diff --git a/DOCKER_HUB.md b/DOCKER_HUB.md
index f8ea063..3c35cca 100644
--- a/DOCKER_HUB.md
+++ b/DOCKER_HUB.md
@@ -227,6 +227,7 @@ Understanding what survives container restarts and what doesn't:
 | `/home/developer/.aws` | Host bind mount | ✅ Yes — lives on host | AWS credentials/SSO cache |
 | `/home/developer/.local/share/opencode` | Named volume (if configured) | ✅ Yes — Docker volume | Session history, memory, auth tokens |
 | `/home/developer/.local/state/opencode` | Named volume (if configured) | ✅ Yes — Docker volume | TUI settings (theme, toggles) |
+| `/home/developer/.cache/bash` | Named volume `devbox-shell-history` | ✅ Yes — Docker volume | Bash history (`$HISTFILE`) — survives container recreate |
 | `/home/developer/.local/share/uv` | Named volume (if configured) | ✅ Yes — Docker volume | Python installs, uv tool installs |
 | `/home/developer/.rustup` | Named volume (if configured) | ✅ Yes — Docker volume | Rust toolchains |
 | `/home/developer/.cargo` | Named volume (if configured) | ✅ Yes — Docker volume | Cargo binaries, registry cache |
@@ -239,6 +240,7 @@ Understanding what survives container restarts and what doesn't:
 - **opencode config** is auto-generated from `OPENCODE_PROVIDER` env var on each start if no existing config is found. To persist config changes, mount the config directory from the host (see Custom opencode Config below).
 - **opencode data** (session history, memory) is lost on container recreation unless you add a named volume.
 - **TUI settings** (theme, toggles) are lost on container recreation unless you add the `devbox-state` named volume.
+- **Bash history** persists via the `devbox-shell-history` volume mounted at `~/.cache/bash`. `HISTFILE` is pre-configured; no setup required.
 - **Python installs** via `uv python install` are lost on container recreation unless you add the `devbox-uv` named volume.
 - **Rust toolchains** via `rustup-init` are lost on container recreation unless you add the `devbox-rustup` and `devbox-cargo` named volumes.
 - **AWS SSO tokens** persist across restarts when `~/.aws` is mounted (recommended for Bedrock users).
@@ -463,6 +465,19 @@ docker compose run --rm devbox        # direct to opencode
 docker compose run --rm devbox bash   # interactive shell
 ```
 
+## Shell defaults
+
+The image ships baked shell defaults in `~/.bash_aliases` and `~/.inputrc`:
+
+- **Prefix history search** on Up/Down arrows (type `git `, press Up, walk back through prior `git ...` commands only). Ctrl-Up / Ctrl-Down still step through full history.
+- **Persistent history** via `$HISTFILE=~/.cache/bash/history`, backed by the `devbox-shell-history` named volume. Survives container recreate. 100 000 entries, time-stamped, dedup.
+- **Case-insensitive tab completion** and coloured completion lists.
+- **Aliases** — `ls`/`ll`/`la` → `eza`, `cat` → `bat`, `gs`/`gd`/`gl` for git, interactive `rm`/`mv`/`cp`.
+- **Integrations** — `zoxide` (`z <fragment>`), `fzf` key bindings (`Ctrl-R`, `Ctrl-T`).
+- **`[devbox]` prompt prefix** so you always know you're in the container.
+
+To override with your host's own `~/.bash_aliases` / `~/.inputrc`, uncomment the matching bind-mount lines in `docker-compose.yml`.
+
 ## What's Included
 
 ### Base image (`latest`)
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 47669e5..7a761fc 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -200,9 +200,19 @@ RUN mkdir -p /workspace \
     /home/${USER_NAME}/.config/opencode/skills \
     /home/${USER_NAME}/.agents/skills \
     /home/${USER_NAME}/.local/share/opencode \
+    /home/${USER_NAME}/.cache/bash \
     /home/${USER_NAME}/.ssh && \
     chown -R ${USER_NAME}:${USER_NAME} /workspace /home/${USER_NAME}
 
+# ── Shell defaults (bash history, aliases, readline) ─────────────────
+# Baked into the image so a fresh container has sensible history and
+# readline behaviour out of the box. Users can override by bind-mounting
+# their host ~/.inputrc or ~/.bash_aliases via docker-compose.yml.
+# History itself persists via the devbox-shell-history named volume
+# mounted at ~/.cache/bash (HISTFILE points there).
+COPY --chown=${USER_UID}:${USER_GID} rootfs/home/developer/.bash_aliases /home/${USER_NAME}/.bash_aliases
+COPY --chown=${USER_UID}:${USER_GID} rootfs/home/developer/.inputrc      /home/${USER_NAME}/.inputrc
+
 # ── Entrypoint ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 COPY entrypoint.sh /usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh
 COPY entrypoint-user.sh /usr/local/bin/entrypoint-user.sh
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7f0fca8..95554fb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -438,6 +438,24 @@ The `--use-device-code` flag outputs a URL and short code instead of trying to o
 
 SSO sessions typically last 8–12 hours before requiring re-authentication. Since `~/.aws` is mounted from the host, tokens persist across container restarts.
