diff --git a/lib/airbrussh/command_formatter.rb b/lib/airbrussh/command_formatter.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80f138b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/airbrussh/command_formatter.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+require "airbrussh/colors"
+# rubocop:disable Style/AsciiComments
+
+module Airbrussh
+  # Decorates an SSHKit::Command to add string output helpers.
+  class CommandFormatter < SimpleDelegator
+    include Airbrussh::Colors
+
+    # Prefixes the line with the command number and removes the newline.
+    #
+    # format_output("hello\n") # => "01 hello"
+    #
+    def format_output(line)
+      "#{number} #{line.chomp}"
+    end
+
+    # Returns the abbreviated command (in yellow) with the number prefix.
+    #
+    # start_message # => "01 echo hello"
+    #
+    def start_message
+      "#{number} #{yellow(abbreviated)}"
+    end
+
+    # Returns a green (success) or red (failure) message depending on the
+    # exit status.
+    #
+    # exit_message # => "✔ 01 user@host 0.084s"
+    # exit_message # => "✘ 01 user@host 0.084s"
+    #
+    # If `log_file` is specified, it is appended to the message
+    # in the failure case.
+    #
+    # exit_message("out.log")
+    # # => "✘ 01 user@host (see out.log for details) 0.084s"
+    #
+    def exit_message(log_file=nil)
+      if failure?
+        message = red(failure_message(log_file))
+      else
+        message = green(success_message)
+      end
+      message << " #{gray(runtime)}"
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def user_at_host
+      user_str = user { host.user }
+      host_str = host.to_s
+      [user_str, host_str].join("@")
+    end
+
+    def runtime
+      format("%5.3fs", super)
+    end
+
+    def abbreviated
+      to_s.sub(%r{^/usr/bin/env }, "")
+    end
+
+    def number
+      format("%02d", position + 1)
+    end
+
+    def success_message
+      "✔ #{number} #{user_at_host}"
+    end
+
+    def failure_message(log_file)
+      message = "✘ #{number} #{user_at_host}"
+      message << " (see #{log_file} for details)" if log_file
+      message
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/airbrussh/formatter.rb b/lib/airbrussh/formatter.rb
index b1a6ef6..1ce4d74 100644
--- a/lib/airbrussh/formatter.rb
+++ b/lib/airbrussh/formatter.rb
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 # encoding: UTF-8
+require "airbrussh/colors"
+require "airbrussh/command_formatter"
 require "airbrussh/command_output"
 require "airbrussh/console"
 require "airbrussh/rake/command"
 require "airbrussh/rake/context"
-require "colorize"
-require "ostruct"
 require "sshkit"
 
 module Airbrussh
   class Formatter < SSHKit::Formatter::Abstract
+    include Airbrussh::Colors
     extend Forwardable
+
     attr_reader :config, :context
     def_delegator :context, :current_task_name
 
@@ -34,10 +36,6 @@ def create_log_file_formatter
       )
     end
 
-    def print_line(string)
-      @console.print_line(string)
-    end
-
     def write_banner
       return unless config.banner
       if config.banner == :auto
@@ -115,17 +113,13 @@ def on_deploy_failure
     def write_log_message(log_message)
       return if debug?(log_message)
       print_task_if_changed
-      @console.print_line(light_black("      " + log_message.to_s))
+      print_indented_line(gray(log_message.to_s))
     end
 
     def write_command_start(command)
       return if debug?(command)
       print_task_if_changed
-
-      if command.first_execution?
-        shell_string = shell_string(command)
-        print_line "      #{command_number(command)} #{yellow(shell_string)}"
-      end
+      print_indented_line(command.start_message) if command.first_execution?
     end
 
     # Prints the data from the stdout and stderr streams of the given command,
@@ -143,7 +137,7 @@ def write_command_output(command)
     def write_command_output_line(command, stream, line)
       hide_command_output = !config.public_send("command_output_#{stream}?")
       return if hide_command_output || debug?(command)
-      print_line "      #{command_number(command)} #{line.chomp}"
+      print_indented_line(command.format_output(line))
     end
 
     def print_task_if_changed
@@ -156,32 +150,7 @@ def print_task_if_changed
 
     def write_command_exit(command)
       return if debug?(command)
-      print_line "    #{format_exit_status(command)} #{runtime(command)}"
-    end
-
-    def format_exit_status(command)
-      user = command.user { command.host.user }
-      host = command.host.to_s
-      user_at_host = [user, host].join("@")
-      number = command_number(command)
-
-      if command.failure?
-        red("✘ #{number} #{user_at_host} (see #{@log_file} for details)")
-      else
-        green("✔ #{number} #{user_at_host}")
-      end
-    end
-
-    def runtime(command)
-      light_black(format("%5.3fs", command.runtime))
-    end
-
-    def shell_string(command)
-      command.to_s.sub(%r{^/usr/bin/env }, "")
-    end
-
-    def command_number(command)
-      format("%02d", command.position + 1)
+      print_indented_line(command.exit_message(@log_file), -2)
     end
 
     def clock
@@ -194,18 +163,21 @@ def clock
       format("%02d:%02d", minutes, seconds)
     end
 
-    %w(light_black red blue green yellow).each do |color|
-      define_method(color) do |string|
-        string.to_s.colorize(color.to_sym)
-      end
-    end
-
     def debug?(obj)
       obj.verbosity <= SSHKit::Logger::DEBUG
     end
 
     def decorate(command)
-      @context.decorate_command(command)
+      Airbrussh::CommandFormatter.new(@context.decorate_command(command))
+    end
+
+    def print_line(string)
+      @console.print_line(string)
+    end
+
+    def print_indented_line(string, offset=0)
+      indent = " " * (6 + offset)
+      print_line([indent, string].join)
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/airbrussh/command_formatter_test.rb b/test/airbrussh/command_formatter_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5b04d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/airbrussh/command_formatter_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+require "minitest_helper"
+require "ostruct"
+require "airbrussh/command_formatter"
+
+class Airbrussh::CommandFormatterTest < Minitest::Test
+  def setup
+    sshkit_command = OpenStruct.new(
+      :host => "12.34.56.78",
+      :user => "deployer",
+      :runtime => 1.23456,
+      :position => 0,
+      :failure? => false
+    )
+    def sshkit_command.to_s
+      "/usr/bin/env echo hello"
+    end
+    @command = Airbrussh::CommandFormatter.new(sshkit_command)
+  end
+
+  def test_format_output
+    assert_equal("01 hello", @command.format_output("hello\n"))
+  end
+
+  def test_start_message
+    assert_equal("01 \e[0;33;49mecho hello\e[0m", @command.start_message)
+  end
+
+  def test_exit_message_success
+    assert_equal(
+      "\e[0;32;49m✔ 01 deployer@12.34.56.78\e[0m \e[0;90;49m1.235s\e[0m",
+      @command.exit_message)
+  end
+
+  def test_exit_message_failure
+    @command.stub(:failure?, true) do
+      assert_equal(
+        "\e[0;31;49m✘ 01 deployer@12.34.56.78 (see out.log for details)\e[0m "\
+        "\e[0;90;49m1.235s\e[0m",
+        @command.exit_message("out.log"))
+    end
+  end
+end