
+const (
+	tWord tokenKind = iota
+	tOp             // ; & && || | or newline
+)
+
+type rawToken struct {
+	kind       tokenKind
+	text       string
+	start, end int
+}
+
+// joinContinuationLines removes backslash-newline (outside single quotes),
+// which continues a line. continued reports whether src ends with such a
+// continuation (so that the command goes on in the next line).
+func joinContinuationLines(src string) (joined string, continued bool) {
+	if !strings.Contains(src, "\\\n") {
+		return src, false
+	}
+	var b strings.Builder
+	var quote byte
+	for i := 0; i < len(src); i++ {
+		ch := src[i]
+		switch {
+		case quote == '\'':
+			if ch == '\'' {
+				quote = 0
+			}
+		case ch == '\\' && i+1 < len(src):
+			if src[i+1] == '\n' {
+				i++
+				continued = i == len(src)-1
+				continue
+			}
+			continued = false
+			b.WriteByte(ch)
+			i++
+			ch = src[i]
+		case ch == '"':
+			if quote == '"' {
+				quote = 0
+			} else {
+				quote = '"'
+			}
+		case ch == '\'' && quote == 0:
+			quote = '\''
+		}
+		if ch != '\n' && ch != ' ' && ch != '\t' {
+			continued = false
+		}
+		b.WriteByte(ch)
+	}
+	return b.String(), continued
+}
+
+// lex splits src into words and list operators. Words keep their quotes,
+// escapes, $(...) and redirections; they are only split at blanks and list
+// operators.
+func lex(src string) ([]rawToken, error) {
+	var toks []rawToken
+	op := func(text string, i int) {
+		toks = append(toks, rawToken{tOp, text, i, i + len(text)})
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < len(src); {
+		ch := src[i]
+		next := byte(0)
+		if i+1 < len(src) {
+			next = src[i+1]
+		}
+		switch {
+		case ch == ' ' || ch == '\t':
+			i++
+		case ch == '\n' || ch == ';':
+			op(string(ch), i)
+			i++
+		case ch == '#':
+			// Comment until the end of the line
+			for i < len(src) && src[i] != '\n' {
+				i++
+			}
+		case ch == '|' && next == '|', ch == '&' && next == '&':
+			op(src[i:i+2], i)
+			i += 2
+		case ch == '|', ch == '&' && next != '>':
+			op(string(ch), i)
+			i++
+		default:
+			end, err := lexWord(src, i)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			toks = append(toks, rawToken{tWord, src[i:end], i, end})
+			i = end
+		}
+	}
+	return toks, nil
+}
+
+// lexWord returns the end of the word that starts at src[i].
+func lexWord(src string, i int) (int, error) {
+	var quote byte
+	for j := i; j < len(src); j++ {
+		ch := src[j]
+		switch {
+		case quote == '\'':
+			if ch == '\'' {
+				quote = 0
+			}
+		case ch == '\\':
+			if j+1 == len(src) {
+				return 0, errIncomplete
+			}
+			j++
+		case isSubstStart(src, j):
+			end := substEnd(src, j)
+			if end < 0 {
+				return 0, errIncomplete
+			}
+			j = end
+		case ch == '$' && j+1 < len(src) && src[j+1] == '{':
+			if k := strings.IndexByte(src[j:], '}'); k >= 0 {
+				j += k
+			}
+		case quote == '"':
+			if ch == '"' {
+				quote = 0
+			}
+		case ch == '"' || ch == '\'':
+			quote = ch
+		case ch == ' ' || ch == '\t' || ch == '\n' || ch == ';' || ch == '|':
+			return j, nil
+		case ch == '&':
+			// &>, >& and <& are redirections, not the & operator
+			if !(j+1 < len(src) && src[j+1] == '>') && !(j > i && (src[j-1] == '>' || src[j-1] == '<')) {
+				return j, nil
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if quote != 0 {
+		return 0, errIncomplete
+	}
+	return len(src), nil
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Syntax tree
+
+// node is a command that can be executed: it returns the error of the last
+// command it ran (so that exitStatus gives its status).
+type node interface {
+	exec() error
+}
+
+// listNode is a list of and-or lists separated by ;, & or newlines.