 
+## Shell defaults
+
+The image ships a baked `~/.bash_aliases` and `~/.inputrc` with quality-of-life defaults:
+
+- **Prefix history search** on Up/Down arrows (type `git `, press Up, walk back through prior `git ...` commands only). Ctrl-Up / Ctrl-Down still step through full history.
+- **Persistent history** — `$HISTFILE` points at `~/.cache/bash/history`, backed by the `devbox-shell-history` named volume so history survives container recreation. Timestamps, 100 000 entries, dedup.
+- **Case-insensitive tab completion**, coloured completion lists, `show-all-if-ambiguous`.
+- **Aliases** — `ls`/`ll`/`la` use `eza`, `cat` uses `bat`, `gs`/`gd`/`gl` for git, safe `rm`/`mv`/`cp`.
+- **Integrations** — `zoxide` (`z <fragment>` to jump), `fzf` Ctrl-R / Ctrl-T key bindings.
+- **Prompt marker** — `[devbox]` prefix so it's always obvious you're inside the container.
+
+To override with your own host config, uncomment the bind-mount lines in `docker-compose.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+- ~/.bash_aliases:/home/developer/.bash_aliases:ro
+- ~/.inputrc:/home/developer/.inputrc:ro
+```
+
 ## Secret Scanning
 
 A [gitleaks](https://github.com/gitleaks/gitleaks) pre-commit hook prevents accidentally committing API keys, passwords, or other secrets.
@@ -496,6 +514,7 @@ Container (Debian trixie)
 | `/home/developer/.aws` | Host bind mount (if configured) | ✅ Yes | AWS credentials/SSO cache |
 | `/home/developer/.local/share/opencode` | Named volume `devbox-data` | ✅ Yes | Session history, memory |
 | `/home/developer/.local/state/opencode` | Named volume `devbox-state` | ✅ Yes | TUI settings (theme, toggles) |
+| `/home/developer/.cache/bash` | Named volume `devbox-shell-history` | ✅ Yes | Bash history (`$HISTFILE`), survives container recreate |
 | `/home/developer/.local/share/uv` | Named volume `devbox-uv` (if configured) | ✅ Yes | Python installs, uv tool installs |
 | `/home/developer/.rustup` | Named volume `devbox-rustup` (if configured) | ✅ Yes | Rust toolchains |
 | `/home/developer/.cargo` | Named volume `devbox-cargo` (if configured) | ✅ Yes | Cargo binaries, registry cache |
diff --git a/docker-compose.shared.yml b/docker-compose.shared.yml
index 28d81d5..53675ba 100644
--- a/docker-compose.shared.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.shared.yml
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ services:
       # Persist opencode data (auth, memory, session history)
       - devbox-data:/home/developer/.local/share/opencode
 
+      # Persist bash history across container recreations
+      - devbox-shell-history:/home/developer/.cache/bash
+
       # Persist uv data (Python installs)
       - devbox-uv:/home/developer/.local/share/uv
 
@@ -47,4 +50,5 @@ services:
 
 volumes:
   devbox-data:
+  devbox-shell-history:
   devbox-uv:
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index f39a917..8fbbcec 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -52,6 +52,16 @@ services:
       # Optional: persist opencode TUI settings (theme, toggles, etc.)
       - devbox-state:/home/developer/.local/state/opencode
 
+      # Persist bash history across container recreations.
+      # Without this, ~/.bash_history is lost on 'docker compose up --force-recreate'.
+      - devbox-shell-history:/home/developer/.cache/bash
+
+      # Optional: override baked shell defaults with your host's rc files.
+      # The image ships sensible defaults (history tuning, prefix-search on
+      # Up/Down arrows, fzf/zoxide integration). Uncomment to use your own:
+      # - ~/.bash_aliases:/home/developer/.bash_aliases:ro
+      # - ~/.inputrc:/home/developer/.inputrc:ro
+
       # Optional: persist uv data (Python installs, tool installs)
       # Without this, 'uv python install' must be re-run after container removal.
       - devbox-uv:/home/developer/.local/share/uv
@@ -70,6 +80,7 @@ services:
 volumes:
   devbox-data:
   devbox-state:
+  devbox-shell-history:
   devbox-uv:
   # devbox-rustup:
   # devbox-cargo:
diff --git a/entrypoint.sh b/entrypoint.sh
index b00dbaf..dc85123 100644
--- a/entrypoint.sh
+++ b/entrypoint.sh
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ for parent in \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.local \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.local/share \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.local/state \
+  /home/"$USER_NAME"/.cache \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.config; do
   if [ -d "$parent" ] && [ "$(stat -c '%u' "$parent" 2>/dev/null)" != "$FINAL_UID" ]; then
     chown "$FINAL_UID":"$FINAL_GID" "$parent" 2>/dev/null || true
@@ -76,6 +77,7 @@ for dir in \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.local/share/opencode \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.local/state/opencode \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.local/share/uv \
+  /home/"$USER_NAME"/.cache/bash \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.rustup \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.cargo \
   /home/"$USER_NAME"/.vscode-server \
diff --git a/rootfs/home/developer/.bash_aliases b/rootfs/home/developer/.bash_aliases
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7932036
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rootfs/home/developer/.bash_aliases
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# opencode-devbox bash aliases and customizations
+# Sourced by the Debian-default ~/.bashrc on shell startup.
