diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c027f97..0fec54e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -147,6 +147,21 @@ cu api /list/abc123/task -X POST -d '{"name": "New Task"}'
 cu api "/list/abc123/task?archived=false"
 ```
 
+## Extensions
+
+Any executable named `cu-<name>` on your `PATH` becomes `cu <name>`, the same
+convention `kubectl` and `gh` use:
+
+```bash
+# an executable called cu-worklog on PATH
+cu worklog plan --since 1d      # runs: cu-worklog plan --since 1d
+```
+
+Builtins always win, so an extension can never shadow a cu command — a shadowed
+extension stays runnable directly as `cu-<name>`. The child inherits
+`CU_CONFIG_DIR`, `CU_WORKSPACE` and `CU_PROJECT_CONFIG` so it does not have to
+rediscover cu's context, and its exit code is passed through unchanged.
+
 ## Documentation
 
 Full documentation is available at [https://timimsms.github.io/cu/](https://timimsms.github.io/cu/)
diff --git a/internal/cmd/extension.go b/internal/cmd/extension.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5076d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cmd/extension.go
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
+	"github.com/timimsms/cu/internal/config"
+)
+
+// extensionPrefix is the naming convention for external subcommands:
+// `cu worklog` runs `cu-worklog` from PATH, the same shape kubectl and gh use.
+const extensionPrefix = "cu-"
+
+// extensionName constrains a word to a bare command name. Without this,
+// exec.LookPath treats anything containing a separator as a *path* rather than
+// a PATH search, so `cu ../../tmp/evil` would resolve and run an executable
+// that was never on PATH at all. Extensions are found on PATH, by name, or not
+// at all.
+var extensionName = regexp.MustCompile(`^[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*$`)
+
+// tryExtension runs an external subcommand when cobra cannot resolve the word,
+// and never returns if it does. It is deliberately the *last* resort: builtins
+// always win, so an extension can never shadow a cu command.
+//
+// There is no PATH scan at startup — one exec.LookPath only once a word is
+// known to be unresolvable — so this costs nothing on the normal path.
+func tryExtension(args []string) {
+	if len(args) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Only consider a word cobra itself could not resolve.
+	if _, _, err := rootCmd.Find(args); err == nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	word := firstCommandWord(args, rootCmd.PersistentFlags())
+	if word == "" || strings.HasPrefix(word, extensionPrefix) || !extensionName.MatchString(word) {
+		return
+	}
+
+	path, err := exec.LookPath(extensionPrefix + word)
+	if err != nil {
+		// No such extension: fall through so cobra reports the unknown
+		// command with its did-you-mean suggestions.
+		return
+	}
+
+	runExtension(path, word, args)
+}
+
+// runExtension execs the extension and exits with its status. It does not
+// return.
+func runExtension(path, word string, args []string) {
+	// Pass every argument after the extension word through verbatim, including
+	// flags that look like cu's own — they belong to the extension.
+	rest := argsAfter(args, word)
+
+	// #nosec G702 G204 -- the resolved path is not attacker-controlled: the word
+	// is constrained to ^[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*$ so it cannot contain a path
+	// separator, meaning LookPath can only return an executable already on the
+	// user's own PATH. The arguments are the user's own command line, forwarded
+	// verbatim, and cross no privilege boundary — this is the same trust model
+	// as the shell that invoked cu.
+	cmd := exec.Command(path, rest...)
+	cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
+	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
+	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+	cmd.Env = extensionEnv(args)
+
+	err := cmd.Run()
+	if err == nil {
+		os.Exit(0)
+	}
+
+	// Propagate the child's exit status; a cu-shaped failure code from an
+	// extension should reach the caller's shell unchanged.
+	var exitErr *exec.ExitError
+	if errors.As(err, &exitErr) {
+		os.Exit(exitErr.ExitCode())
+	}
+
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "failed to run %s: %v\n", filepath.Base(path), err)
+	os.Exit(1)
+}
+
+// extensionEnv hands the child the context it would otherwise have to
+// rediscover: which config cu resolved, and which workspace and project file
+// are in play.
+func extensionEnv(args []string) []string {
+	// The extension runs before PersistentPreRunE, so load config here. A
+	// failure is not fatal — the extension simply gets less context.
+	_ = config.Init(configFileFrom(args))
+
+	env := append(os.Environ(),
+		"CU_CONFIG_DIR="+filepath.Dir(config.GlobalConfigPath()),
+		"CU_WORKSPACE="+config.GetString("default_workspace"),
+		"CU_PROJECT_CONFIG="+config.GetProjectConfigPath(),
+	)
+	return env
+}
+
+// configFileFrom extracts a --config value so the child sees the same config
+// cu would have used.
+func configFileFrom(args []string) string {
+	for i := 0; i < len(args); i++ {
+		a := args[i]
+		if v, ok := strings.CutPrefix(a, "--config="); ok {
+			return v
+		}
+		if a == "--config" && i+1 < len(args) {
+			return args[i+1]
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// argsAfter returns everything following the extension word, so cu's own
+// global flags that preceded it are not forwarded.
+func argsAfter(args []string, word string) []string {
+	for i, a := range args {
+		if a == word {
+			return args[i+1:]
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// firstCommandWord returns the first positional argument — the candidate
+// command — skipping global flags and the values they consume. Getting this
+// wrong would treat a flag's value as a command name, so flag arity is read
+// from the flag set rather than guessed.