+type listNode struct {
+	items []listEntry
+}
+
+type listEntry struct {
+	andOr      *andOrNode
+	background bool
+}
+
+// andOrNode is a pipeline followed by && and || pipelines.
+type andOrNode struct {
+	first *pipelineNode
+	rest  []andOrPart
+}
+
+type andOrPart struct {
+	op       string // && or ||
+	pipeline *pipelineNode
+}
+
+// pipelineNode is a simple command (whose text may contain a pipeline) or a
+// control structure, optionally negated with !.
+type pipelineNode struct {
+	negate bool
+	cmd    node
+}
+
+// simpleNode is the text of a pipeline of simple commands.
+type simpleNode struct {
+	text string
+}
+
+type ifNode struct {
+	conds    []*listNode
+	bodies   []*listNode
+	elseBody *listNode
+}
+
+type forNode struct {
+	name  string
+	words string // the words after "in", expanded when the loop starts
+	hasIn bool
+	body  *listNode
+}
+
+type whileNode struct {
+	until bool
+	cond  *listNode
+	body  *listNode
+}
+
+// singleSimple returns the simple command if the list is just that.
+func (l *listNode) singleSimple() *simpleNode {
+	if len(l.items) != 1 || l.items[0].background {
+		return nil
+	}
+	ao := l.items[0].andOr
+	if len(ao.rest) > 0 || ao.first.negate {
+		return nil
+	}
+	s, _ := ao.first.cmd.(*simpleNode)
+	return s
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Parser
+
+type parser struct {
+	src  string
+	toks []rawToken
+	pos  int
+}
+
+// parse parses a command line or script. It returns errIncomplete if the
+// input ends inside a construct.
+func parse(src string) (*listNode, error) {
+	src, continued := joinContinuationLines(src)
+	if continued {
+		return nil, errIncomplete
+	}
+	toks, err := lex(src)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	p := &parser{src: src, toks: toks}
+	list, err := p.parseList(nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if t := p.peek(); t != nil {
+		return nil, p.unexpected(t)
+	}
+	return list, nil
+}
+
+func (p *parser) peek() *rawToken {
+	if p.pos < len(p.toks) {
+		return &p.toks[p.pos]
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (p *parser) peekWord(words ...string) bool {
+	t := p.peek()
+	if t == nil || t.kind != tWord {
+		return false
+	}
+	for _, w := range words {
+		if t.text == w {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func (p *parser) skipNewlines() {
+	for t := p.peek(); t != nil && t.kind == tOp && t.text == "\n"; t = p.peek() {
+		p.pos++
+	}
+}
+
+func (p *parser) unexpected(t *rawToken) error {
+	if t.text == "\n" {
+		return syntaxError("newline")
+	}
+	return syntaxError(t.text)
+}
+
+// expect consumes the reserved word w.
+func (p *parser) expect(w string) error {
+	t := p.peek()
+	if t == nil {
+		return errIncomplete
+	}
+	if t.kind != tWord || t.text != w {
+		return p.unexpected(t)
+	}
+	p.pos++
+	return nil
+}
+
+// parseList parses and-or lists until the end of the input or one of the
+// reserved words in terms at the start of a command.
+func (p *parser) parseList(terms map[string]bool) (*listNode, error) {
+	list := &listNode{}
+	for {
+		p.skipNewlines()
+		t := p.peek()
+		if t == nil || t.kind == tWord && terms[t.text] {
+			return list, nil
+		}
+		ao, err := p.parseAndOr()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		entry := listEntry{andOr: ao}
+
+		t = p.peek()
+		switch {
+		case t == nil:
+		case t.kind == tOp && (t.text == ";" || t.text == "&" || t.text == "\n"):
+			p.pos++
+			entry.background = t.text == "&"
+		case t.kind == tWord && terms[t.text]:
+			// e.g. "fi" right after the end of a nested control structure
+		default:
+			return nil, p.unexpected(t)
+		}
+		if entry.background {
+			if _, ok := ao.first.cmd.(*simpleNode); !ok || len(ao.rest) > 0 || ao.first.negate {
+				return nil, errors.New("only simple commands and pipelines can run in the background")
+			}
+		}
+		list.items = append(list.items, entry)
+	}
+}
+
+// nonEmpty returns an error if a list that must contain commands is empty.
