diff --git a/src/gnmi_eos/client.py b/src/gnmi_eos/client.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..53bf0e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gnmi_eos/client.py
@@ -0,0 +1,348 @@
+"""
+gNMI Client for Arista EOS devices.
+
+Provides a high-level gNMI client using pygnmi with:
+- Connection management via context manager
+- Typed exceptions for connection and path errors
+- get / set / subscribe / capabilities operations
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Any, Literal
+
+from pygnmi.client import gNMIclient
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# Exceptions
+# ==============================================================================
+
+
+class GNMIError(Exception):
+    """Base exception for gNMI operations."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class GNMIConnectionError(GNMIError):
+    """Raised when connection to device fails."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+class GNMIPathError(GNMIError):
+    """Raised when path is invalid or not found."""
+
+    pass
+
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# Data Types
+# ==============================================================================
+
+DataType = Literal["config", "state", "all"]
+SetOperation = Literal["update", "replace", "delete"]
+SubscribeMode = Literal["once", "stream", "poll"]
+StreamMode = Literal["on-change", "sample", "target-defined"]
+
+
+@dataclass
+class Capability:
+    """Represents a gNMI capability/model."""
+
+    name: str
+    organization: str
+    version: str
+
+    def __str__(self) -> str:
+        return f"{self.name} ({self.organization}) v{self.version}"
+
+
+@dataclass
+class SubscriptionUpdate:
+    """Represents a subscription update."""
+
+    path: str
+    value: Any
+    timestamp: int
+
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# gNMI Client
+# ==============================================================================
+
+
+class GNMIClient:
+    """
+    gNMI Client wrapper using pygnmi.
+
+    Provides high-level methods for gNMI operations with proper
+    error handling and context manager support.
+
+    Example:
+        with GNMIClient(host="leaf1", port=6030) as client:
+            caps = client.capabilities()
+            counters = client.get("/interfaces/interface[name=Ethernet1]/state/counters")
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        host: str,
+        port: int = 6030,
+        username: str = "admin",
+        password: str = "admin",
+        insecure: bool = True,
+        skip_verify: bool = True,
+        timeout: int = 10,
+    ):
+        """
+        Initialize gNMI client.
+
+        Args:
+            host: Target hostname or IP
+            port: gNMI port (default: 6030)
+            username: Username for authentication
+            password: Password for authentication
+            insecure: Skip TLS verification (default: True for lab)
+            skip_verify: Skip certificate verification
+            timeout: Connection timeout in seconds
+        """
+        self.host = host
+        self.port = port
+        self.username = username
+        self.password = password
+        self.insecure = insecure
+        self.skip_verify = skip_verify
+        self.timeout = timeout
+        self._client: gNMIclient | None = None
+
+    @property
+    def target(self) -> str:
+        """Get target string (host:port)."""
+        return f"{self.host}:{self.port}"
+
+    def _ensure_connected(self) -> gNMIclient:
+        """Ensure client is connected."""
+        if self._client is None:
+            raise GNMIConnectionError("Client not connected. Use context manager.")
+        return self._client
+
+    def __enter__(self) -> GNMIClient:
+        """Enter context manager."""
+        try:
+            self._client = gNMIclient(
+                target=(self.host, self.port),
+                username=self.username,
+                password=self.password,
+                insecure=self.insecure,
+                skip_verify=self.skip_verify,
+            )
+            self._client.__enter__()
+            return self
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise GNMIConnectionError(
+                f"Failed to connect to {self.target}: {e}"
+            ) from e
+
+    def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb) -> None:
+        """Exit context manager."""
+        if self._client:
+            try:
+                self._client.__exit__(exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb)
+            except Exception:
+                pass  # Ignore cleanup errors
+            self._client = None
+
+    # ==========================================================================
+    # gNMI Operations
+    # ==========================================================================
+
+    def capabilities(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        """
+        Get device capabilities.
+
+        Returns:
+            Dictionary containing:
+            - gnmi_version: gNMI protocol version
+            - supported_models: List of supported YANG models
+            - supported_encodings: List of supported encodings
+        """
+        client = self._ensure_connected()
+        try:
+            return client.capabilities()
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise GNMIError(f"Failed to get capabilities: {e}") from e
+
+    def get_models(self) -> list[Capability]:
+        """
+        Get list of supported YANG models.
