diff --git a/munet/base.py b/munet/base.py
index e9410d4..673e2d9 100644
--- a/munet/base.py
+++ b/munet/base.py
@@ -603,6 +603,41 @@ def _spawn(self, cmd, skip_pre_cmd=False, use_pty=False, echo=False, **kwargs):
             p = pexpect.spawn(actual_cmd[0], actual_cmd[1:], echo=echo, **defaults)
         return p, actual_cmd
 
+    def _spawn_with_logging(
+        self,
+        cmd,
+        use_pty=False,
+        logfile=None,
+        logfile_read=None,
+        logfile_send=None,
+        **kwargs,
+    ):
+        """Create a spawned process with logging to files configured."""
+        if is_file_like(cmd):
+            assert not use_pty
+            ac = "*socket*"
+            p = self._fdspawn(cmd, **kwargs)
+        else:
+            p, ac = self._spawn(cmd, use_pty=use_pty, **kwargs)
+
+        if logfile:
+            p.logfile = logfile
+        if logfile_read:
+            p.logfile_read = logfile_read
+        if logfile_send:
+            p.logfile_send = logfile_send
+
+        # for spawned shells (i.e., a direct command an not a console)
+        # this is wrong and will cause 2 prompts
+        if not use_pty:
+            # This isn't very nice looking
+            p.echo = False
+            if not is_file_like(cmd):
+                p.isalive = lambda: p.proc.poll() is None
+            if not hasattr(p, "close"):
+                p.close = p.wait
+        return p, ac
+
     def spawn(
         self,
         cmd,
@@ -638,29 +673,123 @@ def spawn(
             CalledProcessError if EOF is seen and `cmd` exited then
                 raises a CalledProcessError to indicate the failure.
         """
-        if is_file_like(cmd):
-            assert not use_pty
-            ac = "*socket*"
-            p = self._fdspawn(cmd, **kwargs)
-        else:
-            p, ac = self._spawn(cmd, use_pty=use_pty, **kwargs)
+        p, ac = self._spawn_with_logging(
+            cmd,
+            use_pty,
+            logfile,
+            logfile_read,
+            logfile_send,
+            **kwargs,
+        )
 
-        if logfile:
-            p.logfile = logfile
-        if logfile_read:
-            p.logfile_read = logfile_read
-        if logfile_send:
-            p.logfile_send = logfile_send
+        # Do a quick check to see if we got the prompt right away, otherwise we may be
+        # at a console so we send a \n to re-issue the prompt
+        index = p.expect([spawned_re, pexpect.TIMEOUT, pexpect.EOF], timeout=0.1)
+        if index == 0:
+            assert p.match is not None
+            self.logger.debug(
+                "%s: got spawned_re quick: '%s' matching '%s'",
+                self,
+                p.match.group(0),
+                spawned_re,
+            )
+            return p
 