+func (p *parser) nonEmpty(list *listNode) error {
+	if len(list.items) > 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if t := p.peek(); t != nil {
+		return p.unexpected(t)
+	}
+	return errIncomplete
+}
+
+func (p *parser) parseAndOr() (*andOrNode, error) {
+	first, err := p.parsePipeline()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	ao := &andOrNode{first: first}
+	for {
+		t := p.peek()
+		if t == nil || t.kind != tOp || (t.text != "&&" && t.text != "||") {
+			return ao, nil
+		}
+		p.pos++
+		p.skipNewlines()
+		if p.peek() == nil {
+			return nil, errIncomplete
+		}
+		next, err := p.parsePipeline()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		ao.rest = append(ao.rest, andOrPart{op: t.text, pipeline: next})
+	}
+}
+
+func (p *parser) parsePipeline() (*pipelineNode, error) {
+	pl := &pipelineNode{}
+	if p.peekWord("!") {
+		pl.negate = true
+		p.pos++
+	}
+	t := p.peek()
+	if t == nil {
+		return nil, errIncomplete
+	}
+	if t.kind == tOp || terminators[t.text] {
+		return nil, p.unexpected(t)
+	}
+
+	var err error
+	compound := true
+	switch t.text {
+	case "if":
+		pl.cmd, err = p.parseIf()
+	case "for":
+		pl.cmd, err = p.parseFor()
+	case "while", "until":
+		pl.cmd, err = p.parseWhile()
+	default:
+		compound = false
+		pl.cmd, err = p.parseSimple()
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if compound {
+		if t := p.peek(); t != nil {
+			switch {
+			case t.kind == tOp && t.text == "|":
+				return nil, errors.New("control structures in pipelines are not supported")
+			case t.kind == tWord && !terminators[t.text]:
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("redirections of control structures are not supported (near `%s')", t.text)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return pl, nil
+}
+
+// parseSimple parses a pipeline of simple commands and returns its text.
+func (p *parser) parseSimple() (*simpleNode, error) {
+	start := p.toks[p.pos].start
+	end := start
+	for t := p.peek(); t != nil; t = p.peek() {
+		if t.kind == tWord {
+			end = t.end
+			p.pos++
+			continue
+		}
+		if t.text != "|" {
+			break
+		}
+		p.pos++
+		end = t.end
+		p.skipNewlines()
+		next := p.peek()
+		switch {
+		case next == nil:
+			return nil, errIncomplete
+		case next.kind == tOp || terminators[next.text]:
+			return nil, p.unexpected(next)
+		case next.text == "if" || next.text == "for" || next.text == "while" || next.text == "until":
+			return nil, errors.New("control structures in pipelines are not supported")
+		}
+	}
+	return &simpleNode{text: p.src[start:end]}, nil
+}
+
+func (p *parser) parseIf() (*ifNode, error) {
+	p.pos++ // if
+	n := &ifNode{}
+	for {
+		cond, err := p.parseList(map[string]bool{"then": true})
+		if err == nil {
+			err = p.nonEmpty(cond)
+		}
+		if err == nil {
+			err = p.expect("then")
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		body, err := p.parseList(map[string]bool{"elif": true, "else": true, "fi": true})
+		if err == nil {
+			err = p.nonEmpty(body)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		n.conds = append(n.conds, cond)
+		n.bodies = append(n.bodies, body)
+
+		t := p.peek()
+		if t == nil {
+			return nil, errIncomplete
+		}
+		p.pos++
+		switch t.text {
+		case "elif":
+			continue
+		case "else":
+			body, err := p.parseList(map[string]bool{"fi": true})
+			if err == nil {
+				err = p.nonEmpty(body)
+			}
+			if err == nil {
+				err = p.expect("fi")
+			}
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			n.elseBody = body
+		}
+		return n, nil // fi
+	}
+}
+
+func (p *parser) parseFor() (*forNode, error) {
+	p.pos++ // for
+	t := p.peek()
+	if t == nil {
+		return nil, errIncomplete
+	}
+	if t.kind != tWord || !isVarName(t.text) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("for: `%s': not a valid identifier", sanitize(t.text))
+	}
+	n := &forNode{name: t.text}
+	p.pos++
+
+	p.skipNewlines()
+	if p.peekWord("in") {
+		p.pos++
+		n.hasIn = true
+		var words []string
+		for t := p.peek(); t != nil && t.kind == tWord; t = p.peek() {
+			words = append(words, t.text)
+			p.pos++
+		}
+		n.words = strings.Join(words, " ")
