EXEC(1)

💅 EXEC(1) — like, the fish-shell version, bestie ✨

okay so real talk: this is the <pink>fish-shell</pink> manual page for exec, and it's lowkey one of the most main-character commands in the whole builtin lineup. buckle up 🎀

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🌸 NAME 🌸

exec — execute command in current process. yes. in the current process. it's giving "I'm not making a child, I'm becoming the child." iconic behavior fr fr 👑

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

exec COMMAND

that's it. one command. no notes. ✨

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

NOTE: this page documents the fish builtin exec. if you want the docs on any non-fish version of it, bestie, you gotta run command man exec. iykyk 🫶

okay so here's the tea: exec replaces the currently running shell with a new command. not "spawns a new one." not "runs it alongside." it replaces. like a full-on identity swap, main character energy only 🌈

on successful completion, exec never returns. nope. it's gone. it does not come back. that's not a bug, that's the whole vibe 💀

also super important: exec cannot be used inside a pipeline. it's a solo act, not a collab. 🎤

and hiii, the --help or -h option displays help about using this command. cute, right? 🧚

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⭐ EXAMPLE ⭐

exec emacs

so this starts up the emacs text editor and exits fish. like, fish is gone-gone. and when emacs exits? the session will terminate. yeah. that's it. that's the whole journey 😭🌸

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👑 Copyright 👑

fish-shell developers — protecting the whole fish fam, we love to see it 💜

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alright bestie, that's the page 🫶 this lil doc dropped as version 4.9, dated Sep 08, 2026, brought to you by the fish-shell developers — go forth and replace your shell responsibly, mwah 💅🎀🦋