diff --git a/ast/func_table.go b/ast/func_table.go
index b70f758..3a2db29 100644
--- a/ast/func_table.go
+++ b/ast/func_table.go
@@ -75,3 +75,18 @@ func GetFunction(arg string, table FuncTable) *Function {
 
     return target
 }
+
+
+/* lists all functions in table
+ */
+func ListFuncs(ft FuncTable) []string {
+    keys := make([]string, len(*ft))
+    i := 0
+
+    for k := range *ft {
+        keys[i] = k
+        i++
+    }
+
+    return keys
+}
diff --git a/ast/var_table.go b/ast/var_table.go
index 7037e4a..072ec99 100644
--- a/ast/var_table.go
+++ b/ast/var_table.go
@@ -73,6 +73,18 @@ func SetVar(variable string, value *Token, vt VarTable) {
     }
 }
 
+/* lists all vars in tables
+ */
+func ListVars(vt VarTable) []string {
+    keys := make([]string, len(*vt))
+    i := 0
+    for k := range *vt {
+        keys[i] = k
+    }
+
+    return keys
+}
+
 // Library represents variables defined in inner scope
 // It is assumed library is ordered from innermost scope to outermost scope
 func GetVarFromTables(arg string, library []VarTable) *Token {
diff --git a/cmd/shs.go b/cmd/shs.go
index 4b43d3c..3413d21 100644
--- a/cmd/shs.go
+++ b/cmd/shs.go
@@ -20,10 +20,12 @@ package main
 import (
     "os"
     "fmt"
+    "strings"
     "strconv"
     "github.com/peterh/liner"
     "gitlab.com/whom/shs/ast"
     "gitlab.com/whom/shs/log"
+    "gitlab.com/whom/shs/util"
     "gitlab.com/whom/shs/config"
 )
 
@@ -105,6 +107,10 @@ func main() {
     defer line.Close()
 
     line.SetCtrlCAborts(true)
+    line.SetCompleter(func(line string) (c []string) {
+        strtoks := strings.Split(line, " ")
+        return util.ShellCompleter(strtoks[len(strtoks) - 1], vars, funcs)
+    })
 
     var histFile *os.File
     var err error
@@ -134,12 +140,10 @@ func main() {
         text, err := line.Prompt(prompt)
         if err != nil && err != liner.ErrPromptAborted{
             log.Log(log.ERR, "couldnt read user input: " + err.Error(), "repl")
+            continue
         }
 
-        if !no_hist {
-            line.WriteHistory(histFile)
-        }
-
+        line.AppendHistory(text)
         userInput := ast.Lex(text)
         if userInput == nil {
             // errors handled in Lex
diff --git a/util/shell_complete.go b/util/shell_complete.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8246ff5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/shell_complete.go
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+/*   SHS: Syntactically Homogeneous Shell
+ *   Copyright (C) 2019  Aidan Hahn
+ *
+ *   This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ *   the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ *   (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *   GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ *   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ *   along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package util
+
+import (
+    "fmt"
+    "io/ioutil"
+    "strings"
+    "gitlab.com/whom/shs/log"
+    "gitlab.com/whom/shs/ast"
+)
+
+// wrap this in a lambda that passes in the vt and ft
+// I suppose it could be more optimal. Fix if it bothers you
+func ShellCompleter(line string, vt ast.VarTable, ft ast.FuncTable) []string {
+    dir, path, tok := getPathBase(line)
+    compSource := []string{}
+
+    if !path {
+        dir = "."
+    } else {
+        line = tok
+    }
+
+    fobjs, err := ioutil.ReadDir(dir)
+    if err != nil {
+        log.Log(log.DEBUG,
+            "couldnt read dir " + dir + ": " + err.Error(),
+            "complete")
+        if path {
+            return nil
+        }
+    } else {
+        for _, f := range fobjs {
+            compSource = append(compSource, f.Name())
+        }
+    }
+
+    if !path {
+        compSource = append(compSource, ast.ListVars(vt)...)
+        compSource = append(compSource, ast.ListFuncs(ft)...)
+    }
+
+    completions := []string{}
+    for _, i := range compSource {
+        if strings.HasPrefix(i, line) {
+            completions = append(completions, i)
+        }
+    }
+
+    return completions
+}
+
+// returns everything up to the last '/'
+// as well as whether or not a / was found
+// and finally the token after the last /
+func getPathBase(in string) (string, bool, string) {
+    if in == "" {
+        return "", false, ""
+    }
+
+    isPath := false
+
+    i := len(in) - 1
+    for i > 0 {
+        if in[i] == '/' {
+            isPath = true
+            break
+        }
+
+        i -= 1
+    }
+
+    return in[:i], isPath, in[i+1:]
+}