+	}
+	t = p.peek()
+	switch {
+	case t == nil:
+		return nil, errIncomplete
+	case t.kind == tOp && (t.text == ";" || t.text == "\n"):
+		p.pos++
+	case !n.hasIn && t.kind == tWord && t.text == "do":
+	default:
+		return nil, p.unexpected(t)
+	}
+
+	p.skipNewlines()
+	body, err := p.parseLoopBody()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	n.body = body
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+func (p *parser) parseWhile() (*whileNode, error) {
+	n := &whileNode{until: p.peek().text == "until"}
+	p.pos++
+	cond, err := p.parseList(map[string]bool{"do": true})
+	if err == nil {
+		err = p.nonEmpty(cond)
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	n.cond = cond
+	body, err := p.parseLoopBody()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	n.body = body
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+// parseLoopBody parses "do list done".
+func (p *parser) parseLoopBody() (*listNode, error) {
+	if err := p.expect("do"); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	body, err := p.parseList(map[string]bool{"done": true})
+	if err == nil {
+		err = p.nonEmpty(body)
+	}
+	if err == nil {
+		err = p.expect("done")
+	}
+	return body, err
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Execution
+
+// isAbort reports whether err stops the execution of the enclosing lists:
+// break, continue, or a command that was interrupted with Ctrl+C (like in
+// bash, Ctrl+C aborts the whole command line, e.g. a loop).
+func isAbort(err error) bool {
+	var lc loopControl
+	return errors.As(err, &lc) || exitStatus(err) == 128+int(syscall.SIGINT)
+}
+
+// silent returns an error with only the exit status of err, for errors that
+// were already reported.
+func silent(err error) error {
+	if err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return statusError(exitStatus(err))
+}
+
+func (l *listNode) exec() error {
+	var err error
+	for _, entry := range l.items {
+		printError(err)
+		if entry.background {
+			err = entry.andOr.first.cmd.(*simpleNode).run(true)
+		} else {
+			err = entry.andOr.exec()
+		}
+		lastStatus = exitStatus(err)
+		if isAbort(err) {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return err
+}
+
+func (a *andOrNode) exec() error {
+	err := a.first.exec()
+	for _, part := range a.rest {
+		lastStatus = exitStatus(err)
+		if isAbort(err) {
+			return err
+		}
+		if (part.op == "&&") != (lastStatus == 0) {
+			continue
+		}
+		printError(err)
+		err = part.pipeline.exec()
+	}
+	return err
+}
+
+func (pl *pipelineNode) exec() error {
+	err := pl.cmd.exec()
+	if !pl.negate || isAbort(err) {
+		return err
+	}
+	printError(err)
+	if exitStatus(err) == 0 {
+		return statusError(1)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (s *simpleNode) exec() error {
+	return s.run(false)
+}
+
+// run executes the simple command, in the background if background is set.
+// Aliases are expanded here (in interactive shells), so that they work at
+// the start of every command, also inside control structures.
+func (s *simpleNode) run(background bool) error {
+	text := s.text
+	if interactiveShell && aliasExpansion {
+		if expanded := expandAliases(text); expanded != text {
+			tree, err := parse(expanded)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if simple := tree.singleSimple(); simple != nil {
+				text = simple.text
+			} else {
+				if background {
+					return errors.New("an alias with a command list cannot run in the background")
+				}
+				aliasExpansion = false
+				defer func() { aliasExpansion = true }()
+				return tree.exec()
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return execCommand(text, background)
+}
+
+func (n *ifNode) exec() error {
+	for i, cond := range n.conds {
+		err := cond.exec()
+		if isAbort(err) {
+			return err
+		}
+		printError(err)
+		if exitStatus(err) == 0 {
+			return n.bodies[i].exec()
+		}
+	}
+	if n.elseBody != nil {
+		return n.elseBody.exec()
+	}
+	lastStatus = 0
+	return nil
+}
+
+// runLoopBody runs one iteration of a loop. It returns whether the loop
+// must stop, and the error to return from the loop.
