diff --git a/common.py b/common.py
index 7a46f0d..f9cb96d 100644
--- a/common.py
+++ b/common.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import re
 import subprocess
 import os
 import shlex
+import signal
 import stat
 import sys
 
@@ -144,6 +145,43 @@ def print_cmd(cmd, cmd_file=None):
         st = os.stat(cmd_file)
         os.chmod(cmd_file, st.st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)
 
+def run_cmd(cmd, cmd_file=None, out_file=None, **kwargs):
+    """
+    Run a command. Write the command to stdout before running it.
+
+    Wait until the command finishes execution.
+
+    If:
+
+    - cmd_file is not None, write the command to the given file
+    - out_file is not None, write the stdout and stderr of the command to the given file
+    """
+    if out_file:
+        stdout=subprocess.PIPE
+        stderr=subprocess.STDOUT
+    else:
+        stdout=None
+        stderr=None
+    print_cmd(cmd, cmd_file)
+    # Otherwise Ctrl + C gives:
+    # - ugly Python stack trace for gem5 (QEMU takes over terminal and is fine).
+    # - kills Python, and that then kills GDB: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19807134/does-python-always-raise-an-exception-if-you-do-ctrlc-when-a-subprocess-is-exec
+    signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_IGN)
+    # https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15535240/python-popen-write-to-stdout-and-log-file-simultaneously/52090802#52090802
+    with subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr, **kwargs) as proc:
+        if out_file is not None:
+            with open(out_file, 'bw') as logfile:
+                while True:
+                    byte = proc.stdout.read(1)
+                    if byte:
+                        sys.stdout.buffer.write(byte)
+                        sys.stdout.flush()
+                        logfile.write(byte)
+                    else:
+                        break
+    signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_DFL)
+    return proc.returncode
+
 def setup(parser, **extra_args):
     """
     Parse the command line arguments, and setup several variables based on them.
@@ -208,7 +246,7 @@ def setup(parser, **extra_args):
         this.executable = this.qemu_executable
         this.run_dir = this.qemu_run_dir
         this.termout_file = this.qemu_termout_file
-    this.cmd_file = os.path.join(this.run_dir, 'cmd.sh')
+    this.run_cmd_file = os.path.join(this.run_dir, 'cmd.sh')
     if args.arch == 'arm':
         this.linux_image = os.path.join('arch', 'arm', 'boot', 'zImage')
     elif args.arch == 'aarch64':
diff --git a/gem5-shell b/gem5-shell
index 72d8958..1abe48a 100755
--- a/gem5-shell
+++ b/gem5-shell
@@ -10,4 +10,4 @@ parser = common.get_argparse(
     argparse_args={'description':'Connect a terminal to a running gem5 instance'}
 )
 args = common.setup(parser)
-sys.exit(subprocess.Popen([str(common.gem5_m5term), 'localhost', str(common.gem5_telnet_port)]).wait())
+sys.exit(common.run_cmd([str(common.gem5_m5term), 'localhost', str(common.gem5_telnet_port)]))
diff --git a/run b/run
index 5f03625..cb21f05 100755
--- a/run
+++ b/run
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 import os
 import shlex
-import signal
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import re
@@ -375,30 +374,12 @@ if args.tmux:
         ])
 
 cmd += extra_emulator_args
-do_tee = not debug_vm
-if do_tee:
-    stdout=subprocess.PIPE
-    stderr=subprocess.STDOUT
+if debug_vm:
+    out_file = None
 else:
-    stdout=None
-    stderr=None
-common.print_cmd(cmd, common.cmd_file)
-# Otherwise Ctrl + C gives an ugly Python stack trace for gem5 (QEMU takes over terminal and is fine).
-signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_IGN)
-# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15535240/python-popen-write-to-stdout-and-log-file-simultaneously/52090802#52090802
-with subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=stdout, stderr=stderr, env=env) as proc:
-    if do_tee:
-        with open(common.termout_file, 'bw') as logfile:
-            while True:
-                byte = proc.stdout.read(1)
-                if byte:
-                    sys.stdout.buffer.write(byte)
-                    sys.stdout.flush()
-                    logfile.write(byte)
-                else:
-                    break
-signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal.SIG_DFL)
-if proc.returncode != 0:
+    out_file = common.termout_file
+returncode = common.run_cmd(cmd, cmd_file=common.run_cmd_file, out_file=out_file, env=env)
+if returncode != 0:
     common.error('simulator exited with status != 0')
 # Check if guest panicked.
 if args.gem5:
diff --git a/rungdb b/rungdb
index 982d6dc..3343834 100755
--- a/rungdb
+++ b/rungdb
@@ -79,13 +79,4 @@ if not args.no_continue:
     # which gets put on the kernel build root when python debugging scripts are enabled.
     cmd.extend(['-ex', 'continue'] + lx_symbols)
 cmd.extend(after)
-common.print_cmd(cmd)
-
-# TODO eeval
-# "${common.root_dir}/eeval" "$cmd $after" "${common.run_dir}/rungdb.sh"
-
-# Required, otherwise Ctrl + C kills Python and that kills GDB.
-# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19807134/does-python-always-raise-an-exception-if-you-do-ctrlc-when-a-subprocess-is-exec
-signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, lambda *args: None)
-
-sys.exit(subprocess.Popen(cmd, cwd=common.linux_variant_dir).wait())
+sys.exit(common.run_cmd(cmd, cmd_file=os.path.join(common.run_dir, 'rungdb.sh'), cwd=common.linux_variant_dir))