diff --git a/Version.hs b/Version.hs
--- a/Version.hs
+++ b/Version.hs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 version            :: String
 parseCurrentFormat :: String -> IO CurrentFormat
 
-version            = "yeganesh version 2.2.1"
+version            = "yeganesh version 2.3"
 parseCurrentFormat = parseFormatV2
 -- }}}
 -- v2 {{{
diff --git a/yeganesh.cabal b/yeganesh.cabal
--- a/yeganesh.cabal
+++ b/yeganesh.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:               yeganesh
-version:            2.2.1
+version:            2.3
 cabal-version:      >=1.2
 build-type:         Simple
 license:            BSD3
@@ -23,5 +23,6 @@
                     process >= 1.0,
                     strict >= 0.3,
                     time >= 1.1,
+                    unix >= 2.5,
                     xdg-basedir >= 0.2
     ghc-options:    -Wall
diff --git a/yeganesh.hs b/yeganesh.hs
--- a/yeganesh.hs
+++ b/yeganesh.hs
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
+{-# LANGUAGE CPP #-}
 -- boilerplate {{{
 module Main where
 
 import Control.Arrow ((&&&), second)
-import Control.Monad (liftM, filterM, when)
+import Control.Concurrent (newEmptyMVar, takeMVar, putMVar, forkIO)
+import Control.Monad (liftM, filterM, forM, when)
 import Data.Char (toLower)
 import Data.List (partition, sortBy)
 import Data.Map (Map, insert, findWithDefault, fromList, intersection, toList, union)
@@ -15,25 +17,36 @@
 import System.Exit (ExitCode(ExitSuccess, ExitFailure), exitWith)
 import System.FilePath ((</>))
 import System.IO (hClose, hGetContents, hPutStr, stderr, stdout)
+import System.Posix.Files (fileAccess, getFileStatus, isDirectory)
 import System.Process (runInteractiveProcess, waitForProcess)
 import Version (CurrentFormat, parseCurrentFormat, version)
 import qualified System.IO.Strict as Strict (getContents, readFile)
+
+#if MIN_VERSION_base(4,0,0)
+import qualified Control.Exception
+import Prelude hiding (catch)
+
+catch :: IO a -> (Control.Exception.IOException -> IO a) -> IO a
+catch = Control.Exception.catch
+#endif
 -- }}}
 -- getopt {{{
 options :: [OptDescr Flag]
-options =   [Option "p" ["profile"] (ReqArg Profile "PROFILE") "which popularity profile to use"
-            ,Option "f" ["filter" ] (NoArg Prune)              "prune a profile to contain exactly the lines of stdin"
-            ,Option "v" ["version"] (NoArg Version)            "print the version number"
-            ,Option "h" ["help"   ] (NoArg Help)               "show usage information"
+options =   [Option "p" ["profile"]     (ReqArg Profile "PROFILE") "which popularity profile to use"
+            ,Option "f" ["filter" ]     (NoArg Prune)              "prune a profile to contain exactly the lines of stdin"
+            ,Option "x" ["executables"] (NoArg Executables)        "search $PATH for executables for the next run"
+            ,Option "v" ["version"]     (NoArg Version)            "print the version number"
+            ,Option "h" ["help"   ]     (NoArg Help)               "show usage information"
             ]
 
-data Options = Options { dmenuOpts :: [String], profile :: String, prune :: Bool }
-data Flag    = Profile String | Prune | Version | Help deriving Eq
+data Options = Options { dmenuOpts :: [String], profile :: String, prune :: Bool, executables :: Bool }
+data Flag    = Profile String | Prune | Executables | Version | Help deriving Eq
 