+func runLoopBody(body *listNode, result *error) (stop bool, err error) {
+	err = body.exec()
+	var lc loopControl
+	if errors.As(err, &lc) {
+		*result = nil
+		if lc.n > 1 {
+			lc.n--
+			return true, lc // ends an outer loop too
+		}
+		return lc.isBreak, nil
+	}
+	if isAbort(err) {
+		return true, err
+	}
+	printError(err)
+	*result = silent(err)
+	return false, nil
+}
+
+func (n *whileNode) exec() error {
+	loopDepth++
+	defer func() { loopDepth-- }()
+
+	var result error
+	for {
+		err := n.cond.exec()
+		if isAbort(err) {
+			return err
+		}
+		printError(err)
+		if (exitStatus(err) == 0) == n.until {
+			break
+		}
+		if stop, err := runLoopBody(n.body, &result); stop {
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	lastStatus = exitStatus(result)
+	return result
+}
+
+func (n *forNode) exec() error {
+	var words []string
+	if n.hasIn {
+		var err error
+		if words, err = expandWordList(n.words); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	loopDepth++
+	defer func() { loopDepth-- }()
+
+	var result error
+	for _, word := range words {
+		os.Setenv(n.name, word)
+		if stop, err := runLoopBody(n.body, &result); stop {
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	lastStatus = exitStatus(result)
+	return result
+}
+
+// expandWordList expands the words of a for loop like the arguments of a
+// command (braces, ~, variables, $(...), wildcards).
+func expandWordList(text string) ([]string, error) {
+	text, err := expandBraceWords(text)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	tokens, err := tokenize(text)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid input: %w", err)
+	}
+	var words []string
+	for _, t := range tokens {
+		if t.op != "" {
+			return nil, syntaxError(t.op)
+		}
+		words = append(words, expandWord(t)...)
+	}
+	return words, nil
+}
+
+// builtinLoopControl implements break [n] and continue [n].
+func builtinLoopControl(args []string) error {
+	n := 1
+	if len(args) > 1 {
+		var err error
+		if n, err = strconv.Atoi(args[1]); err != nil || n < 1 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%s: %s: loop count out of range", args[0], sanitize(args[1]))
+		}
+	}
+	if loopDepth == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: only meaningful in a loop", args[0])
+	}
+	return loopControl{isBreak: args[0] == "break", n: min(n, loopDepth)}
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// runIn runs input in a temporary directory and returns the content of the
+// file "out" there.
+func runIn(t *testing.T, input string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	origDir, _ := os.Getwd()
+	defer os.Chdir(origDir)
+	os.Chdir(t.TempDir())
+	execInput(input)
+	data, _ := os.ReadFile("out")
+	return string(data)
+}
+
+func TestExec_If(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input string
+		want  string
+	}{
+		{"if true; then echo yes >> out; fi", "yes\n"},
+		{"if false; then echo yes >> out; fi", ""},
+		{"if false; then echo a >> out; else echo b >> out; fi", "b\n"},
+		{"if false; then echo a >> out; elif true; then echo b >> out; else echo c >> out; fi", "b\n"},
+		{"if false; then echo a >> out; elif false; then echo b >> out; else echo c >> out; fi", "c\n"},
+		{"if ! false; then echo negated >> out; fi", "negated\n"},
+		{"if true && false; then echo a >> out; else echo b >> out; fi", "b\n"},
+		{"if false || true; then echo a >> out; fi", "a\n"},
+		{"if echo cond >> out; then echo body >> out; fi", "cond\nbody\n"},
+		{"if true\nthen\n  echo multi >> out\n  echo line >> out\nfi", "multi\nline\n"},
+		{"if true; then if false; then echo a >> out; else echo nested >> out; fi; fi", "nested\n"},
+		{"if [ -d / ]; then echo dir >> out; fi", "dir\n"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		if got := runIn(t, tc.input); got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("%q: out = %q, want %q", tc.input, got, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExec_Loops(t *testing.T) {
