diff --git a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-allocator/src/lib.rs b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-allocator/src/lib.rs
index 9fefeef..24094a8 100644
--- a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-allocator/src/lib.rs
+++ b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-allocator/src/lib.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 use core::alloc::{GlobalAlloc, Layout};
 use core::cell::RefCell;
+use core::panic;
 use core::ptr::{self, NonNull};
 use log::info;
 
@@ -19,9 +20,8 @@ pub struct KataHeap {
 pub static ALLOCATOR: KataHeap = KataHeap::empty();
 
 #[alloc_error_handler]
-fn alloc_error_handler(_: Layout) -> ! {
-    // TODO(sleffler): at least print a msg on the console
-    loop {}
+fn alloc_error_handler(layout: Layout) -> ! {
+    panic!("Global allocation failure: {:?}", layout);
 }
 
 impl KataHeap {
diff --git a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/Cargo.toml b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/Cargo.toml
index 167fc4b..55fbe48 100644
--- a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/Cargo.toml
+++ b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/Cargo.toml
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ description = "Kata OS DebugConsole"
 panic-halt = "0.2.0"
 kata-allocator = { path = "../kata-allocator" }
 kata-logger = { path = "../kata-logger" }
+kata-panic = { path = "../kata-panic" }
 kata-shell = { path = "../kata-shell" }
 kata-uart-client = { path = "../kata-uart-client" }
 log = "0.4"
diff --git a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/src/run.rs b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/src/run.rs
index fb7740b..8e3dfc5 100644
--- a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/src/run.rs
+++ b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-debug-console/src/run.rs
@@ -9,11 +9,9 @@
 // * kata_shell
 // * kata_debug_console main entry point fn run()
 
-// std:: requires at least an allocator, which Kata does not have yet. For now
-// the CLI will be implemented with only core::.
 #![no_std]
 
-extern crate panic_halt;
+extern crate kata_panic;
 
 use kata_allocator;
 use kata_logger::KataLogger;
diff --git a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-panic/Cargo.toml b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-panic/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..98fc63b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-panic/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+[package]
+name = "kata-panic"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2018"
+
+[dependencies]
+log = "0.4"
diff --git a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-panic/src/lib.rs b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-panic/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b2b574
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-panic/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#![no_std]
+
+use core::panic::PanicInfo;
+use core::sync::atomic::{self, Ordering};
+use log::error;
+
+#[inline(never)]
+#[panic_handler]
+fn panic(info: &PanicInfo) -> ! {
+    // Could use panic::set_hook but we're already here...
+    error!("{}", info);
+
+    // Halt the thread.
+    loop {
+        // TODO(sleffler): seL4_Yield?
+        atomic::compiler_fence(Ordering::SeqCst);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-shell/src/lib.rs b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-shell/src/lib.rs
index 2ef39bb..cc3935a 100644
--- a/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-shell/src/lib.rs
+++ b/apps/system/components/DebugConsole/kata-shell/src/lib.rs
@@ -73,11 +73,15 @@ fn dispatch_command(cmdline: &str, output: &mut dyn io::Write) {
             // Since even the binding is static, it is fine for each command
             // implementation to use its own preferred signature.
             let result = match command {
-                "echo" => echo_command(cmdline, output),
                 "add" => add_command(&mut args, output),
+                "echo" => echo_command(cmdline, output),
                 "clear" => clear_command(output),
                 "ps" => ps_command(),
-                "alloc_test" => alloc_test_command(output),
+
+                "test_alloc" => test_alloc_command(output),
+                "test_alloc_error" => test_alloc_error_command(output),
+                "test_panic" => test_panic_command(),
+
                 _ => Err(CommandError::UnknownCommand),
             };
             if let Err(e) = result {
@@ -143,7 +147,7 @@ fn clear_command(output: &mut dyn io::Write) -> Result<(), CommandError> {
 
 /// Implements a command that tests facilities that use the global allocator.
 /// Shamelessly cribbed from https://os.phil-opp.com/heap-allocation/
-fn alloc_test_command(output: &mut dyn io::Write) -> Result<(), CommandError> {
+fn test_alloc_command(output: &mut dyn io::Write) -> Result<(), CommandError> {
     extern crate alloc;
     use alloc::{boxed::Box, rc::Rc, vec, vec::Vec};
 
@@ -177,3 +181,21 @@ fn alloc_test_command(output: &mut dyn io::Write) -> Result<(), CommandError> {
 
     Ok(writeln!(output, "All tests passed!")?)
 }
+
+/// Implements a command that tests the global allocator error handling.
+fn test_alloc_error_command(output: &mut dyn io::Write) -> Result<(), CommandError> {
+    extern crate alloc;
+    use alloc::vec::Vec;
+
+    // Default heap holds 16KB.
+    let mut vec = Vec::with_capacity(16384);
+    for i in 0..16348 {
+        vec.push(i);
+    }
+    Ok(writeln!(output, "vec at {:p}", vec.as_slice())?)
+}
+
+/// Implements a command that tests panic handling.
+fn test_panic_command() -> Result<(), CommandError> {
+    panic!("testing");
+}
diff --git a/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/Cargo.toml b/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/Cargo.toml
index dbb7737..3372eed 100644
--- a/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/Cargo.toml
+++ b/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/Cargo.toml
@@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ edition = "2018"
 arrayvec = { version = "0.7", default-features = false }
 kata-allocator = { path = "../../DebugConsole/kata-allocator" }
 kata-logger = { path = "../../DebugConsole/kata-logger" }
+kata-panic = { path = "../../DebugConsole/kata-panic" }
 kata-proc-common = { path = "../kata-proc-common" }
 log = "0.4"
-panic-halt = "0.2.0"
 
 [lib]
 name = "kata_process_manager"
diff --git a/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/src/run.rs b/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/src/run.rs
index a7241eb..ce22bec 100644
--- a/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/src/run.rs
+++ b/apps/system/components/ProcessManager/kata-proc-manager/src/run.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 #![feature(const_fn_trait_bound)] // NB: for ProcessManager::empty using manager: None
 
 #[cfg(not(test))]
-extern crate panic_halt;
+extern crate kata_panic;
 
 use arrayvec::ArrayVec;
 use core::marker::Sync;