From 4d51d496606e755ed1d3b848e21d9c058b61bb1d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: mikecarper <mikecarper@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:19:41 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Improve Companion terminal routing and controls

---
 docs/companion_radio_full.md                  |  36 +++-
 docs/telemetry_decoder.md                     |  14 +-
 docs/terminal_chat_cli.md                     |  47 ++++-
 examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp           | 192 +++++++++++++++---
 examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h             |  15 +-
 src/helpers/BaseChatMesh.cpp                  |  41 +++-
 src/helpers/CLICommandUtils.h                 |  24 ++-
 src/helpers/ContactListOrder.h                |  25 +++
 src/helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h                |  27 +++
 src/helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h          |  64 ++++++
 src/helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h           | 141 +++++++++++++
 test/README.md                                |   3 +-
 .../test_cli_command_utils.cpp                | 135 +++++++++++-
 .../test_remote_cli_reply_cache.cpp           |  17 ++
 14 files changed, 709 insertions(+), 72 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 src/helpers/ContactListOrder.h
 create mode 100644 src/helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h
 create mode 100644 src/helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h
 create mode 100644 src/helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h

diff --git a/docs/companion_radio_full.md b/docs/companion_radio_full.md
index 2a42ca83..7355978f 100644
--- a/docs/companion_radio_full.md
+++ b/docs/companion_radio_full.md
@@ -134,21 +134,43 @@ The terminal supports Companion chat commands, including `channels`,
 ```text
 channels
 channel #rgdata Hello from Eugene 👋
+show
+show channels on
 to Hilltop Repeater
 path A1B2C3,D4E5F6
+path 7773D0 7E7662
 login my-admin-password
 cmd ver
 trace
 ```
 
+The terminal `list [n]` command displays favorite contacts first and orders
+each favorite/non-favorite group by its most recent advertisement. This does
+not alter the binary Companion contact-list protocol.
+
+Unsolicited terminal output starts in a quiet mode: advertisements and
+ordinary channel messages are hidden, while `#emergency` messages remain
+visible. Use `show adverts on|off`, `show channels on|off`, and
+`show emergency on|off` to control each category independently; plain `show`
+reports their state. These runtime filters affect terminal printing only and
+reset to their defaults after reboot.
+
 The `to` command selects the remote-administration target. `path` shows its
-saved outgoing route; `path direct`, `path clear`, or a comma-separated list
-such as `path A1B2C3,D4E5F6` changes the route used by subsequent `login`,
-`send`, and `cmd` commands. Every hop must use the same 2-, 4-, or 6-digit
-hexadecimal width. Login passwords are masked during entry and limited by the
-radio protocol to 15 UTF-8 bytes. Wait for the asynchronous login result before
-using `cmd`; command replies appear as `CLI -> from <name>`. Remote ACL
-permissions determine which commands the target accepts.
+saved outgoing route; `path direct`, `path clear`, or a list separated by
+spaces, commas, or both changes the route used by subsequent `login`, `send`,
+and `cmd` commands. Every hop must use the same 2-, 4-, or 6-digit hexadecimal
+width. Login passwords are masked during entry and limited by the radio
+protocol to 15 UTF-8 bytes. Wait for the asynchronous login result before using
+`cmd`; command replies appear as `CLI -> from <name>` and use a response window
+of 300% of the route estimate. `DIRECT via path <hop,...>` displays the exact
+saved prefixes copied into the packet. Remote ACL permissions determine which
+commands the target accepts. The matching reply reports its round-trip time
+from local queueing through result reception, including radio transit and
+remote execution. Only one terminal `cmd` can be pending at a time.
+
+Incoming unicast replies are labeled `ROUTED`. Their exact return prefixes are
+not available at the destination because each forwarder consumes its prefix;
+use `trace` to verify the return route.
 