-        # for spawned shells (i.e., a direct command an not a console)
-        # this is wrong and will cause 2 prompts
-        if not use_pty:
-            # This isn't very nice looking
-            p.echo = False
-            if not is_file_like(cmd):
-                p.isalive = lambda: p.proc.poll() is None
-            if not hasattr(p, "close"):
-                p.close = p.wait
+        # Now send a CRLF to cause the prompt (or whatever else) to re-issue
+        p.send("\n")
+        try:
+            patterns = [spawned_re, *expects]
+
+            self.logger.debug("%s: expecting: %s", self, patterns)
+
+            while index := p.expect(patterns):
+                if trace:
+                    assert p.match is not None
+                    self.logger.debug(
+                        "%s: got expect: '%s' matching %d '%s', sending '%s'",
+                        self,
+                        p.match.group(0),
+                        index,
+                        patterns[index],
+                        sends[index - 1],
+                    )
+                if sends[index - 1]:
+                    p.send(sends[index - 1])
+
+                self.logger.debug("%s: expecting again: %s", self, patterns)
+            self.logger.debug(
+                "%s: got spawned_re: '%s' matching '%s'",
+                self,
+                p.match.group(0),
+                spawned_re,
+            )
+            return p
+        except pexpect.TIMEOUT:
+            self.logger.error(
+                "%s: TIMEOUT looking for spawned_re '%s' expect buffer so far:\n%s",
+                self,
+                spawned_re,
+                indent(p.buffer),
+            )
+            raise
+        except pexpect.EOF as eoferr:
+            if p.isalive():
+                raise
+            rc = p.status
+            before = indent(p.before)
+            error = CalledProcessError(rc, ac, output=before)
+            self.logger.error(
+                "%s: EOF looking for spawned_re '%s' before EOF:\n%s",
+                self,
+                spawned_re,
+                before,
+            )
+            p.close()
+            raise error from eoferr
+
+    async def async_spawn(
+        self,
+        cmd,
+        spawned_re,
+        expects=(),
+        sends=(),
+        use_pty=False,
+        logfile=None,
+        logfile_read=None,
+        logfile_send=None,
+        trace=None,
+        **kwargs,
+    ):
+        """Create an async spawned send/expect process.
+
+        Args:
+            cmd: list of args to exec/popen with, or an already open socket
+            spawned_re: what to look for to know when done, `spawn` returns when seen
+            expects: a list of regex other than `spawned_re` to look for. Commonly,
+                "ogin:" or "[Pp]assword:"r.
+            sends: what to send when an element of `expects` matches. So e.g., the
+                username or password if thats what corresponding expect matched. Can
+                be the empty string to send nothing.
+            use_pty: true for pty based expect, otherwise uses popen (pipes/files)
+            trace: if true then log send/expects
+            **kwargs - kwargs passed on the _spawn.
+
+        Returns:
+            A pexpect process.
+
+        Raises:
+            pexpect.TIMEOUT, pexpect.EOF as documented in `pexpect`
+            CalledProcessError if EOF is seen and `cmd` exited then
+                raises a CalledProcessError to indicate the failure.
+        """
+        p, ac = self._spawn_with_logging(
+            cmd,
+            use_pty,
+            logfile,
+            logfile_read,
+            logfile_send,
+            **kwargs,
+        )
 
         # Do a quick check to see if we got the prompt right away, otherwise we may be
         # at a console so we send a \n to re-issue the prompt
@@ -682,7 +811,28 @@ def spawn(
 
             self.logger.debug("%s: expecting: %s", self, patterns)
 
-            while index := p.expect(patterns):
+            # The timestamp is only used for the case of use_pty != True
+            timeout = kwargs.get("timeout", 120)
+            timeout_ts = datetime.datetime.now() + datetime.timedelta(seconds=timeout)
+            index = None
+            while True:
+                if use_pty is True:
+                    index = await p.expect(patterns, async_=True)
+                else:
+                    # Due to an upstream issue, async_=True cannot be mixed with
+                    # pipes (pexpect.popen_spawn.PopenSpawn). This hack is used
+                    # to bypass that problem.
+                    await asyncio.sleep(0)  # Avoid blocking other coroutines
+                    try:
+                        index = p.expect(patterns, timeout=0.1)
+                    except pexpect.TIMEOUT:
+                        # We must declare when a timeout occurs instead of pexpect
+                        if timeout_ts < datetime.datetime.now():
+                            raise
+                        continue
+                if index == 0:
+                    break
+
                 if trace:
                     assert p.match is not None
                     self.logger.debug(
@@ -761,7 +911,7 @@ async def shell_spawn(
         combined_prompt = r"({}|{})".format(re.escape(PEXPECT_PROMPT), prompt)
 
         assert not is_file_like(cmd) or not use_pty
-        p = self.spawn(
+        p = await self.async_spawn(
             cmd,
             combined_prompt,
             expects=expects,
diff --git a/munet/native.py b/munet/native.py
index 43246fe..04c47e7 100644
--- a/munet/native.py
+++ b/munet/native.py
@@ -911,7 +911,12 @@ async def monitor(
         logfile_read = open(lfname, "a+", encoding="utf-8")
         logfile_read.write("-- start read logging for: '{}' --\n".format(sock))
 
