This article explores intra-household decision-making in smallholder farmers' innovation uptake and use of outputs within a bargaining framework. Research was conducted in selected locations representing contrasting economic, social and agroclimatic environments in Uganda using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (including a survey of 531 farmers). Decision-making in innovation processes was highly gendered and shaped by intra-household allocation of production assets as well as social norms. The findings highlight the male capture of decision-making regarding innovation uptake and use of outputs, especially for income-generating crops, and that this can both reflect and reinforce gender inequalities in asset ownership.