+
+        Returns:
+            List of Capability objects
+        """
+        caps = self.capabilities()
+        return [
+            Capability(
+                name=m.get("name", ""),
+                organization=m.get("organization", ""),
+                version=m.get("version", ""),
+            )
+            for m in caps.get("supported_models", [])
+        ]
+
+    def get(
+        self,
+        path: str | list[str],
+        data_type: DataType = "all",
+        encoding: str = "json_ietf",
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        """
+        Get data at path.
+
+        Args:
+            path: YANG path or list of paths
+            data_type: "config", "state", or "all" (default)
+            encoding: Data encoding (default: json_ietf)
+
+        Returns:
+            Dictionary with path data
+        """
+        client = self._ensure_connected()
+        paths = [path] if isinstance(path, str) else path
+        datatype_map = {"config": "config", "state": "state", "all": "all"}
+        datatype = datatype_map.get(data_type, "all")
+
+        try:
+            return client.get(path=paths, datatype=datatype, encoding=encoding)
+        except Exception as e:
+            err = str(e).lower()
+            if "not found" in err or "invalid" in err:
+                raise GNMIPathError(f"Path not found or invalid: {path}") from e
+            raise GNMIError(f"Failed to get data at {path}: {e}") from e
+
+    def set(
+        self,
+        path: str,
+        value: Any,
+        operation: SetOperation = "update",
+        encoding: str = "json_ietf",
+        dry_run: bool = True,
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        """
+        Set configuration at path.
+
+        Args:
+            path: YANG path
+            value: Value to set (dict or JSON string)
+            operation: "update" (merge), "replace", or "delete"
+            encoding: Data encoding (default: json_ietf)
+            dry_run: If True, only validate without applying (default: True)
+
+        Returns:
+            Result of set operation, or dry-run preview dict
+        """
+        if dry_run:
+            return {
+                "dry_run": True,
+                "operation": operation,
+                "path": path,
+                "value": value,
+                "message": "Dry-run mode - no changes applied",
+            }
+
+        client = self._ensure_connected()
+
+        if isinstance(value, str):
+            try:
+                value = json.loads(value)
+            except json.JSONDecodeError:
+                pass  # Keep as string
+
+        try:
+            if operation == "delete":
+                return client.set(delete=[path])
+            elif operation == "replace":
+                return client.set(replace=[(path, value)])
+            else:  # update
+                return client.set(update=[(path, value)])
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise GNMIError(f"Failed to set {path}: {e}") from e
+
+    def subscribe(
+        self,
+        paths: str | list[str],
+        mode: SubscribeMode = "stream",
+        stream_mode: StreamMode = "on-change",
+        sample_interval: int = 10,
+        encoding: str = "json_ietf",
+    ) -> Any:
+        """
+        Subscribe to path updates.
+
+        Args:
+            paths: YANG path(s) to subscribe to
+            mode: "once", "stream" (default), or "poll"
+            stream_mode: "on-change" (default), "sample", or "target-defined"
+            sample_interval: Interval in seconds for sample mode
+            encoding: Data encoding
+
+        Yields:
+            Subscription updates
+        """
+        client = self._ensure_connected()
+        path_list = [paths] if isinstance(paths, str) else paths
+
+        subscribe_list = []
+        for p in path_list:
+            sub: dict[str, Any] = {
+                "path": p,
+                "mode": stream_mode.replace("-", "_"),  # on-change -> on_change
+            }
+            if stream_mode == "sample":
+                sub["sample_interval"] = sample_interval * 1_000_000_000  # nanoseconds
+            subscribe_list.append(sub)
+
+        subscribe_request = {
+            "subscription": subscribe_list,
+            "mode": mode,
+            "encoding": encoding,
+        }
+
+        try:
+            return client.subscribe2(subscribe=subscribe_request)
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise GNMIError(f"Failed to subscribe to {paths}: {e}") from e
+
+    # ==========================================================================
+    # Utility Methods
+    # ==========================================================================
+
+    def explore(self, path: str = "/") -> dict[str, Any]:
+        """
+        Get all data under a given path.
+
+        Args:
+            path: Base path to explore (default: root)
+
+        Returns:
+            Dictionary with discovered data
+        """
+        return self.get(path, data_type="all")
+
+    def validate_path(self, path: str) -> bool:
+        """
+        Check if path exists on device.
+
+        Args:
+            path: YANG path to validate
+
+        Returns:
+            True if path exists, False otherwise
+        """
+        try:
+            self.get(path)
+            return True
+        except (GNMIPathError, GNMIError):
+            return False