-        p = self.spawn(sock, prompt, logfile=logfile, logfile_read=logfile_read)
+        p = await self.async_spawn(
+            sock,
+            prompt,
+            logfile=logfile,
+            logfile_read=logfile_read,
+        )
         from .base import ShellWrapper  # pylint: disable=C0415
 
         p.send("\n")
diff --git a/tests/control/test_spawn.py b/tests/control/test_spawn.py
index 4a53c07..bc0de36 100644
--- a/tests/control/test_spawn.py
+++ b/tests/control/test_spawn.py
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
 import logging
 import os
 import time
+import pexpect
+import logging
+import munet
+import re
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -53,7 +57,7 @@ async def _test_repl(unet, hostname, cmd, use_pty, will_echo=False):
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("host", ["host1", "container1", "remote1", "hn1"])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("mode", ["pty", "piped"])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("shellcmd", ["/bin/bash", "/bin/dash", "/usr/bin/ksh"])
-async def test_spawn(unet_share, host, mode, shellcmd):
+async def test_shell_expect(unet_share, host, mode, shellcmd):
     unet = unet_share
     if not os.path.exists(shellcmd):
         pytest.skip(f"{shellcmd} not installed skipping")
@@ -98,3 +102,97 @@ async def test_spawn(unet_share, host, mode, shellcmd):
         # this is required for setns() restoration to work for non-pty (piped) bash
         if mode != "pty":
             repl.child.proc.kill()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("host_name", ["host1", "container1", "remote1", "hn1"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("mode", ["pty", "piped"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("shellcmd", ["/bin/bash", "/bin/dash", "/usr/bin/ksh"])
+# As of 6-24-25, spawn is unused in the munet API. It is still maintained for the future
+async def test_spawn(unet_share, host_name, mode, shellcmd):
+    unet = unet_share
+    if not os.path.exists(shellcmd):
+        pytest.skip(f"{shellcmd} not installed skipping")
+
+    use_pty = mode == "pty"
+    prompt = r"(^|\r?\n)[^#\$]*[#\$] "
+
+    if use_pty:
+        cmd = [shellcmd]
+    else:
+        cmd = [shellcmd, "-si"]
+
+    host = unet.hosts[host_name]
+    time.sleep(1)
+
+    p = host.spawn(
+        cmd,
+        prompt,
+        use_pty=use_pty,
+        timeout=1,
+    )
+
+    p.send("\n")
+
+    # Sanity check, create a value in p's STDOUT that doesn't appear within p's STDIN
+    p.send("echo $(( 3 * 7 )) \n")
+
+    try:
+        index = p.expect([r"21"], timeout=1)
+        assert index == 0
+    except pexpect.TIMEOUT:
+        host.logger.critical("test_spawn: Expect failed with the process returned by spawn()")
+        assert False
+    finally:
+        p.kill(9)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("mode", ['async', 'sync'])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("catch_err", ["timeout", "eof"])
+async def test_spawn_err(unet_share, mode, catch_err):
+    unet = unet_share
+    hostname = "host1"
+    prompt = r"foo"
+    expects = ["bar"]
+    sends = ["baz"]
+
+    if catch_err == "timeout":
+        expected_error = pexpect.TIMEOUT
+        cmd = ["/bin/bash"]
+    elif catch_err == "eof":
+        expected_error = munet.base.CalledProcessError
+        cmd = ["/bin/sleep", "1"]  # A command that exits instantly results in a broken pipe
+
+    host = unet.hosts[hostname]
+    time.sleep(1)
+
+    saved_level = host.logger.getEffectiveLevel()
+    host.logger.setLevel(logging.CRITICAL)  # Hide expected error messages for duration of test
+
+    try:
+        if mode == 'async':
+            p = await host.async_spawn(
+                cmd,
+                prompt,
+                expects=expects,
+                sends=sends,
+                use_pty=False,
+                echo=False,
+                timeout=1,
+            )
+            host.logger.critical("test_spawn_err: async_spawn unexpectedly succeeded")
+        else:
+            p = host.spawn(
+                cmd,
+                prompt,
+                expects=expects,
+                sends=sends,
+                use_pty=False,
+                echo=False,
+                timeout=1,
+            )
+            host.logger.critical("test_spawn_err: spawn unexpectedly succeeded")
+        assert False
+    except expected_error:
+        pass
+    finally:
+        host.logger.setLevel(saved_level)  # Revert to initial logging level