diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index a48505f..6911f08 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Follow [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md). Single-trunk: `main` plus short-liv
 - `github` — mirror. Day-to-day push `origin` only.
 
 ## Product
-GTK4 app launcher + `breadbox-sync` icon cache. Theme via `bread-theme` (pin by tag on `git.breadway.dev`). Toggle uses `bread-utils::singleton`, not a homegrown PID file. `EVENTS.md` is the bread-event contract (app id `box`); emit `bread.box.launched` after a successful launch. No command verbs.
+GTK4 app launcher + `breadbox-sync` icon cache. Theme via `bread-theme` (pin by tag on `git.breadway.dev`). Toggle uses `bread-utils::singleton`, not a homegrown PID file. `EVENTS.md` is the bread-event contract (app id `box`); emit `bread.box.launched` after a successful launch. `breadbox listen` honors `bread.command.box.open`.
 
 ## Distribution
 Bakery (`bakery.toml`). Forgejo `.forgejo/workflows/` is canonical; do not re-add a GitHub Actions release workflow.
diff --git a/EVENTS.md b/EVENTS.md
index 6e76638..3e7064a 100644
--- a/EVENTS.md
+++ b/EVENTS.md
@@ -8,16 +8,19 @@ specifically its "Namespaces" and "Integrating a bread\* app" sections —
 for the general convention this follows.
 
 App id: **`box`**. Transport: `bread-utils`'s `bread_client` module
-(feature `bread-client`) — `breadbox` links it directly. breadbox is a
-short-lived process (it exits when the launcher closes), so each `emit`
-is its own short-lived connection. There is no long-running daemon and
-therefore no command subscription.
+(feature `bread-client`) — `breadbox` links it directly. One-shot
+launcher invocations each `emit` on their own fire-and-forget
+connection. Command verbs are only received while `breadbox listen` is
+running — that process holds the `bread.command.box.**` subscription
+open.
 
 ## Events published (`bread.box.*`)
 
 | Event | Data | When |
 |-------|------|------|
 | `bread.box.launched` | `{ "id": "<desktop id or exec>", "name": "<display name>" }` | The user launched an app (Enter / keypad Enter on the selected row, or activating a row) **and** the spawn succeeded. Not emitted if `Command::spawn` fails (missing terminal, `exec` that cannot start). `id` is the desktop-file id (the `.desktop` filename, e.g. `firefox.desktop`), falling back to the stripped `Exec=` line when that id is empty. `name` is the desktop-entry display name. |
+| `bread.box.open.done` | `{}` | `bread.command.box.open` was received and `breadbox` was spawned. This is the command confirmation, not proof the overlay mapped — the spawned process is the same toggle as a keybind. |
+| `bread.box.open.failed` | `{ "error": "<message>" }` | `bread.command.box.open` was received but this binary could not be started. |
 
 Launch history is local to breadbox (`~/.cache/breadbox/history.json`);
 the event bus is a notification that a launch happened, not a channel
@@ -25,17 +28,38 @@ for the exec line's arguments or the resulting process.
 
 ## Commands honored (`bread.command.box.*`)
 
-None. breadbox is not a daemon — it is not running (and not subscribed)
-except while the launcher overlay is open. There is no existing
-"launch this desktop id from the bus" product surface, and inventing
-`bread.command.box.launch` (or similar) without that surface would be a
-stub. If/when breadbox grows a long-running piece that can honor a
-verb, the corresponding `bread.command.box.*` command should be added
-at the same time, not stubbed out ahead of it.
+These are only received while `breadbox listen` is running. Publishing a
+command with no subscriber is a silent no-op — that is the documented
+bread convention, not a breadbox bug.
+
+| Verb | Data | Effect |
+|------|------|--------|
+| `open` | none | Same as running `breadbox` (toggle the launcher overlay via the existing singleton). Emits `bread.box.open.done` / `.failed`. |
+
+```lua
+bread.spawn(function()
+    bread.emit("bread.command.box.open")
+    bread.wait("bread.box.open.done", { timeout = 5000 })
+end)
+```
+
+### Not implemented: extra verbs
+
+There is no `launch` / `close` / `query` command verb. Picking a desktop
+id from the bus would be a new product surface. If/when that exists, add
+the corresponding `bread.command.box.*` verb at the same time, not
+stubbed as a no-op ahead of it.
 