 With no argument, `trace` uses the current `to` recipient. A name-prefix
 argument traces that contact directly without changing the current recipient.
diff --git a/docs/telemetry_decoder.md b/docs/telemetry_decoder.md
index df202a2b..1145a89e 100644
--- a/docs/telemetry_decoder.md
+++ b/docs/telemetry_decoder.md
@@ -32,6 +32,13 @@ reply that its history is empty.
 ## Decode a reply
 
 <div class="telemetry-tool" data-telemetry-decoder>
+  <div class="telemetry-examples" aria-label="Load an example reply">
+    <strong>Try an example:</strong>
+    <button type="button" data-telemetry-example="temperature">Temperature</button>
+    <button type="button" data-telemetry-example="voltage">Voltage</button>
+    <button type="button" data-telemetry-example="gps">GPS</button>
+  </div>
+
   <label for="telemetry-reply-input">CLI reply or Base64 payload</label>
   <textarea
     id="telemetry-reply-input"
@@ -55,13 +62,6 @@ reply that its history is empty.
     </label>
   </div>
 
-  <div class="telemetry-examples" aria-label="Load an example reply">
-    <strong>Try an example:</strong>
-    <button type="button" data-telemetry-example="temperature">Temperature</button>
-    <button type="button" data-telemetry-example="voltage">Voltage</button>
-    <button type="button" data-telemetry-example="gps">GPS</button>
-  </div>
-
   <div class="telemetry-error" data-role="error" role="alert" aria-live="polite" hidden></div>
 
   <section class="telemetry-results" data-role="results" aria-live="polite" hidden>
diff --git a/docs/terminal_chat_cli.md b/docs/terminal_chat_cli.md
index 8b2e4f47..84ab7431 100644
--- a/docs/terminal_chat_cli.md
+++ b/docs/terminal_chat_cli.md
@@ -130,7 +130,26 @@ Imports the given card to your contacts.
 ```
 list {n}
 ```
-List all contacts by most recent. (optional {n}, is the last n by advertisement date)
+Lists favorite contacts first, then all remaining contacts. Each group is
+ordered by the most recent advertisement. Optional `{n}` limits the displayed
+contacts after applying that order.
+
+```
+show
+show adverts {on|off}
+show channels {on|off}
+show emergency {on|off}
+```
+Controls unsolicited receive output in the USB terminal. Plain `show` reports
+the current settings, and `show {category}` reports one category. At boot,
+advertisements and ordinary channel messages are hidden while `#emergency`
+messages are shown. The three controls are independent, so `show channels on`
+does not override `show emergency off`.
+
+These filters affect terminal printing only. Messages still enter the offline
+queue and are delivered through the binary Companion protocol. Changes remain
+active when switching between terminal and binary mode and reset to their
+defaults after reboot.
 
 ```
 to
@@ -151,23 +170,24 @@ all path changes require a recipient to be selected first.
 ```
 path direct
 path clear
-path {hop-hash[,hop-hash...]}
+path {hop-hash...}
 ```
 Sets the outgoing path used by subsequent `login`, `send`, and `cmd` commands.
 `direct` selects a zero-hop route. `clear` forgets the saved route, causing the
 next operation to use flood routing and allowing normal path discovery to
 learn a replacement.
 
-Explicit paths use comma-separated hop hashes. Each hop must contain exactly
-2, 4, or 6 hexadecimal digits, and every hop in one path must use the same
-width. Spaces around commas and hexadecimal letter case do not matter. The
-setting is saved with the selected contact.
+Explicit paths use spaces, commas, or a mixture of both between hop hashes.
+Each hop must contain exactly 2, 4, or 6 hexadecimal digits, and every hop in
+one path must use the same width. Whitespace and hexadecimal letter case do
+not matter. The setting is saved with the selected contact.
 
 For example:
 
 ```text
 to Hilltop Repeater
 path A1B2C3,D4E5F6
+path 7773D0 7E7662
 path
 login my-admin-password
 ```
@@ -192,7 +212,14 @@ cmd {remote-command}
 ```
 Sends CLI data to the current recipient. Wait for the login result before
 sending the first command. The remote node applies its own ACL permissions,
-and any reply appears asynchronously as `CLI -> from {name}`.
+and any reply appears asynchronously as `CLI -> from {name}`. The response
+window is 300% of the route estimate. A routed send is displayed as
+`DIRECT via path {hop,...}` with the exact prefixes copied into the packet; in
+MeshCore, `DIRECT` is the route class for an explicit path, not a synonym for
+zero hops. A matched reply also shows its local round-trip time, measured from
+queueing the command through receiving the result. This includes both radio
+directions and remote execution; it is not execution-only CPU time. Only one
+terminal `cmd` can be pending at a time.
 