+func firstCommandWord(args []string, flags *pflag.FlagSet) string {
+	for i := 0; i < len(args); i++ {
+		a := args[i]
+
+		switch {
+		case a == "--":
+			return ""
+
+		case strings.HasPrefix(a, "--"):
+			if strings.Contains(a, "=") {
+				continue // --flag=value consumes nothing further
+			}
+			name := strings.TrimPrefix(a, "--")
+			if takesValue(flags.Lookup(name)) {
+				i++
+			}
+
+		case strings.HasPrefix(a, "-") && len(a) > 1:
+			if strings.Contains(a, "=") {
+				continue
+			}
+			// In a shorthand cluster only the final flag can take a value.
+			last := a[len(a)-1:]
+			if takesValue(flags.ShorthandLookup(last)) {
+				i++
+			}
+
+		default:
+			return a
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// takesValue reports whether a flag consumes the following argument. An
+// unknown flag is assumed not to, so an unrecognised flag cannot swallow the
+// command word.
+func takesValue(f *pflag.Flag) bool {
+	return f != nil && f.Value.Type() != "bool"
+}
diff --git a/internal/cmd/extension_test.go b/internal/cmd/extension_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24a55f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cmd/extension_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func testFlags() *pflag.FlagSet {
+	fs := pflag.NewFlagSet("cu", pflag.ContinueOnError)
+	fs.String("config", "", "")
+	fs.Bool("debug", false, "")
+	fs.StringP("output", "o", "table", "")
+	return fs
+}
+
+func TestFirstCommandWord(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		args []string
+		want string
+	}{
+		{"bare word", []string{"worklog", "plan"}, "worklog"},
+		{"no args", nil, ""},
+		{"only flags", []string{"--debug"}, ""},
+
+		// A value-taking flag must not have its value mistaken for the
+		// command — that would exec cu-x instead of cu-worklog.
+		{"long flag with value", []string{"--config", "x", "worklog"}, "worklog"},
+		{"long flag with equals", []string{"--config=x", "worklog"}, "worklog"},
+		{"shorthand with value", []string{"-o", "json", "worklog"}, "worklog"},
+		{"shorthand with equals", []string{"-o=json", "worklog"}, "worklog"},
+
+		// Boolean flags consume nothing.
+		{"bool flag", []string{"--debug", "worklog"}, "worklog"},
+		{"bool then valued", []string{"--debug", "--config", "x", "worklog"}, "worklog"},
+
+		// An unknown flag is assumed not to take a value, so it cannot
+		// swallow the command word.
+		{"unknown flag", []string{"--mystery", "worklog"}, "worklog"},
+
+		{"double dash ends the search", []string{"--", "worklog"}, ""},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, firstCommandWord(tc.args, testFlags()))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestArgsAfter(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("forwards everything after the word", func(t *testing.T) {
+		got := argsAfter([]string{"worklog", "plan", "--since", "1d"}, "worklog")
+		assert.Equal(t, []string{"plan", "--since", "1d"}, got)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("cu's own preceding flags are not forwarded", func(t *testing.T) {
+		got := argsAfter([]string{"--output", "json", "worklog", "plan"}, "worklog")
+		assert.Equal(t, []string{"plan"}, got)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("word with no trailing args", func(t *testing.T) {
+		assert.Empty(t, argsAfter([]string{"worklog"}, "worklog"))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("absent word", func(t *testing.T) {
+		assert.Nil(t, argsAfter([]string{"task", "list"}, "worklog"))
+	})
+}
+
+func TestConfigFileFrom(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.Equal(t, "/tmp/c.yaml", configFileFrom([]string{"--config", "/tmp/c.yaml", "worklog"}))
+	assert.Equal(t, "/tmp/c.yaml", configFileFrom([]string{"--config=/tmp/c.yaml", "worklog"}))
+	assert.Equal(t, "", configFileFrom([]string{"worklog", "plan"}))
+	assert.Equal(t, "", configFileFrom([]string{"--config"}), "a dangling --config must not panic")
+}
+
+func TestTryExtensionLeavesBuiltinsAlone(t *testing.T) {
+	// tryExtension exits the process when it dispatches, so the safe
+	// assertion is that a resolvable builtin returns normally — proving
+	// builtins are never routed to an extension.
+	tryExtension([]string{"version"})
+	tryExtension([]string{"task", "list"})
+	tryExtension([]string{})
+}
+
+func TestExtensionNameRejectsPaths(t *testing.T) {
+	// exec.LookPath treats a word containing a separator as a path rather than
+	// a PATH search, so without this constraint `cu ../../tmp/evil` would run
+	// an executable that was never on PATH. Extensions are found on PATH, by
+	// name, or not at all.
+	for _, bad := range []string{
+		"../evil", "../../tmp/evil", "/abs/evil", "dir/evil",
+		".hidden", "-leading-dash", "", "has space", "semi;colon", "dot.dot",
+	} {
+		assert.False(t, extensionName.MatchString(bad), "must reject %q", bad)
+	}
+
+	for _, good := range []string{"worklog", "trailer", "my-ext", "my_ext", "ext2"} {
+		assert.True(t, extensionName.MatchString(good), "must accept %q", good)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/cmd/root.go b/internal/cmd/root.go
index e1738df..49ae424 100644
--- a/internal/cmd/root.go
+++ b/internal/cmd/root.go
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ enabling efficient task management and seamless integration with development wor
 
 // Execute adds all child commands to the root command and sets flags appropriately.
 func Execute() error {
+	// Builtins first: tryExtension only acts on a word cobra cannot resolve,
+	// and does not return when it finds one.
+	tryExtension(os.Args[1:])
 	return rootCmd.Execute()
 }