diff --git a/docs/design/sdk-api.md b/docs/design/sdk-api.md
index edbcb65..cb860a4 100644
--- a/docs/design/sdk-api.md
+++ b/docs/design/sdk-api.md
@@ -540,7 +540,11 @@ public sealed interface BehaviorChain<S extends ResponseSpec & BehaviorChain<S>>
     S lookupObject(LookupSpec lookup)                    // _behaviors.lookup (single-object wire form)
     S shellTransform(String... commands)                 // one typed step per command: one is
                                                          // "shellTransform": "cmd", several go out as
-                                                         // one behaviors-array element each (#234)
+                                                         // one behaviors-array element each (#234);
+                                                         // from rift 0.24.0 a command gets request and
+                                                         // response JSON as two args (+ MB_REQUEST/
+                                                         // MB_RESPONSE) and must print a JSON response
+                                                         // object, e.g. printf '{"body":"x"}' # (#339)
     S waitInject(String script)                          // _behaviors.wait as {"inject": ...}; a rift superset, not portable to Mountebank (rift#608)
     S waitScript(String source)                          // _behaviors.wait as a bare function string (the Mountebank-compatible spelling)
 }
diff --git a/rift-java-conformance/src/test/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/conformance/ShellTransformReadBackIT.java b/rift-java-conformance/src/test/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/conformance/ShellTransformReadBackIT.java
index e80b304..091eb50 100644
--- a/rift-java-conformance/src/test/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/conformance/ShellTransformReadBackIT.java
+++ b/rift-java-conformance/src/test/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/conformance/ShellTransformReadBackIT.java
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.DynamicTest;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.TestFactory;
 
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.net.http.HttpClient;
+import java.net.http.HttpRequest;
+import java.net.http.HttpResponse;
+import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.stream.Stream;
 
@@ -38,4 +43,21 @@ Stream<DynamicTest> severalCommandsReadBackFromTheEngine() {
             }
         });
     }
+
+    @TestFactory
+    Stream<DynamicTest> theDocumentedCommandShapeServesItsJson() {
+        return gatedTo(ConformanceTransport.SPAWN,
+                "shellTransform is an injection surface; --allow-injection is a spawn-CLI flag",
+                "a command printing a JSON response object, ending in ' #', sets the body (rift 0.24.0)", () -> {
+            try (Rift rift = engine()) {
+                Imposter imposter = rift.create(imposter("shell-json").protocol("http")
+                        .stub(onGet("/").willReturn(status(200).shellTransform("printf '{\"body\":\"hello\"}' #"))));
+
+                HttpResponse<String> answer = HttpClient.newHttpClient().send(
+                        HttpRequest.newBuilder(URI.create(imposter.uri() + "/")).timeout(Duration.ofSeconds(5)).build(),
+                        HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString());
+                assertEquals("hello", answer.body());
+            }
+        });
+    }
 }
diff --git a/rift-java-core/src/main/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/dsl/BehaviorChain.java b/rift-java-core/src/main/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/dsl/BehaviorChain.java
index 8ab26cf..abd2c35 100644
--- a/rift-java-core/src/main/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/dsl/BehaviorChain.java
+++ b/rift-java-core/src/main/java/io/github/achirdlabs/rift/dsl/BehaviorChain.java
@@ -133,6 +133,16 @@ default S lookupObject(LookupSpec lookup) {
      * as one {@code behaviors} array element per command, the shape the engine itself echoes. An
      * injection surface: the engine must run with {@code --allowInjection}.
      *
+     * <p>Each command is passed to the engine verbatim, and the engine runs it with Mountebank's
+     * contract from rift 0.24.0 (rift#1589): under {@code sh -c}, with the request JSON and the
+     * response so far (status, headers and body) appended as two shell arguments and also set as
+     * {@code MB_REQUEST} and {@code MB_RESPONSE}. Its stdout must be a JSON response object, such as
+     * {@code {"statusCode":200,"body":"hello"}}; output that is not JSON, or a non-zero exit, is an
+     * error. A command that ignores its arguments should end with {@code  #} so the shell treats
+     * them as a comment: {@code printf '{"body":"hello"}' #}. Before 0.24.0 the engine replaced the
+     * body with the command's raw stdout, so a command written for that must now print the JSON
+     * object instead.
+     *
      * @throws IllegalArgumentException if no command is given
      */
     default S shellTransform(String... commands) {