diff --git a/src/nasal_codegen.h b/src/nasal_codegen.h
index 2eb44f3..ab742c9 100644
--- a/src/nasal_codegen.h
+++ b/src/nasal_codegen.h
@@ -60,7 +60,9 @@ private:
         "__pipe", "__fork", "__waitpid", "__chdir",
         "__environ", "__getcwd", "__getenv",
         // subprocess
-        "__subprocess_run"
+        "__subprocess_popen",
+        "__subprocess_pclose",
+        "__subprocess_read_stdout"
     };
 
     // file mapper for file -> index
diff --git a/src/natives/subprocess.cpp b/src/natives/subprocess.cpp
index 0e999a3..16161bd 100644
--- a/src/natives/subprocess.cpp
+++ b/src/natives/subprocess.cpp
@@ -1,13 +1,62 @@
 #include "natives/subprocess.h"
 
+#include <cstdio>
+
 namespace nasal {
 
-var builtin_subprocess_run(context* ctx, gc* ngc) {
-    return nil;
+const auto subprocess_object_name = "subprocess";
+
+void subprocess_destructor(void* ptr) {
+    pclose(static_cast<FILE*>(ptr));
+}
+
+var builtin_subprocess_popen(context* ctx, gc* ngc) {
+    auto command = ctx->localr[1];
+    if (!command.is_str()) {
+        return nas_err("subprocess::popen", "expect a string as the command");
+    }
+
+    auto fd = popen(command.str().c_str(), "r");
+    if (fd == nullptr) {
+        return nas_err("subprocess::popen", "failed to create sub-process");
+    }
+
+    var ret = ngc->alloc(vm_type::vm_ghost);
+    ret.ghost().set(subprocess_object_name, subprocess_destructor, nullptr, fd);
+    return ret;
+}
+
+var builtin_subprocess_pclose(context* ctx, gc* ngc) {
+    auto fd = ctx->localr[1];
+    if (!fd.object_check(subprocess_object_name)) {
+        return nas_err("subprocess::pclose", "not a valid subprocess");
+    }
+    auto res = pclose(static_cast<FILE*>(fd.ghost().pointer));
+    fd.ghost().pointer = nullptr;
+    fd.ghost().clear();
+    return var::num(res);
+}
+
+var builtin_subprocess_read_stdout(context* ctx, gc* ngc) {
+    auto fd = ctx->localr[1];
+    if (!fd.object_check(subprocess_object_name)) {
+        return nas_err("subprocess::pclose", "not a valid subprocess");
+    }
+    char buffer[1025];
+    auto res = ngc->alloc(vm_type::vm_str);
+    while(fgets(
+        buffer,
+        sizeof(buffer)-1,
+        static_cast<FILE*>(fd.ghost().pointer))!=nullptr) {
+        res.str() += buffer;
+    }
+    return res;
 }
 
 nasal_builtin_table subprocess_native[] = {
-    {"__subprocess_run", builtin_subprocess_run},
+    {"__subprocess_popen", builtin_subprocess_popen},
+    {"__subprocess_pclose", builtin_subprocess_pclose},
+    {"__subprocess_read_stdout", builtin_subprocess_read_stdout},
     {nullptr, nullptr}
 };
 
diff --git a/src/natives/subprocess.h b/src/natives/subprocess.h
index f1a2680..23029a4 100644
--- a/src/natives/subprocess.h
+++ b/src/natives/subprocess.h
@@ -6,8 +6,11 @@
 
 namespace nasal {
 
-var builtin_subprocess_run(context*, gc*);
+void subprocess_destructor(void*);
 
+var builtin_subprocess_popen(context*, gc*);
+var builtin_subprocess_pclose(context*, gc*);
+var builtin_subprocess_read_stdout(context*, gc*);
 extern nasal_builtin_table subprocess_native[];
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/std/subprocess.nas b/std/subprocess.nas
index b418896..e82cf8b 100644
--- a/std/subprocess.nas
+++ b/std/subprocess.nas
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
-var run = func() {
-    return __subprocess_run();
+var popen = func(cmd) {
+    return __subprocess_popen(cmd);
+}
+
+var pclose = func(subproc) {
+    return __subprocess_pclose(subproc);
+}
+
+var read = func(subproc) {
+    return __subprocess_read_stdout(subproc);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/watchdog.nas b/test/watchdog.nas
index e0e2a9f..5c3c32b 100644
--- a/test/watchdog.nas
+++ b/test/watchdog.nas
@@ -3,62 +3,113 @@ use std.os;
 use std.io;
 use std.unix;
 
