diff --git a/retropikzel/shell.scm b/retropikzel/shell.scm
index 54353c1..0d6ede2 100644
--- a/retropikzel/shell.scm
+++ b/retropikzel/shell.scm
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 (define-c-procedure c-tempnam libc 'tempnam 'pointer '(pointer pointer))
 (define-c-procedure c-system libc 'system 'int '(pointer))
 
+(define previous-exit-code #f)
+
 (define (shell cmd)
   (let* ((temp-prefix (string->c-utf8 "npcmd"))
          (temp-name (lambda ()
@@ -19,7 +21,7 @@
                                        input-path
                                        " & ")))
     (create-pipe input-path 0777)
-    (c-system (string->c-utf8 shell-command))
+    (set! previous-exit-code (c-system (string->c-utf8 shell-command)))
     (pipe-read-string 64000 (open-input-pipe input-path #t))))
 
 (define (lines->list port result)
@@ -33,3 +35,5 @@
 
 (define (shell->sexp cmd)
   (read (open-input-string (shell cmd))))
+
+(define (shell-exit-code) previous-exit-code)
diff --git a/retropikzel/shell.sld b/retropikzel/shell.sld
index 45ed35e..1fdc677 100644
--- a/retropikzel/shell.sld
+++ b/retropikzel/shell.sld
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@
           (retropikzel named-pipes))
   (export shell
           shell->list
-          shell->sexp)
+          shell->sexp
+          shell-exit-code)
   (include "shell.scm"))
 
 
diff --git a/retropikzel/shell/README.md b/retropikzel/shell/README.md
index 9649f22..178f8dd 100644
--- a/retropikzel/shell/README.md
+++ b/retropikzel/shell/README.md
@@ -15,3 +15,7 @@ Run given cmd string and return output as list of lines.
 
 Run given cmd string and return output as sexp using read.
 
+
+(**shell-exit-code**)
+
+Returns exit code of previous command that was run.
diff --git a/retropikzel/shell/test.scm b/retropikzel/shell/test.scm
index 4e25a7a..1020d27 100644
--- a/retropikzel/shell/test.scm
+++ b/retropikzel/shell/test.scm
@@ -7,13 +7,14 @@
 
 (test-begin "shell")
 
-(write (shell "ls"))
-(newline)
+(test-equal "Linux\n" (shell "uname"))
+(test-equal 0 (shell-exit-code))
 
-(write (shell->list "ls"))
-(newline)
+(test-equal '("Linux") (shell->list "uname"))
+(test-equal 0 (shell-exit-code))
+
+(test-equal '(1 2 3) (shell->sexp "echo '(1 2 3)'"))
+(test-equal 0 (shell-exit-code))
 
-(write (shell->sexp "echo '(1 2 3)'"))
-(newline)
 
 (test-end "shell")