+	defer os.Unsetenv("GOSH_I")
+	tests := []struct {
+		input string
+		want  string
+	}{
+		{"for x in a b c; do echo $x >> out; done", "a\nb\nc\n"},
+		{"for x in {1..3}; do echo $x >> out; done", "1\n2\n3\n"},
+		{"for x in $(echo a b); do echo $x >> out; done", "a\nb\n"},
+		{"for x in \"a b\" c; do echo $x >> out; done", "a b\nc\n"},
+		{"touch f1 f2; for f in f*; do echo $f >> out; done", "f1\nf2\n"},
+		{"for x in; do echo never >> out; done", ""},
+		{"for x; do echo never >> out; done", ""},
+		{"set GOSH_I=0; while [ $GOSH_I -lt 3 ]; do echo $GOSH_I >> out; set GOSH_I=$(expr $GOSH_I + 1); done", "0\n1\n2\n"},
+		{"set GOSH_I=3; until [ $GOSH_I -eq 0 ]; do echo $GOSH_I >> out; set GOSH_I=$(expr $GOSH_I - 1); done", "3\n2\n1\n"},
+		{"while false; do echo never >> out; done", ""},
+		// The loop variable keeps the last value
+		{"for GOSH_I in a b; do :; done; echo $GOSH_I > out", "b\n"},
+		// break and continue
+		{"for x in 1 2 3 4; do if [ $x = 3 ]; then break; fi; echo $x >> out; done", "1\n2\n"},
+		{"for x in 1 2 3; do if [ $x = 2 ]; then continue; fi; echo $x >> out; done", "1\n3\n"},
+		{"for a in 1 2; do for b in x y; do if [ $b = y ]; then continue 2; fi; echo $a$b >> out; done; done", "1x\n2x\n"},
+		{"for a in 1 2; do for b in x y; do echo $a$b >> out; break 2; done; done", "1x\n"},
+		{"for a in 1 2; do for b in x y; do echo $a$b >> out; break 5; done; done", "1x\n"},
+		{"while true; do echo once >> out; break; done", "once\n"},
+		{"for x in 1 2; do echo $x >> out; break; echo never >> out; done; echo after >> out", "1\nafter\n"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		if got := runIn(t, tc.input); got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("%q: out = %q, want %q", tc.input, got, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+	if loopDepth != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("loopDepth = %d after the loops", loopDepth)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExec_Status(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input  string
+		status int
+	}{
+		{"if false; then :; fi", 0},
+		{"if true; then false; fi", 1},
+		{"if false; then :; else sh -c 'exit 3'; fi", 3},
+		{"for x in a; do false; done", 1},
+		{"for x in a; do false; done; true", 0},
+		{"for x in; do false; done", 0},
+		{"while false; do :; done", 0},
+		{"for x in a b; do sh -c 'exit 4'; break; done", 0},
+		{"! true", 1},
+		{"! false", 0},
+		{"! gosh-no-such-command", 0},
+		{":", 0},
+		{"break", 1},
+		{"continue", 1},
+		{"for x in a; do break x; done", 1},
+		{"if a; then", 2},
+		{"fi", 2},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		runIn(t, tc.input)
+		if lastStatus != tc.status {
+			t.Errorf("%q: $? = %d, want %d", tc.input, lastStatus, tc.status)
+		}
+	}
+	if err := execInput("break"); err == nil || err.Error() != "break: only meaningful in a loop" {
+		t.Errorf("break outside a loop: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRunScript_MultiLine(t *testing.T) {
+	origDir, _ := os.Getwd()
+	defer os.Chdir(origDir)
+	os.Chdir(t.TempDir())
+
+	script := `# a script with control structures
+for x in a b
+do
+  if [ $x = a ]; then
+    echo first >> out
+  else
+    echo second >> out
+  fi
+done
+echo continued \
+  line >> out
+`
+	if status := runScript(strings.NewReader(script), ""); status != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("status = %d", status)
+	}
+	if got, _ := os.ReadFile("out"); string(got) != "first\nsecond\ncontinued line\n" {
+		t.Errorf("out = %q", got)
+	}
+
+	// A script that ends inside a control structure is a syntax error
+	if status := runScript(strings.NewReader("echo ok >> out2\nif true; then\n  echo never >> out2\n"), ""); status != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("status = %d for an unterminated if, want 2", status)
