diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a4a7215..b08a701 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -354,24 +354,6 @@ Examples
    $ vng --vsock-connect
 ```
 
- - Connect to a remote shell with proper dimensions, env vars, and using 'Fish':
-```
-   # Start the vng instance with vsock support:
-   $ vng --vsock "${PWD}/console.sh"
-
-   # In a separate terminal run the following commands:
-   $ read -r rows columns <<< "$(stty size)"
-   $ cat <<-EOF > console.sh
-         #! /bin/bash
-         stty rows ${rows} columns ${columns}
-         cd "\${virtme_chdir}"
-         HOME=${HOME}
-         fish  # use use zsh, tmux, byobu, screen, etc.
-     EOF
-   $ chmod +x console.sh
-   $ vng --vsock-connect
-```
-
  - Run virtme-ng inside a docker container:
 ```
    $ docker run -it --privileged ubuntu:23.10 /bin/bash
diff --git a/virtme/commands/run.py b/virtme/commands/run.py
index 0b2cbd1..1bb8239 100644
--- a/virtme/commands/run.py
+++ b/virtme/commands/run.py
@@ -133,13 +133,16 @@ def make_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     g.add_argument(
         "--vsock",
         action="store",
-        default=None,
-        help="Enable a VSock to communicate from the host to the device and "
-        + "execute the specified command.",
+        nargs="?",
+        metavar="COMMAND",
+        const="",
+        help="Enable a VSock to communicate from the host to the device. "
+        + "An argument can be optionally specified to start a different command.",
     )
     g.add_argument(
         "--vsock-cid",
         action="store",
+        metavar="CID",
         type=int,
         default=3,
         help="CID for the VSock.",
@@ -866,7 +869,27 @@ def is_subpath(path, potential_parent):
 def do_it() -> int:
     args = _ARGPARSER.parse_args()
 
+    vsock_script_path = os.path.join(tempfile.gettempdir(), "virtme-vsock",
+                                     f"{args.vsock_cid}.sh")
+
     if args.vsock_connect:
+        # Note: we could accept arguments passed to --vsock-connect to run a
+        # specific command, and return, without requiring an interactive tty.
+        try:
+            (cols, rows) = os.get_terminal_size()
+        except OSError:
+            cols, rows = (80, 24)
+
+        with open(vsock_script_path, 'w', encoding="utf-8") as file:
+            print((
+                '#! /bin/bash\n'
+                f'stty rows {rows} cols {cols} iutf8 echo\n'
+                'HOME=$(getent passwd ${virtme_user:-root} | cut -d: -f6)\n'
+                'cd ${virtme_chdir:+"${virtme_chdir}"}\n'
+                'exec su ${virtme_user:-root}'
+            ), file=file)
+        os.chmod(vsock_script_path, 0o755)
+
         tty = os.ttyname(sys.stdin.fileno())
         command = ['socat', f'file:{tty},raw,echo=0',
                    f'VSOCK-CONNECT:{args.vsock_cid}:1024']
@@ -1409,8 +1432,34 @@ def get_net_mac(index):
             ]
         )
 
-    if args.vsock:
-        kernelargs.extend([f"virtme.vsockexec=`{args.vsock}`"])
+    def cleanup_vsock_script():
+        os.unlink(vsock_script_path)
+
+    if args.vsock is not None:
+        if os.path.exists(vsock_script_path):
+            arg_fail("vsock: '%s' file exists: " % vsock_script_path
+                     + "another VM is running with the same --vsock-cid? "
+                     + "If not, remove this file.")
+
+        # create an empty file that can be populated later on
+        vsock_script_dir = os.path.dirname(vsock_script_path)
+        os.makedirs(vsock_script_dir, exist_ok=True)
+        open(vsock_script_path, 'w', encoding="utf-8").close()
+        atexit.register(cleanup_vsock_script)
+
+        if args.vsock:
+            vsock_exec = args.vsock
+        else:
+            vsock_exec = vsock_script_path
+            if args.root != "/":
+                virtfs_config = VirtFSConfig(
+                    path=vsock_script_dir,
+                    mount_tag="virtme.vsockmount",
+                )
+                export_virtfs(qemu, arch, qemuargs, virtfs_config)
+                kernelargs.append("virtme_vsockmount=%s" % vsock_script_dir)
+
+        kernelargs.extend([f"virtme.vsockexec=`{vsock_exec}`"])
         qemuargs.extend(["-device", "vhost-vsock-pci,guest-cid=%d" % args.vsock_cid])
 
     if args.pwd:
diff --git a/virtme/guest/virtme-init b/virtme/guest/virtme-init
index 2681ad7..45eeaf2 100755
--- a/virtme/guest/virtme-init
+++ b/virtme/guest/virtme-init
@@ -277,6 +277,10 @@ fi
 
 vsock_exec=$(sed -ne "s/.*virtme.vsockexec=\`\(.*\)\`.*/\1/p" /proc/cmdline)
 if [[ -n "${vsock_exec}" ]]; then
+    if [[ -n "${virtme_vsockmount}" ]]; then
+        mkdir -p "${virtme_vsockmount}"
+        mount -t 9p -o version=9p2000.L,trans=virtio,access=any "virtme.vsockmount" "${virtme_vsockmount}"
+    fi
     socat "VSOCK-LISTEN:1024,reuseaddr,fork" \
           "EXEC:\"${vsock_exec}\",pty,stderr,setsid,sigint,sane,echo=0" &
 fi
diff --git a/virtme_ng/run.py b/virtme_ng/run.py
index 48744a8..2c5aa7f 100644
--- a/virtme_ng/run.py
+++ b/virtme_ng/run.py
@@ -362,15 +362,17 @@ def make_parser():
     parser.add_argument(
         "--vsock",
         action="store",
-        const="bash -i",
         nargs="?",
+        metavar="COMMAND",
+        const="",
         help="Enable a VSock to communicate from the host to the device. "
-        + "An argument can be optionally specified to start a different shell.",
+        + "An argument can be optionally specified to start a different command.",
     )
 
     parser.add_argument(
         "--vsock-cid",
         action="store",
+        metavar="CID",
         type=int,
         help="CID for the VSock.",
     )
diff --git a/virtme_ng_init b/virtme_ng_init
index c43ba1c..c12db88 160000
--- a/virtme_ng_init
+++ b/virtme_ng_init
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit c43ba1ca5d91953a723eb1d6d0f7b4b88da327ca
+Subproject commit c12db8879ab4583b8aa80664f1c5fd17d309b36e