diff --git a/django/db/backends/oracle/client.py b/django/db/backends/oracle/client.py
index 102e77fd159..4c5070a2078 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/oracle/client.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/oracle/client.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import shutil
 import subprocess
 
 from django.db.backends.base.client import BaseDatabaseClient
@@ -5,8 +6,12 @@ from django.db.backends.base.client import BaseDatabaseClient
 
 class DatabaseClient(BaseDatabaseClient):
     executable_name = 'sqlplus'
+    wrapper_name = 'rlwrap'
 
     def runshell(self):
         conn_string = self.connection._connect_string()
         args = [self.executable_name, "-L", conn_string]
+        wrapper_path = shutil.which(self.wrapper_name)
+        if wrapper_path:
+            args = [wrapper_path, *args]
         subprocess.check_call(args)
diff --git a/docs/releases/2.2.txt b/docs/releases/2.2.txt
index 8e03f54c3ea..5d76289da69 100644
--- a/docs/releases/2.2.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/2.2.txt
@@ -185,6 +185,9 @@ Management Commands
 * :djadmin:`inspectdb` now introspects :class:`~django.db.models.DurationField`
   for Oracle and PostgreSQL.
 
+* On Oracle, :djadmin:`dbshell` is wrapped with ``rlwrap``, if available.
+  ``rlwrap`` provides a command history and editing of keyboard input.
+
 Migrations
 ~~~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/tests/dbshell/test_oracle.py b/tests/dbshell/test_oracle.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d236a932ab7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dbshell/test_oracle.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+from unittest import mock, skipUnless
+
+from django.db import connection
+from django.db.backends.oracle.client import DatabaseClient
+from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+
+
+@skipUnless(connection.vendor == 'oracle', 'Oracle tests')
+class OracleDbshellTests(SimpleTestCase):
+    def _run_dbshell(self, rlwrap=False):
+        """Run runshell command and capture its arguments."""
+        def _mock_subprocess_call(*args):
+            self.subprocess_args = tuple(*args)
+            return 0
+
+        client = DatabaseClient(connection)
+        self.subprocess_args = None
+        with mock.patch('subprocess.call', new=_mock_subprocess_call):
+            with mock.patch('shutil.which', return_value='/usr/bin/rlwrap' if rlwrap else None):
+                client.runshell()
+        return self.subprocess_args
+
+    def test_without_rlwrap(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            self._run_dbshell(rlwrap=False),
+            ('sqlplus', '-L', connection._connect_string()),
+        )
+
+    def test_with_rlwrap(self):
+        self.assertEqual(
+            self._run_dbshell(rlwrap=True),
+            ('/usr/bin/rlwrap', 'sqlplus', '-L', connection._connect_string()),
+        )