+	}
+	if got, _ := os.ReadFile("out2"); string(got) != "ok\n" {
+		t.Errorf("out2 = %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExec_AliasesInControlStructures(t *testing.T) {
+	withAliases(t, map[string]string{"say": "echo said", "both": "echo one >> out; echo two"})
+	defer func(saved bool) { interactiveShell = saved }(interactiveShell)
+	interactiveShell = true
+
+	if got := runIn(t, "for x in a b; do say $x >> out; done"); got != "said a\nsaid b\n" {
+		t.Errorf("alias in for: out = %q", got)
+	}
+	if got := runIn(t, "if true; then both >> out; fi"); got != "one\ntwo\n" {
+		t.Errorf("alias with a list in if: out = %q", got)
+	}
+	if got := runIn(t, "if say x > out; then :; fi"); got != "said x\n" {
+		t.Errorf("alias in condition: out = %q", got)
+	}
+}
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package main

 import (
 	"os"
-	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 )

@@ -29,17 +28,6 @@ func TestSubstEnd(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

-func TestSplitList_SkipsSubstitution(t *testing.T) {
-	got, err := splitList(`echo $(a; b && c | d) "$(e || f)" & g`)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	want := []listItem{{"", `echo $(a; b && c | d) "$(e || f)" `, true}, {";", " g", false}}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
-		t.Errorf("splitList = %+v, want %+v", got, want)
-	}
-}
-
 func TestExpandAliasesAndBraces_SkipSubstitution(t *testing.T) {
 	withAliases(t, map[string]string{"ll": "ls -l"})
 	if got := expandAliases("echo $(ll; ll) && ll"); got != "echo $(ll; ll) && ls -l" {
@@ -106,7 +94,7 @@ func TestExecInput_CommandSubstitution(t *testing.T) {
 	}

 	for input, wantErr := range map[string]string{
-		"echo $(echo a":  "invalid input: missing ) in command substitution",
+		"echo $(echo a":   "syntax error: unexpected end of input",
 		"echo $((1 + 2))": "invalid input: arithmetic expansion $((...)) is not supported",
 	} {
 		if err := execInput(input); err == nil || err.Error() != wantErr {
Author	SHA1	Message	Date
Florian WaltherandClaude Opus 5.5	9fe8b06fba	add man page gosh(1) and include it in the deb/rpm packages Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-10-04 13:59:09 +02:00
Florian WaltherandClaude Opus 5.5	22ce8c00d4	add assignments name=value and unset - name=value (one or more) without a command sets variables of the shell - name=value before a command sets them only in its environment (for builtins only while they run) - an assignment needs an unquoted name and =; the value is not split and not expanded as wildcard or brace pattern, ~ is expanded after = and : - the status of an assignment is the one of its last $(...) - new builtin unset Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-10-04 00:17:38 +02:00
Florian Walther	fb94e98da5	updated README	2026-10-04 00:16:29 +02:00
Florian WaltherandClaude Opus 5.5	f79fb0b8d5	add control structures: if, for, while, until - new parser (parser.go) for lists, pipelines, ! and if/elif/else/fi, for ... in ... do/done, while/until ... do/done; simple commands are kept as text and expanded when they run (in every iteration) - break [n], continue [n] and the : builtin - incomplete input (open control structure, trailing &&, \|, quote or backslash) continues on the next line: prompt "> " in interactive shells, scripts and startup files read on - Ctrl+C aborts the whole command line, including loops - aliases are expanded at the start of every simple command, also inside control structures - control structures in pipelines, with redirections or in the background are reported as not supported - completion: commands after if, then, do etc. - main_test.go reformatted with gofmt Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-10-04 00:05:28 +02:00