-compactFlags :: [Flag] -> (Flag, Bool)
-compactFlags fs = (flag, not $ null prunes) where
+compactFlags :: [Flag] -> (Flag, Bool, Bool)
+compactFlags fs = (flag, not $ null prunes, not $ null execs) where
     (prunes, nonPrunes)     = partition (==Prune) fs
-    flag                    = foldr1 compactFlags' . (Profile "default" :) $ nonPrunes
+    (execs, nonExecs)       = partition (==Executables) nonPrunes
+    flag                    = foldr1 compactFlags' . (Profile "default" :) $ nonExecs
     compactFlags' Help    _ = Help
     compactFlags' _    Help = Help
     compactFlags' Version _ = Version
@@ -45,15 +58,15 @@
     version,
     "Usage: yeganesh [OPTIONS] -- [DMENU_OPTIONS]",
     "OPTIONS are described below, and DMENU_OPTIONS are passed on verbatim to dmenu.",
-    "Profiles are stored in the $HOME/.yeganesh directory."]
+    "Profiles are stored in the XDG data home for yeganesh."]
 
 parseOptions :: [String] -> Either String Options
 parseOptions ss = p where
     (opts, dOpts) = fmap (drop 1) . break (== "--") $ ss
     p = case onFirst compactFlags $ getOpt RequireOrder options opts of
-        ((Profile f, b), [], []) -> Right (Options dOpts f b)
-        ((Version  , _), [], []) -> Left version
-        ((Help     , _), [], []) -> Left $ usageInfo introText options
+        ((Profile s, f, x), [], []) -> Right (Options dOpts s f x)
+        ((Version  , _, _), [], []) -> Left version
+        ((Help     , _, _), [], []) -> Left $ usageInfo introText options
         (_ , ns, []) -> Left $ "Unknown options: " ++ unwords ns
         (_ , _ , es) -> Left  . concat $ es
 -- }}}
@@ -134,6 +147,21 @@
 
 parseInput :: String -> Commands
 parseInput = fromList . flip zip (repeat 0) . filter (not . null) . lines
+
+-- an (almost certainly buggy) internal implementation of the shell's IFS
+-- mechanism
+xCons :: a -> [[a]] -> [[a]]
+xCons x (p:ps) = ((x:p):ps)
+xCons x []     = [[x]]
+
+parsePath :: String -> [String]
+parsePath ('\\':x:xs) = xCons x (parsePath xs)
+parsePath (':':xs)    = [] : parsePath xs
+parsePath (x:xs)      = xCons x (parsePath xs)
+parsePath []          = []
+
+addEntries :: [String] -> CurrentFormat -> CurrentFormat
+addEntries es (t, m) = (t, union m (fromList [(e, 0) | e <- es]))
 -- }}}
 -- shell stuff {{{
 dmenu :: [String] -> CurrentFormat -> IO (ExitCode, CurrentFormat)
@@ -155,14 +183,35 @@
     now <- getCurrentTime
     return (now, updatePriority cmd t now cmds)
 
+lsx :: Bool -> IO (IO [String])
+lsx False = return (return [])
+lsx True  = do
+    mvar <- newEmptyMVar
+    _    <- forkIO $ do
+        path  <- getEnv "PATH"
+        execs <- forM (parsePath path) $ \s ->
+            catch (getDirectoryContents s) (const . return $ []) >>=
+            filterM (\file -> do
+                status <- getFileStatus (s </> file)
+                case isDirectory status of
+                    True  -> return False
+                    False -> fileAccess (s </> file) True False True)
+            -- TODO: do people prefer to see files which are executable by
+            -- *someone*, even if not by the current user? ask brisbin on
+            -- Freenode, who is to date the only person to request this feature
+        putMVar mvar (concat execs)
+    return (takeMVar mvar)
+
 runWithOptions :: Options -> IO ()
 runWithOptions opts = do
+    future          <- lsx (executables opts)
     inFile          <- inFileName  (profile opts)
     outFile         <- outFileName (profile opts)
     cached          <- readPossiblyNonExistent inFile
     new             <- fmap parseInput Strict.getContents
     (code, updated) <- dmenu (dmenuOpts opts) (second (`combine` new) cached)
-    writeFile outFile (show updated)
+    execs           <- future
+    writeFile outFile (show (addEntries execs updated))
     deprecate inFile (profile opts)
     exitWith code
     where