diff --git a/examples/python-basic/build.envd b/examples/python-basic/build.envd
index e8d345710..ec29788e9 100644
--- a/examples/python-basic/build.envd
+++ b/examples/python-basic/build.envd
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+def jupyter_lab():
+    install.python_packages(["jupyterlab"])
+    runtime.daemon(commands=[
+        ["jupyter-lab", "--port", "8080"],
+    ])
+
+
 def build():
     base(os="ubuntu20.04", language="python")
     #config.pip_index(url = "https://pypi.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/simple")
@@ -8,3 +15,4 @@ def build():
     runtime.command(commands={
         "test": "ls /",
     })
+    jupyter_lab()
diff --git a/pkg/builder/util.go b/pkg/builder/util.go
index c92093f0d..0bb246cd8 100644
--- a/pkg/builder/util.go
+++ b/pkg/builder/util.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func ImageConfigStr(labels map[string]string,
 // DefaultPathEnvUnix is unix style list of directories to search for
 // executables. Each directory is separated from the next by a colon
 // ':' character .
-const DefaultPathEnvUnix = "/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/opt/conda/bin:/usr/local/julia/bin"
+const DefaultPathEnvUnix = "/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/opt/conda/bin:/opt/conda/envs/envd/bin/:/usr/local/julia/bin"
 
 // DefaultPathEnvWindows is windows style list of directories to search for
 // executables. Each directory is separated from the next by a colon
diff --git a/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/const.go b/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/const.go
index 8feeba927..9e7c70fe2 100644
--- a/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/const.go
+++ b/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/const.go
@@ -16,4 +16,5 @@ package runtime
 
 const (
 	ruleCommand = "runtime.command"
+	ruleDaemon  = "runtime.daemon"
 )
diff --git a/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/runtime.go b/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/runtime.go
index 31abb554f..8bcac39d2 100644
--- a/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/runtime.go
+++ b/pkg/lang/frontend/starlark/runtime/runtime.go
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ var Module = &starlarkstruct.Module{
 	Name: "runtime",
 	Members: starlark.StringDict{
 		"command": starlark.NewBuiltin(ruleCommand, ruleFuncCommand),
+		"daemon":  starlark.NewBuiltin(ruleDaemon, ruleFuncDaemon),
 	},
 }
 
@@ -60,3 +61,32 @@ func ruleFuncCommand(thread *starlark.Thread, _ *starlark.Builtin,
 	ir.RuntimeCommands(commandsMap)
 	return starlark.None, nil
 }
+
+func ruleFuncDaemon(thread *starlark.Thread, _ *starlark.Builtin,
+	args starlark.Tuple, kwargs []starlark.Tuple) (starlark.Value, error) {
+	var commands *starlark.List
+
+	if err := starlark.UnpackArgs(ruleDaemon, args, kwargs, "commands", &commands); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	commandList := [][]string{}
+	if commands != nil {
+		for i := 0; i < commands.Len(); i++ {
+			args, ok := commands.Index(i).(*starlark.List)
+			if !ok {
+				logger.Warnf("cannot parse %s into a list of string", commands.Index(i).String())
+				continue
+			}
+			argList := []string{}
+			for j := 0; j < args.Len(); j++ {
+				argList = append(argList, args.Index(j).(starlark.String).GoString())
+			}
+			commandList = append(commandList, argList)
+		}
+
+		logger.Debugf("rule `%s` is invoked, commands=%v", ruleDaemon, commandList)
+		ir.RuntimeDaemon(commandList)
+	}
+	return starlark.None, nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/lang/ir/compile.go b/pkg/lang/ir/compile.go
index bb728b5bf..8dab31a56 100644
--- a/pkg/lang/ir/compile.go
+++ b/pkg/lang/ir/compile.go
@@ -177,14 +177,18 @@ wait -n`
 
 	// Generate jupyter and rstudio server commands.
 	var customCmd strings.Builder
+	workingDir := filepath.Join("/home/envd", filepath.Base(buildContextDir))
+	if g.RuntimeDaemon != nil {
+		for _, command := range g.RuntimeDaemon {
+			customCmd.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("%s -c %s &\n", g.Shell, strings.Join(command, " ")))
+		}
+	}
 	if g.JupyterConfig != nil {
-		workingDir := filepath.Join("/home/envd", filepath.Base(buildContextDir))
 		jupyterCmd := g.generateJupyterCommand(workingDir)
 		customCmd.WriteString(strings.Join(jupyterCmd, " "))
 		customCmd.WriteString("\n")
 	}
 	if g.RStudioServerConfig != nil {
-		workingDir := filepath.Join("/home/envd", filepath.Base(buildContextDir))
 		rstudioCmd := g.generateRStudioCommand(workingDir)
 		customCmd.WriteString(strings.Join(rstudioCmd, " "))
 		customCmd.WriteString("\n")
diff --git a/pkg/lang/ir/interface.go b/pkg/lang/ir/interface.go
index 9c7a764ac..7f23e3e0e 100644
--- a/pkg/lang/ir/interface.go
+++ b/pkg/lang/ir/interface.go
@@ -213,3 +213,7 @@ func RuntimeCommands(commands map[string]string) {
 		DefaultGraph.RuntimeCommands[k] = v
 	}
 }
+
+func RuntimeDaemon(commands [][]string) {
+	DefaultGraph.RuntimeDaemon = append(DefaultGraph.RuntimeDaemon, commands...)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/lang/ir/types.go b/pkg/lang/ir/types.go
index ae1c08162..c510896e6 100644
--- a/pkg/lang/ir/types.go
+++ b/pkg/lang/ir/types.go
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ type Graph struct {
 	Mount           []MountInfo
 	Entrypoint      []string
 	RuntimeCommands map[string]string
+	RuntimeDaemon   [][]string
 
 	*JupyterConfig
 	*GitConfig