+# To override, bind-mount your host's ~/.bash_aliases over this file
+# via docker-compose.yml.
+
+# ── History persistence and quality ──────────────────────────────────
+# The named volume devbox-shell-history is mounted at ~/.cache/bash
+# so history survives container recreation.
+export HISTFILE="${HOME}/.cache/bash/history"
+mkdir -p "$(dirname "$HISTFILE")" 2>/dev/null || true
+
+# Large, time-stamped, deduplicated history. Append rather than overwrite.
+export HISTSIZE=100000
+export HISTFILESIZE=200000
+export HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth:erasedups
+export HISTTIMEFORMAT='%F %T  '
+shopt -s histappend 2>/dev/null
+shopt -s cmdhist 2>/dev/null
+# Flush every command to disk immediately so reboots don't lose recent work.
+# Guarded so repeated sourcing (e.g. `exec bash`) doesn't stack duplicates.
+if [ -z "${DEVBOX_HIST_SET:-}" ]; then
+  PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a; ${PROMPT_COMMAND:-}"
+  export DEVBOX_HIST_SET=1
+fi
+
+# ── Common aliases ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Prefer eza (modern ls) when available
+if command -v eza >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  alias ls='eza --group-directories-first'
+  alias ll='eza -lh --group-directories-first --git'
+  alias la='eza -lha --group-directories-first --git'
+  alias tree='eza --tree'
+else
+  alias ll='ls -lh'
+  alias la='ls -lha'
+fi
+
+# Prefer bat (syntax-highlighted cat) when available
+if command -v bat >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  alias cat='bat --style=plain --paging=never'
+  alias less='bat --paging=always'
+fi
+
+# Git shortcuts
+alias gs='git status'
+alias gd='git diff'
+alias gl='git log --oneline --graph --decorate -20'
+
+# Safety: confirm before destructive ops
+alias rm='rm -i'
+alias mv='mv -i'
+alias cp='cp -i'
+
+# ── Shell integrations ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+# zoxide — smarter cd. Use 'z <fragment>' to jump to previously-visited dirs.
+if command -v zoxide >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  eval "$(zoxide init bash)"
+fi
+
+# fzf — fuzzy finder key bindings (Ctrl-R for history, Ctrl-T for files).
+# We install fzf from GitHub releases (not apt), so sourcing from the
+# apt-path /usr/share/doc/fzf/examples/* would find nothing. Use the
+# binary's own --bash flag (available since fzf 0.48) for setup.
+if command -v fzf >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  eval "$(fzf --bash)" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
+
+# ── Prompt: show [opencode-devbox] tag so it's obvious you're in the container
+# Preserves the default Debian PS1 logic but prefixes with a container marker.
+if [ -n "${PS1:-}" ] && [ -z "${DEVBOX_PS1_SET:-}" ]; then
+  PS1='\[\e[38;5;39m\][devbox]\[\e[0m\] '"${PS1}"
+  export DEVBOX_PS1_SET=1
+fi
diff --git a/rootfs/home/developer/.inputrc b/rootfs/home/developer/.inputrc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7a2406
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rootfs/home/developer/.inputrc
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# opencode-devbox readline defaults
+# To override, bind-mount your host's ~/.inputrc over this file
+# via docker-compose.yml.
+
+# Inherit system-wide defaults (colour, 8-bit input, …) if present
+$include /etc/inputrc
+
+# ── History search on Up/Down ────────────────────────────────────────
+# Type a prefix, press Up, and walk through previous commands starting
+# with that prefix. Ctrl-Up / Ctrl-Down keep the unconditional stepper.
+"\e[A": history-search-backward
+"\e[B": history-search-forward
+"\e[1;5A": previous-history
+"\e[1;5B": next-history
+
+# ── Completion quality ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+set show-all-if-ambiguous on      # single Tab shows matches on ambiguity
+set completion-ignore-case on     # case-insensitive file/dir completion
+set colored-stats on              # colour ls-style completion list entries
+set colored-completion-prefix on  # highlight the matched prefix
+set visible-stats on              # append /*@ type indicators in completion
+set mark-symlinked-directories on # add trailing / to symlinks to dirs
+set skip-completed-text on        # don't re-insert already-typed text
+
+# Treat hyphens and underscores as equivalent when completing (e.g.
+# typing `foo-` matches both `foo-bar` and `foo_bar`).
+set completion-map-case on