diff --git a/.rubocop.yml b/.rubocop.yml
index 43597c55..7474171b 100644
--- a/.rubocop.yml
+++ b/.rubocop.yml
@@ -25,3 +25,5 @@ Security/MarshalLoad:
 Style/MethodCallWithArgsParentheses:
   IgnoredMethods:
   - require_relative
+Style/RegexpLiteral:
+  Enabled: false
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 924f6c0e..b81c4222 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,9 +6,15 @@ Kubeclient release versioning follows [SemVer](https://semver.org/).
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+### Added
+- Support `user: exec: ...` credential plugins like in Go client (#363, #375).
+
 ### Security
-- Really made `Kubeclient::Config.new(data, nil)` prevent external file lookups.
+- Really made `Kubeclient::Config.new(data, nil)` prevent external file lookups. (#372)
   README documented this since 3.1.1 (#334) but alas that was a lie — absolute paths always worked.
+  Now this also prevents credential plugin execution.
+
+  Even in this mode, using config from untrusted sources is not recommended.
 
 ## 4.1.0 — 2018-11-28
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9409500f..f304db92 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -268,6 +268,11 @@ If you've been using `kubectl` and have a `.kube/config` file (possibly referenc
 config = Kubeclient::Config.read(ENV['KUBECONFIG'] || '/path/to/.kube/config')
 ```
 
+This will lookup external files; relative paths will be resolved relative to the file's directory, if config refers to them with relative path.
+This includes external [`exec:` credential plugins][exec] to be executed.
+
+[exec]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/access-authn-authz/authentication/#client-go-credential-plugins
+
 You can also construct `Config` directly from nested data. For example if you have JSON or YAML config data in a variable:
 
 ```ruby
@@ -277,7 +282,7 @@ config = Kubeclient::Config.new(JSON.parse(json_text), nil)
 ```
 
 The 2nd argument is a base directory for finding external files, if config refers to them with relative path.
-Setting it to `nil` disables file lookups.  (A config can be self-contained by using inline fields such as `client-certificate-data`.)
+Setting it to `nil` disables file lookups, and `exec:` execution - such configs will raise an exception.  (A config can be self-contained by using inline fields such as `client-certificate-data`.)
 
 To create a client based on a Config object:
 
@@ -297,7 +302,9 @@ Kubeclient::Client.new(
 
 #### Security: Don't use config from untrusted sources
 
-Kubeclient was never reviewed for behaving safely with malicious / malformed config.
+`Config.read` is catastrophically unsafe — it will execute arbitrary command lines specified by the config!
+
+`Config.new(data, nil)` is better but Kubeclient was never reviewed for behaving safely with malicious / malformed config.
 It might crash / misbehave in unexpected ways...
 
 #### namespace
@@ -604,9 +611,9 @@ Checking the type of a resource can be done using:
 
 update_* delete_* and patch_* now return a RecursiveOpenStruct like the get_* methods
 
-The gem raises Kubeclient::HttpError or subclasses now. Catching KubeException still works but is deprecated.
+The `Kubeclient::Client` class raises `Kubeclient::HttpError` or subclasses now. Catching `KubeException` still works but is deprecated.
 
-`Kubeclient::Config#context` raises KeyError instead of RuntimeError for non-existent context name.
+`Kubeclient::Config#context` raises `KeyError` instead of `RuntimeError` for non-existent context name.
 
 <a name="past_version_1.2.0">
 
diff --git a/lib/kubeclient/config.rb b/lib/kubeclient/config.rb
index e3408101..ecd316b6 100644
--- a/lib/kubeclient/config.rb
+++ b/lib/kubeclient/config.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ def initialize(api_endpoint, api_version, ssl_options, auth_options, namespace)
 
     # data (Hash) - Parsed kubeconfig data.
     # kcfg_path (string) - Base directory for resolving relative references to external files.
-    #   If set to nil, all external lookups are disabled (even for absolute paths).
+    #   If set to nil, all external lookups & commands are disabled (even for absolute paths).
     # See also the more convenient Config.read
     def initialize(data, kcfg_path)
       @kcfg = data
@@ -81,6 +81,24 @@ def ext_file_path(path)
       Pathname(path).absolute? ? path : File.join(@kcfg_path, path)
     end
 
+    def ext_command_path(path)
+      unless allow_external_lookups?
+        raise "Kubeclient::Config: external lookups disabled, can't execute '#{path}'"
+      end
+      # Like go client https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/59495#discussion_r171138995,
+      # distinguish 3 cases:
+      # - absolute (e.g. /path/to/foo)
+      # - $PATH-based (e.g. curl)
+      # - relative to config file's dir (e.g. ./foo)
+      if Pathname(path).absolute?
