diff --git a/src/emulator/src/main.js b/src/emulator/src/main.js
index 633d0a0d..1b7d7f99 100644
--- a/src/emulator/src/main.js
+++ b/src/emulator/src/main.js
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ class WispClient {
     }
 }
 
+puter.ui.on('connection', event => {
+    console.log('emulator got connection event', event);
+});
+
 window.onload = async function()
 {
     const resp = await fetch(
diff --git a/src/gui/src/definitions.js b/src/gui/src/definitions.js
index 7f928bca..5ef2f925 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/definitions.js
+++ b/src/gui/src/definitions.js
@@ -85,6 +85,10 @@ export class Process extends AdvancedBase{
         this._signal(sig);
     }
 
+    handle_connection (other_process) {
+        throw new Error('Not implemented');
+    }
+
     get type () {
         const _to_type_name = (name) => {
             return name.replace(/Process$/, '').toLowerCase();
@@ -139,6 +143,15 @@ export class PortalProcess extends Process {
         const target = this.references.iframe.contentWindow;
         // NEXT: ...
     }
+
+    handle_connection (other_process, args) {
+        const target = this.references.iframe.contentWindow;
+        target.postMessage({
+            msg: 'connection',
+            appInstanceID: other_process.uuid,
+            args,
+        });
+    }
 };
 export class PseudoProcess extends Process {
     _construct () { this.type_ = 'ui' }
diff --git a/src/gui/src/services/ExecService.js b/src/gui/src/services/ExecService.js
index 15ef144c..213705b9 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/services/ExecService.js
+++ b/src/gui/src/services/ExecService.js
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ export class ExecService extends Service {
         svc_ipc.register_ipc_handler('launchApp', {
             handler: this.launchApp.bind(this),
         });
+        svc_ipc.register_ipc_handler('connectToInstance', {
+            handler: this.connectToInstance.bind(this),
+        });
     }
     
     // This method is exposed to apps via IPCService.
@@ -70,4 +73,34 @@ export class ExecService extends Service {
             usesSDK: true,
         };
     }
+
+    async connectToInstance ({ app_name, args }, { ipc_context, msg_id } = {}) {
+        const caller_process = ipc_context?.caller?.process;
+        if ( ! caller_process ) {
+            throw new Error('Caller process not found');
+        }
+
+        console.log(
+            caller_process.name,
+            app_name,
+        );
+        // TODO: permissions integration; for now it's hardcoded
+        if ( caller_process.name !== 'phoenix' ) {
+            throw new Error('Connection not allowed.');
+        }
+        if ( app_name !== 'test-emu' ) {
+            throw new Error('Connection not allowed.');
+        }
+
+        const svc_process = this.services.get('process');
+        const options = svc_process.select_by_name(app_name);
+        const process = options[0];
+
+        await process.handle_connection(caller_process, args);
+
+        return {
+            appInstanceID: process.uuid,
+            response,
+        };
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/gui/src/services/ProcessService.js b/src/gui/src/services/ProcessService.js
index b210a6b6..d41404ee 100644
--- a/src/gui/src/services/ProcessService.js
+++ b/src/gui/src/services/ProcessService.js
@@ -66,6 +66,16 @@ export class ProcessService extends Service {
         return this.uuid_to_treelist.get(uuid);
     }
 
+    select_by_name (name) {
+        const list = [];
+        for ( const process of this.processes ) {
+            if ( process.name === name ) {
+                list.push(process);
+            }
+        }
+        return list;
+    }
+
     register (process) {
         this.register_(process);
         this.attach_to_parent_(process);
diff --git a/src/phoenix/src/puter-shell/main.js b/src/phoenix/src/puter-shell/main.js
index 0d4b94cd..e79252da 100644
--- a/src/phoenix/src/puter-shell/main.js
+++ b/src/phoenix/src/puter-shell/main.js
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import { MultiWriter } from '../ansi-shell/ioutil/MultiWriter.js';
 import { CompositeCommandProvider } from './providers/CompositeCommandProvider.js';
 import { ScriptCommandProvider } from './providers/ScriptCommandProvider.js';
 import { PuterAppCommandProvider } from './providers/PuterAppCommandProvider.js';
+import { EmuCommandProvider } from './providers/EmuCommandProvider.js';
 
 const argparser_registry = {
     [SimpleArgParser.name]: SimpleArgParser
@@ -92,6 +93,7 @@ export const launchPuterShell = async (ctx) => {
         // PuterAppCommandProvider is only usable on Puter
         ...(ctx.platform.name === 'puter' ? [new PuterAppCommandProvider()] : []),
         new ScriptCommandProvider(),
+        new EmuCommandProvider(),
     ]);
 
     ctx = ctx.sub({
diff --git a/src/phoenix/src/puter-shell/providers/EmuCommandProvider.js b/src/phoenix/src/puter-shell/providers/EmuCommandProvider.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1af4d9d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/phoenix/src/puter-shell/providers/EmuCommandProvider.js
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import { Exit } from "../coreutils/coreutil_lib/exit";
+
+export class EmuCommandProvider {
+    static AVAILABLE = [
+        'bash',
+        'htop',
+    ];
+
+    static EMU_APP_NAME = 'test-emu';
+
+    constructor () {
+        this.available = this.constructor.AVAILABLE;
+        this.emulator = null;
+    }
+
+    async aquire_emulator () {
+        if ( this.emulator ) return this.emulator;
+
+        // FUTURE: when we have a way to query instances
+        // without exposing the real instance id
+        /*
+        const instances = await puter.ui.queryInstances();
+        if ( instances.length < 0 ) {
+            return;
+        }
+        const instance = instances[0];
+        */
+
+        const conn = await puter.ui.connectToInstance(this.constructor.EMU_APP_NAME);
+        return this.emulator = conn;
+    }
+
+    async lookup (id, { ctx }) {
+        if ( ! this.available.includes(id) ) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        const emu = await this.aquire_emulator();
+        if ( ! emu ) {
+            ctx.externs.out.write('No emulator available.\n');
+            return new Exit(1);
+        }
+
+        ctx.externs.out.write(`Launching ${id} in emulator ${emu.appInstanceID}\n`);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/puter-js/src/modules/UI.js b/src/puter-js/src/modules/UI.js
index 2cf327a5..f8d9a794 100644
--- a/src/puter-js/src/modules/UI.js
+++ b/src/puter-js/src/modules/UI.js
@@ -203,6 +203,7 @@ class UI extends EventListener {
         const eventNames = [
             'localeChanged',
             'themeChanged',
+            'connection',
         ];
         super(eventNames);
         this.#eventNames = eventNames;
@@ -460,6 +461,15 @@ class UI extends EventListener {
                 this.emit(name, data);
                 this.#lastBroadcastValue.set(name, data);
             }
+            else if ( e.data.msg === 'connection' ) {
+                const conn = AppConnection.from(e.data, {
+                    appInstanceID: this.appInstanceID,
+                    messageTarget: window.parent,
+                });
+                this.emit('connection', {
+                    conn
+                });
+            }
         });
 
         // We need to send the mouse position to the host environment
@@ -951,6 +961,20 @@ class UI extends EventListener {
         });
     }
 
+    connectToInstance = async function connectToInstance (app_name) {
+        const app_info = await this.#ipc_stub({
+            method: 'connectToInstance',
+            parameters: {
+                app_name,
+            }
+        });
+
+        return AppConnection.from(app_info, {
+            appInstanceID: this.appInstanceID,
+            messageTarget: this.messageTarget,
+        });
+    }
+
     parentApp() {
         return this.#parentAppConnection;
     }