diff --git a/src/babashka/impl/tasks.clj b/src/babashka/impl/tasks.clj
index 1f8df9c4..ca879b5b 100644
--- a/src/babashka/impl/tasks.clj
+++ b/src/babashka/impl/tasks.clj
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 (ns babashka.impl.tasks
   (:require [babashka.impl.classpath :as cp]
-            [babashka.impl.common :refer [bb-edn]]
+            [babashka.impl.common :refer [ctx bb-edn]]
             [babashka.impl.deps :as deps]
             [babashka.process :as p]
             [clojure.java.io :as io]
@@ -110,14 +110,6 @@
       @res
       res)))
 
-(def tasks-namespace
-  {'shell (sci/copy-var shell sci-ns)
-   'clojure (sci/copy-var clojure sci-ns)
-   '-wait (sci/copy-var -wait sci-ns)
-   '*task* task
-   'current-task current-task
-   'current-state state})
-
 (defn depends-map [tasks target-name]
   (let [deps (seq (:depends (get tasks target-name)))
         m [target-name deps]]
@@ -212,6 +204,9 @@
 (when-not (resolve 'current-task)
   (intern *ns* 'current-task babashka.tasks/current-task))
 
+(when-not (resolve 'run)
+  (intern *ns* 'run babashka.tasks/run))
+
 %s
 %s
 
@@ -379,3 +374,18 @@
                         (when-let [d (doc-from-task sci-ctx tasks task)]
                           (str " " d))))))
       (println "No tasks found."))))
+
+(defn run
+  ([task] (run task nil))
+  ([task {:keys [:parallel]}]
+   (let [[[expr]] (assemble-task task parallel)]
+     (sci/eval-string* @ctx expr))))
+
+(def tasks-namespace
+  {'shell (sci/copy-var shell sci-ns)
+   'clojure (sci/copy-var clojure sci-ns)
+   '-wait (sci/copy-var -wait sci-ns)
+   '*task* task
+   'current-task current-task
+   'current-state state
+   'run (sci/copy-var run sci-ns)})
diff --git a/test/babashka/bb_edn_test.clj b/test/babashka/bb_edn_test.clj
index b7909992..17d1906e 100644
--- a/test/babashka/bb_edn_test.clj
+++ b/test/babashka/bb_edn_test.clj
@@ -154,7 +154,11 @@
                                       bar {:depends [baz]}
                                       baz {:enter nil
                                            :leave nil}}}
-      (is (= '[[bar foo] [bar]] (bb "run" "--prn" "foo"))))))
+      (is (= '[[bar foo] [bar]] (bb "run" "--prn" "foo")))))
+  (testing "run"
+    (test-utils/with-config '{:tasks {a (+ 1 2 3)
+                                      b (prn (run 'a))}}
+      (is (= 6 (bb "run" "b"))))))
 
 (deftest list-tasks-test
   (test-utils/with-config {}