 For example:
 
@@ -208,6 +235,11 @@ The exact commands and permissions depend on the target firmware. `cmd` does
 not run a command on the local Companion; it sends the text over LoRa to the
 selected node.
 
+Incoming direct-route messages are labeled `ROUTED`, not `DIRECT`. Forwarders
+consume direct-route prefixes as the packet travels, so the destination cannot
+recover the reply's actual hop history from the received packet. Use `trace`
+when the return route itself must be verified.
+
 ```
 send {text}
 ```
@@ -286,6 +318,7 @@ For example:
 channels
 channel #rgdata Hello from Eugene 👋
 channel 2 Another message
+show channels on
 ```
 
 Messages are UTF-8. Emoji use multiple bytes toward the available message
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
index 43f79d17..9e381cc1 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ void MyMesh::onDiscoveredContact(ContactInfo &contact, bool is_new, uint8_t path
   }
 
 #ifdef ENABLE_USB_INTERFACE
-  if (_terminal_mode) {
+  if (_terminal_mode && _terminal_display.shouldShowAdvert()) {
     Serial.printf("\r\nADVERT from -> %s\r\n", contact.name);
     Serial.printf("  type: %s\r\n", terminalContactTypeName(contact.type));
     Serial.print("  public key: ");
@@ -701,7 +701,10 @@ ContactInfo*  MyMesh::processAck(const uint8_t *data) {
 }
 
 void MyMesh::queueMessage(const ContactInfo &from, uint8_t txt_type, mesh::Packet *pkt,
-                          uint32_t sender_timestamp, const uint8_t *extra, int extra_len, const char *text) {
+                          uint32_t sender_timestamp, const uint8_t *extra,
+                          int extra_len, const char *text,
+                          bool terminal_command_reply,
+                          uint32_t terminal_command_elapsed_millis) {
   int i = 0;
   if (app_target_ver >= 3) {
     out_frame[i++] = RESP_CODE_CONTACT_MSG_RECV_V3;
@@ -738,9 +741,15 @@ void MyMesh::queueMessage(const ContactInfo &from, uint8_t txt_type, mesh::Packe
 #ifdef ENABLE_USB_INTERFACE
   if (_terminal_mode) {
     const char* kind = txt_type == TXT_TYPE_CLI_DATA ? "CLI" : "MSG";
-    Serial.printf("\r\n(%s) %s -> from %s\r\n  %s\r\n> ",
-                  pkt->isRouteDirect() ? "DIRECT" : "FLOOD", kind,
-                  from.name, text);
+    Serial.printf("\r\n(%s) %s -> from %s",
+                  mesh::cli::terminalInboundRouteLabel(
+                      pkt->isRouteDirect()), kind,
+                  from.name);
+    if (terminal_command_reply) {
+      Serial.printf(" (round trip %lu ms)",
+                    (unsigned long)terminal_command_elapsed_millis);
+    }
+    Serial.printf("\r\n  %s\r\n> ", text);
   }
 #endif
 
@@ -842,7 +851,15 @@ void MyMesh::onMessageRecv(const ContactInfo &from, mesh::Packet *pkt, uint32_t
 void MyMesh::onCommandDataRecv(const ContactInfo &from, mesh::Packet *pkt, uint32_t sender_timestamp,
                                const char *text) {
   markConnectionActive(from); // in case this is from a server, and we have a connection
-  queueMessage(from, TXT_TYPE_CLI_DATA, pkt, sender_timestamp, NULL, 0, text);
+  bool terminal_command_reply = false;
+  uint32_t terminal_command_elapsed_millis = 0;
+#ifdef ENABLE_USB_INTERFACE
+  terminal_command_reply = _terminal_command.takeReply(
+      from.id.pub_key, _ms->getMillis(), terminal_command_elapsed_millis);
+  if (terminal_command_reply) _terminal_command_target[0] = 0;
+#endif
+  queueMessage(from, TXT_TYPE_CLI_DATA, pkt, sender_timestamp, NULL, 0, text,
+               terminal_command_reply, terminal_command_elapsed_millis);
 }
 
 void MyMesh::onSignedMessageRecv(const ContactInfo &from, mesh::Packet *pkt, uint32_t sender_timestamp,
@@ -855,6 +872,9 @@ void MyMesh::onSignedMessageRecv(const ContactInfo &from, mesh::Packet *pkt, uin
 
