diff --git a/internal/recipe/loader.go b/internal/recipe/loader.go
index e803735..be6e225 100644
--- a/internal/recipe/loader.go
+++ b/internal/recipe/loader.go
@@ -4,44 +4,48 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"text/template"
 
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 )
 
 // Global safe read-only whitelist
-var safeCommands = map[string]bool{
-	//GNU Utilities
-	"ls":    true,
-	"pwd":   true,
-	"cat":   true,
-	"tree":  true,
-	"find":  true,
-	"grep":  true,
-	"which": true,
-	//Git and Gitea
-	"git status":                    true,
-	"git log":                       true,
-	"git diff":                      true,
-	"git branch":                    true,
-	"tea repos list -o csv -lm 100": true,
-	"tea repos search -o csv":       true,
-	//Miscellaneous Utilities
-	"cndump -s": true,
-	// Safe test runners
-	"go test":           true,
-	"make test":         true,
-	"make lint":         true,
-	"pytest":            true,
-	"poetry run pytest": true,
-	"ctest":             true,
-	"python -m pytest":  true,
-	"go vet":            true,
-	"go fmt":            true,
-	"go mod tidy":       true,
-}
+// LoadSafeCommands reads the user's safe shell commands config (with fallback)
+var safeCommands = sync.OnceValue(func() map[string]bool {
+	cfgPath := filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".config", "grokkit", "safe_shell_commands.yaml")
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(cfgPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		// Fallback to a built-in safe list
+		return map[string]bool{
+			"ls": true, "pwd": true, "cat": true, "tree": true,
+			"find": true, "grep": true, "rg": true,
+			"git status": true, "git log": true, "git diff": true, "git branch": true,
+			"go test": true, "go vet": true, "go fmt": true, "go mod tidy": true,
+			"make test": true,
+			"pytest":    true, "poetry run pytest": true, "ctest": true,
+			"python -m pytest": true, "python": true, "poetry": true,
+		}
+	}
+
+	var cfg struct {
+		SafeCommands []string `yaml:"safe_commands"`
+	}
+	err = yaml.Unmarshal(data, &cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	m := make(map[string]bool)
+	for _, c := range cfg.SafeCommands {
+		m[strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(c))] = true
+	}
+	return m
+})
 
 var (
 	// stepRe still finds the headings (this one is solid)
@@ -64,13 +68,12 @@ func Load(path string, userParams map[string]any) (*Recipe, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("yaml parse: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// === SAFETY CHECK: reject truly dangerous commands ===
+	// === SAFETY CHECK using user-configurable whitelist ===
+	safeMap := safeCommands()
 	for _, cmd := range r.AllowedShellCommands {
-		trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(strings.ToLower(cmd))
-
-		// Allow exact matches or common prefixed commands
+		trimmed := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(cmd))
 		allowed := false
-		for safe := range safeCommands {
+		for safe := range safeMap {
 			if strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, safe) {
 				allowed = true
 				break
diff --git a/safe_shell_commands.yaml.example b/safe_shell_commands.yaml.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5bd8c39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/safe_shell_commands.yaml.example
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Grokkit safe shell commands whitelist
+# Only commands listed here (or prefixed by these) are allowed in recipes.
+# This is a safety boundary — never add rm, mv, cd, sudo, etc.
+# This file should be placed in ~/.config/grokkit/safe_shell_commands.yaml
+# customize it as you see fit.
+
+safe_commands:
+  - ls
+  - pwd
+  - cat
+  - tree
+  - find
+  - grep
+  - rg          # ripgrep
+  - git status
+  - git log
+  - git diff
+  - git branch
+  - go test
+  - go vet
+  - go fmt
+  - go mod tidy
+  - make test
+  - pytest
+  - poetry run pytest
+  - ctest
+  - python -m pytest