+use std.subprocess;
+
+runtime.windows.set_utf8_output();
+
 var os_time = func() {
-    return "\e[33;1m["~os.time()~"]\e[0m ";
+    return "\e[33;1m[" ~ os.time() ~ "]\e[0m ";
 }
+
 var err_hd = func() {
     return "\e[91;1m[error]\e[0m ";
 }
+
 var info_hd = func() {
     return "\e[96;1m[info]\e[0m ";
 }
+
 var modified_hd = func() {
     return "\e[92;1m[modified]\e[0m ";
 }
+
 var usage = func() {
-    println(os_time(),info_hd(),"\e[1musage: nasal watchdog.nas <filename> [\"argv\"]\e[0m");
+    println(
+        os_time(),
+        info_hd(),
+        "\e[1musage: nasal watchdog.nas <filename> [\"argv\"]\e[0m"
+    );
 }
 
-var argv=runtime.argv();
+var argv = runtime.argv();
 if (size(argv)<1) {
-    println(os_time(),err_hd(),"\e[1mneed correct file path to watch\e[0m");
-    usage();
-    exit(-1);
-}
-var filename=argv[0];
-if (!io.exists(filename)) {
-    println(os_time(),err_hd(),"\e[1mfile <",filename,"> does not exist\e[0m");
+    println(
+        os_time(),
+        err_hd(),
+        "\e[1mneed correct file path to watch\e[0m"
+    );
     usage();
     exit(-1);
 }
 
-var args=[];
+var filename = argv[0];
+if (!io.exists(filename)) {
+    println(
+        os_time(),
+        err_hd(),
+        "\e[1mfile <",
+        filename,
+        "> does not exist\e[0m"
+    );
+    usage();
+    exit(-1);
+}
+
+var args = [];
 if (size(argv)==2) {
-    println(os_time(),info_hd(),"\e[1mwith argument(s) ",argv[1],"\e[0m");
-    args=split(" ",argv[1]);
+    println(
+        os_time(),
+        info_hd(),
+        "\e[1mwith argument(s) ",
+        argv[1],
+        "\e[0m"
+    );
+    args = split(" ", argv[1]);
 }
 
 var modified_time = io.fstat(filename).st_mtime;
-println(os_time(),info_hd(),"\e[1mwatching ",filename," ..\e[0m");
+println(os_time(), info_hd(), "\e[1mwatching ", filename, " ..\e[0m");
 while(1) {
     unix.sleep(5);
     if (!io.exists(filename)) {
-        println(os_time(),err_hd(),"\e[1mfile <",filename,"> does not exist\e[0m");
+        println(
+            os_time(),
+            err_hd(),
+            "\e[1mfile <",
+            filename,
+            "> does not exist\e[0m"
+        );
         break;
     }
+
     var latest_modified_time = io.fstat(filename).st_mtime;
     if (latest_modified_time!=modified_time) {
-        modified_time=latest_modified_time;
-        println(os_time(),modified_hd(),"\e[1m",filename,"\e[0m");
-        var cmd=(os.platform()=="windows"?"":"./")~"nasal "~filename;
-        foreach(var i;args)
-            cmd~=" "~i;
-        println(os_time(),info_hd(),"\e[1mexecuting command \"",cmd,"\"\e[0m");
-        var ret=system(cmd);
-        if (ret!=0) {
-            println(os_time(),err_hd(),"\e[1mprocess returned ",ret,"\e[0m");
-        } else {
-            println(os_time(),info_hd(),"\e[1mprocess returned ",ret,"\e[0m");
+        modified_time = latest_modified_time;
+        println(os_time(), modified_hd(), "\e[1m", filename, "\e[0m");
+
+        var cmd = (os.platform()=="windows"?"":"./") ~ "nasal " ~ filename;
+        foreach(var i; args) {
+            cmd ~= " " ~ i;
         }
+        cmd ~= " 2>&1";
+        println(
+            os_time(),
+            info_hd(),
+            "\e[1mexecuting command \"",
+            cmd,
+            "\"\e[0m"
+        );
+
+        var subproc = subprocess.popen(cmd);
+        var stdout_info = subprocess.read(subproc);
+        var ret = subprocess.pclose(subproc);
+        if (size(stdout_info)>0) {
+            println(stdout_info);
+        }
+        println(
+            os_time(),
+            ret!=0? err_hd():info_hd(),
+            "\e[1mprocess returned " ~ ret ~ "\e[0m"
+        );
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file