 void MyMesh::onChannelMessageRecv(const mesh::GroupChannel &channel, mesh::Packet *pkt, uint32_t timestamp,
                                   const char *text) {
+  const bool is_emergency_channel =
+      memcmp(channel.secret, EMERGENCY_CHANNEL_SECRET,
+             sizeof(EMERGENCY_CHANNEL_SECRET)) == 0;
   int i = 0;
   if (app_target_ver >= 3) {
     out_frame[i++] = RESP_CODE_CHANNEL_MSG_RECV_V3;
@@ -891,7 +911,8 @@ void MyMesh::onChannelMessageRecv(const mesh::GroupChannel &channel, mesh::Packe
   }
 
 #ifdef ENABLE_USB_INTERFACE
-  if (_terminal_mode) {
+  if (_terminal_mode
+      && _terminal_display.shouldShowChannel(is_emergency_channel)) {
     ChannelDetails details;
     const char* channel_name = getChannel(channel_idx, details) ? details.name : "Unknown";
     Serial.printf("\r\nCHANNEL MSG -> %s (%s)\r\n  %s\r\n> ",
@@ -908,7 +929,7 @@ void MyMesh::onChannelMessageRecv(const mesh::GroupChannel &channel, mesh::Packe
   if (_ui) _ui->newMsg(path_len, channel_name, text, offline_queue_len);
 #endif
 
-  if (pkt->isRouteFlood() && memcmp(channel.secret, EMERGENCY_CHANNEL_SECRET, sizeof(EMERGENCY_CHANNEL_SECRET)) == 0) {
+  if (pkt->isRouteFlood() && is_emergency_channel) {
     bool zero_path = pkt->getPathHashCount() == 0;
     uint16_t key = emergencyClientRepeatKey(pkt);
     if (hasEmergencyClientRepeat(key)) {
@@ -1283,6 +1304,7 @@ MyMesh::MyMesh(mesh::Radio &radio, mesh::RNG &rng, mesh::RTCClock &rtc, SimpleMe
   memset(_terminal_login_key, 0, sizeof(_terminal_login_key));
   _terminal_login_expires_at = 0;
   _terminal_login_target[0] = 0;
+  clearTerminalCommand();
   clearTerminalTrace();
 #endif
   saved_radio_apply_pending = false;
@@ -3434,6 +3456,7 @@ void MyMesh::enterTerminalMode() {
   _terminal_recipient_set = false;
   memset(_terminal_recipient_key, 0, sizeof(_terminal_recipient_key));
   clearTerminalLogin();
+  clearTerminalCommand();
   clearTerminalTrace();
 
   Serial.print("\r\n===== MeshCore Chat Terminal =====\r\n\r\n");
@@ -3449,6 +3472,7 @@ void MyMesh::exitTerminalMode() {
   _terminal_recipient_set = false;
   memset(_terminal_recipient_key, 0, sizeof(_terminal_recipient_key));
   clearTerminalLogin();
+  clearTerminalCommand();
   clearTerminalTrace();
 }
 
@@ -3466,7 +3490,7 @@ ContactInfo* MyMesh::getTerminalRecipient() {
 void MyMesh::printTerminalPath(const ContactInfo& recipient) {
   Serial.printf("  Path to %s: ", recipient.name);
   if (recipient.out_path_len == OUT_PATH_UNKNOWN) {
-    Serial.print("unknown (next login uses FLOOD)\r\n");
+    Serial.print("unknown (next send uses FLOOD)\r\n");
     return;
   }
   if (!mesh::Packet::isValidPathLen(recipient.out_path_len)) {
@@ -3477,7 +3501,7 @@ void MyMesh::printTerminalPath(const ContactInfo& recipient) {
   const uint8_t hash_size = (recipient.out_path_len >> 6) + 1;
   const uint8_t hop_count = recipient.out_path_len & 63;
   if (hop_count == 0) {
-    Serial.print("direct (zero hop; login uses DIRECT)\r\n");
+    Serial.print("direct (zero hop)\r\n");
     return;
   }
 
@@ -3487,7 +3511,7 @@ void MyMesh::printTerminalPath(const ContactInfo& recipient) {
                           &recipient.out_path[(size_t)hop * hash_size],
                           hash_size);
   }
-  Serial.printf(" (%u %s, %u-byte hashes; login uses DIRECT)\r\n",
+  Serial.printf(" (%u %s, %u-byte hashes; used by DIRECT sends)\r\n",
                 (unsigned)hop_count, hop_count == 1 ? "hop" : "hops",
                 (unsigned)hash_size);
 }
@@ -3507,7 +3531,7 @@ void MyMesh::handleTerminalPath(ContactInfo& recipient,
     case mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult::Valid:
       break;
     case mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult::Missing:
-      Serial.print("  ERROR: use path <direct|clear|hop[,hop...]>\r\n");
+      Serial.print("  ERROR: use path <direct|clear|hops separated by spaces or commas>\r\n");
       return;
     case mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult::InvalidPrefix:
       Serial.print("  ERROR: each path hop must be 2, 4, or 6 hex digits\r\n");
@@ -3516,7 +3540,7 @@ void MyMesh::handleTerminalPath(ContactInfo& recipient,
       Serial.print("  ERROR: all path hops must use the same width\r\n");
       return;
     case mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult::InvalidSeparator:
-      Serial.print("  ERROR: separate path hops with commas\r\n");
+      Serial.print("  ERROR: separate path hops with spaces or commas\r\n");
       return;
     case mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult::TooManyHops:
       Serial.print("  ERROR: path must contain at most 63 hops\r\n");
@@ -3612,6 +3636,39 @@ void MyMesh::listTerminalChannels() {
   if (!found) Serial.print("  (none configured)\r\n");
 }
 
+void MyMesh::handleTerminalDisplayCommand(const char* arguments) {
+  mesh::TerminalDisplayCommand display_command;
+  const mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult result =
+      mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand(arguments, display_command);
+
+  if (result == mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidCategory
+      || result == mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidValue) {
+    Serial.print(
+        "  ERROR: use show [adverts|channels|emergency] [on|off]\r\n");
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (result == mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult::StatusAll) {
+    Serial.printf("  Terminal display: adverts %s, channels %s, emergency %s\r\n",
+                  _terminal_display.isEnabled(
+                      mesh::TerminalDisplayCategory::Adverts) ? "on" : "off",
+                  _terminal_display.isEnabled(
+                      mesh::TerminalDisplayCategory::Channels) ? "on" : "off",
+                  _terminal_display.isEnabled(
+                      mesh::TerminalDisplayCategory::Emergency) ? "on" : "off");
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (result == mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult::Updated) {
+    _terminal_display.setEnabled(display_command.category,
+                                 display_command.enabled);
+  }
+  Serial.printf("  Terminal display: %s %s\r\n",
+                mesh::terminalDisplayCategoryName(display_command.category),
+                _terminal_display.isEnabled(display_command.category)
+                    ? "on" : "off");
+}
+
 void MyMesh::sendTerminalChannelMessage(ChannelDetails& channel,
                                         const char* text) {
   const size_t prefix_len = strlen(_prefs.node_name) + 2;  // "name: "
@@ -3632,6 +3689,31 @@ void MyMesh::sendTerminalChannelMessage(ChannelDetails& channel,
   }
 }
 
+void MyMesh::printTerminalSendStatus(const char* operation,
+                                     const ContactInfo& recipient, int result,
+                                     uint32_t timeout_millis) {
+  Serial.printf("  %s sent to %s (", operation, recipient.name);
+  if (result == MSG_SEND_SENT_FLOOD) {
+    Serial.print("FLOOD");
+  } else {
+    const uint8_t hop_count = recipient.out_path_len & 63;
+    if (hop_count == 0) {
+      Serial.print("zero-hop DIRECT");
+    } else {
+      const uint8_t hash_size = (recipient.out_path_len >> 6) + 1;
+      Serial.print("DIRECT via path ");
+      for (uint8_t hop = 0; hop < hop_count; hop++) {
+        if (hop != 0) Serial.print(',');
+        mesh::Utils::printHex(