 ## Fail-safe behavior
 
 - If breadd isn't installed or isn't running, `emit` is a silent no-op
-  (`BreadClient::emit` never blocks or errors the caller) — launching,
+  (`BreadClient::emit` never blocks or errors the caller) and the
+  command subscription simply never receives anything — launching,
   history, theming, and the singleton toggle are entirely unaffected.
+- If breadd restarts, the command subscription reconnects automatically
+  (`BreadClient::subscribe`'s background thread has its own backoff
+  loop); no restart of `breadbox listen` is needed.
+- If `breadbox listen` is not running, commands are a graceful no-op at
+  the bus (no subscriber). The CLI still works, and one-shot invocations
+  still emit `bread.box.launched` on their own short-lived connection.
 - Closing the launcher without launching anything emits nothing.
diff --git a/breadbox/src/listen.rs b/breadbox/src/listen.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9aeb367
--- /dev/null
+++ b/breadbox/src/listen.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+//! Long-running command subscription for `bread.command.box.*`.
+//!
+//! `breadbox` is still a one-shot toggle overlay by default. `breadbox listen`
+//! is the optional persistent process that can honor bus commands. See
+//! `EVENTS.md`.
+
+use bread_utils::bread_client::{BreadClient, BreadEvent};
+
+/// Sibling-app id in `bread_shared::apps::KNOWN_APPS`.
+const APP_ID: &str = "box";
+
+/// Subscribe to `bread.command.box.**` and block until the process is killed.
+///
+/// breadd being absent is not an error: [`BreadClient::subscribe`] reconnects
+/// with backoff, and `on_event` simply isn't called until the daemon is up.
+pub fn run() {
+    let client = BreadClient::connect(APP_ID);
+    if client.health().is_none() {
+        eprintln!("breadbox: breadd unreachable; command subscription will connect when it comes back");
+    }
+
+    let _commands = client.subscribe("bread.command.box.**", |event| {
+        handle_command(&event);
+    });
+
+    eprintln!("breadbox: listening for bread.command.box.**");
+    loop {
+        std::thread::park();
+    }
+}
+
+/// Reacts to `bread.command.box.*` verbs. Only `open` is honored today —
+/// other verbs are ignored, not stubbed as no-ops that pretend to succeed.
+fn handle_command(event: &BreadEvent) {
+    let Some(verb) = command_verb(&event.event) else {
+        return;
+    };
+    match verb {
+        "open" => handle_open(),
+        other => {
+            eprintln!("breadbox: ignoring unrecognized bread.command.box.{other}");
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn handle_open() {
+    // Same as running `breadbox` from a keybind: toggle the overlay via the
+    // existing singleton. Spawn success is the command confirmation — we do
+    // not wait for the GTK window to map.
+    let result = spawn_self();
+    let client = BreadClient::connect(APP_ID);
+    match result {
+        Ok(_) => client.emit("bread.box.open.done", serde_json::json!({})),
+        Err(e) => {
+            eprintln!("breadbox: bread.command.box.open failed: {e}");
+            client.emit(
+                "bread.box.open.failed",
+                serde_json::json!({ "error": e.to_string() }),
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn spawn_self() -> std::io::Result<std::process::Child> {
+    let exe = std::env::current_exe().unwrap_or_else(|_| std::path::PathBuf::from("breadbox"));
+    std::process::Command::new(exe).spawn()
+}
+
+fn command_verb(event_name: &str) -> Option<&str> {
+    event_name.strip_prefix("bread.command.box.")
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn command_verb_strips_box_prefix() {
+        assert_eq!(command_verb("bread.command.box.open"), Some("open"));
+        assert_eq!(command_verb("bread.command.box.launch"), Some("launch"));
+        assert_eq!(command_verb("bread.command.clip.clear"), None);
+        assert_eq!(command_verb("bread.box.launched"), None);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/breadbox/src/main.rs b/breadbox/src/main.rs
index 449b1ed..b207b97 100644
--- a/breadbox/src/main.rs
+++ b/breadbox/src/main.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ use gtk4::{
 };
 use gtk4_layer_shell::{Edge, KeyboardMode, Layer, LayerShell};
 
+mod listen;
 mod screenshot;
 
 // ---- Hyprland IPC -----------------------------------------------------------
@@ -560,6 +561,11 @@ fn run_ui(
 // ---- Main -------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 fn main() {
+    if std::env::args().nth(1).as_deref() == Some("listen") {
+        listen::run();
+        return;
+    }
+
     use clap::Parser;
     let cli = screenshot::Cli::parse();
     let screenshot_req = cli.screenshot_request();