+        path
+      elsif File.basename(path) == path
+        path
+      else
+        File.join(@kcfg_path, path)
+      end
+    end
+
     def fetch_context(context_name)
       context = @kcfg['contexts'].detect do |x|
         break x['context'] if x['name'] == context_name
@@ -132,7 +150,9 @@ def fetch_user_auth_options(user)
       if user.key?('token')
         options[:bearer_token] = user['token']
       elsif user.key?('exec')
-        options[:bearer_token] = Kubeclient::ExecCredentials.token(user['exec'])
+        exec_opts = user['exec'].dup
+        exec_opts['command'] = ext_command_path(exec_opts['command']) if exec_opts['command']
+        options[:bearer_token] = Kubeclient::ExecCredentials.token(exec_opts)
       else
         %w[username password].each do |attr|
           options[attr.to_sym] = user[attr] if user.key?(attr)
diff --git a/test/config/execauth.kubeconfig b/test/config/execauth.kubeconfig
index 2a0093d3..4076c705 100644
--- a/test/config/execauth.kubeconfig
+++ b/test/config/execauth.kubeconfig
@@ -8,13 +8,22 @@ contexts:
 - context:
     cluster: localhost:8443
     namespace: default
-    user: system:admin:exec
-  name: localhost/system:admin:exec
-current-context: localhost/system:admin:exec
+    user: system:admin:exec-search-path
+  name: localhost/system:admin:exec-search-path
+- context:
+    cluster: localhost:8443
+    namespace: default
+    user: system:admin:exec-relative-path
+  name: localhost/system:admin:exec-relative-path
+- context:
+    cluster: localhost:8443
+    namespace: default
+    user: system:admin:exec-absolute-path
+  name: localhost/system:admin:exec-absolute-path
 kind: Config
 preferences: {}
 users:
-- name: system:admin:exec
+- name: system:admin:exec-search-path
   user:
     exec:
       # Command to execute. Required.
@@ -38,3 +47,16 @@ users:
       - "arg1"
       - "arg2"
 
+- name: system:admin:exec-relative-path
+  user:
+    exec:
+      # Command to execute. Required.
+      command: "dir/example-exec-plugin"
+      apiVersion: "client.authentication.k8s.io/v1beta1"
+
+- name: system:admin:exec-absolute-path
+  user:
+    exec:
+      # Command to execute. Required.
+      command: "/abs/path/example-exec-plugin"
+      apiVersion: "client.authentication.k8s.io/v1beta1"
diff --git a/test/test_config.rb b/test/test_config.rb
index fe4e1762..f48c8d67 100644
--- a/test/test_config.rb
+++ b/test/test_config.rb
@@ -75,23 +75,51 @@ def test_timestamps
   end
 
   def test_user_exec
-    creds = JSON.dump(
+    token = '0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF'
+    creds = {
       'apiVersion': 'client.authentication.k8s.io/v1beta1',
       'status': {
-        'token': '0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF'
+        'token': token
       }
-    )
+    }
 
-    st = Minitest::Mock.new
-    st.expect(:success?, true)
+    config = Kubeclient::Config.read(config_file('execauth.kubeconfig'))
+    assert_equal(['localhost/system:admin:exec-search-path',
+                  'localhost/system:admin:exec-relative-path',
+                  'localhost/system:admin:exec-absolute-path'],
+                 config.contexts)
+
+    # A bare command name in config means search PATH, so it's executed as bare command.
+    stub_exec(%r{^example-exec-plugin$}, creds) do
+      context = config.context('localhost/system:admin:exec-search-path')
+      check_context(context, ssl: false)
+      assert_equal(token, context.auth_options[:bearer_token])
+    end
 
-    Open3.stub(:capture3, [creds, nil, st]) do
-      config = Kubeclient::Config.read(config_file('execauth.kubeconfig'))
-      assert_equal(['localhost/system:admin:exec'], config.contexts)
-      context = config.context('localhost/system:admin:exec')
+    # A relative path is taken relative to the dir of the kubeconfig.
+    stub_exec(%r{.*config/dir/example-exec-plugin$}, creds) do
+      context = config.context('localhost/system:admin:exec-relative-path')
       check_context(context, ssl: false)
+      assert_equal(token, context.auth_options[:bearer_token])
+    end
+
+    # An absolute path is taken as-is.
+    stub_exec(%r{^/abs/path/example-exec-plugin$}, creds) do
+      context = config.context('localhost/system:admin:exec-absolute-path')
+      check_context(context, ssl: false)
+      assert_equal(token, context.auth_options[:bearer_token])
+    end
+  end
 
-      assert_equal('0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF', context.auth_options[:bearer_token])
+  def test_user_exec_nopath
+    yaml = File.read(config_file('execauth.kubeconfig'))
+    config = Kubeclient::Config.new(YAML.safe_load(yaml), nil)
+    config.contexts.each do |context_name|
+      Open3.stub(:capture3, proc { flunk 'should not execute command' }) do
+        assert_raises(StandardError) do
+          config.context(context_name)
+        end
+      end
     end
   end
 
@@ -126,4 +154,18 @@ def check_context(context, ssl: true)
   def config_file(name)
     File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'config', name)
   end
+
+  def stub_exec(command_regexp, creds)
+    st = Minitest::Mock.new
+    st.expect(:success?, true)
+
+    capture3_stub = lambda do |_env, command, *_args|
+      assert_match command_regexp, command
+      [JSON.dump(creds), nil, st]
+    end
+
+    Open3.stub(:capture3, capture3_stub) do
+      yield
+    end
+  end
 end