+            Serial, &recipient.out_path[(size_t)hop * hash_size], hash_size);
+      }
+      Serial.printf("; %u %s, %u-byte hashes", (unsigned)hop_count,
+                    hop_count == 1 ? "hop" : "hops", (unsigned)hash_size);
+    }
+  }
+  Serial.printf(", timeout %lu ms)\r\n", (unsigned long)timeout_millis);
+}
+
 void MyMesh::clearTerminalLogin() {
   if (_terminal_login_pending && pending_login != 0
       && memcmp(&pending_login, _terminal_login_key,
@@ -3690,10 +3772,23 @@ void MyMesh::sendTerminalLogin(ContactInfo& recipient,
   _terminal_login_expires_at = futureMillis(timeout);
   StrHelper::strzcpy(_terminal_login_target, recipient.name,
                      sizeof(_terminal_login_target));
-  Serial.printf("  Login sent to %s (%s, timeout %lu ms)\r\n",
-                recipient.name,
-                result == MSG_SEND_SENT_FLOOD ? "FLOOD" : "DIRECT",
-                (unsigned long)timeout);
+  printTerminalSendStatus("Login", recipient, result, timeout);
+}
+
+void MyMesh::clearTerminalCommand() {
+  _terminal_command.clear();
+  _terminal_command_target[0] = 0;
+}
+
+void MyMesh::serviceTerminalCommand() {
+  uint32_t elapsed_millis = 0;
+  if (!_terminal_command.expire(_ms->getMillis(), elapsed_millis)) return;
+
+  if (_terminal_mode) {
+    Serial.printf("\r\n  ERROR: command to %s timed out after %lu ms.\r\n> ",
+                  _terminal_command_target, (unsigned long)elapsed_millis);
+  }
+  _terminal_command_target[0] = 0;
 }
 
 void MyMesh::sendTerminalCommand(ContactInfo& recipient,
@@ -3705,7 +3800,25 @@ void MyMesh::sendTerminalCommand(ContactInfo& recipient,
     return;
   }
 
-  const size_t command_len = command == NULL ? 0 : strlen(command);
+  serviceTerminalCommand();
+  if (_terminal_command.isPending()) {
+    Serial.printf("  ERROR: command to %s is still pending\r\n",
+                  _terminal_command_target);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Be defensive if a caller passes the complete terminal line instead of
+  // the already-parsed argument. Never transmit the local "cmd" wrapper.
+  const char* on_air_command = command;
+  const char* nested_command = NULL;
+  if (mesh::cli::parseTerminalArgumentCommand(
+          command, "cmd", nested_command)
+      == mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch::Valid) {
+    on_air_command = nested_command;
+  }
+
+  const size_t command_len =
+      on_air_command == NULL ? 0 : strlen(on_air_command);
   if (command_len == 0 || command_len > MAX_TEXT_LEN) {
     Serial.printf("  ERROR: remote command must be 1-%u UTF-8 bytes\r\n",
                   (unsigned)MAX_TEXT_LEN);
@@ -3715,18 +3828,21 @@ void MyMesh::sendTerminalCommand(ContactInfo& recipient,
   const uint32_t logical_request_id =
       getRTCClock()->getCurrentTimeUnique();
   const uint32_t timestamp = getRTCClock()->getCurrentTimeUnique();
+  const uint32_t command_started_at = _ms->getMillis();
   uint32_t est_timeout = 0;
-  const int result = sendCommandData(recipient, timestamp, 0, command,
+  const int result = sendCommandData(recipient, timestamp, 0, on_air_command,
                                      est_timeout, logical_request_id);
   if (result == MSG_SEND_FAILED) {
     Serial.print("  ERROR: unable to send remote command\r\n");
     return;
   }
 
-  Serial.printf("  Remote command sent to %s (%s, timeout %lu ms)\r\n",
-                recipient.name,
-                result == MSG_SEND_SENT_FLOOD ? "FLOOD" : "DIRECT",
-                (unsigned long)est_timeout);
+  _terminal_command.begin(recipient.id.pub_key, command_started_at,
+                          est_timeout);
+  StrHelper::strzcpy(_terminal_command_target, recipient.name,
+                     sizeof(_terminal_command_target));
+
+  printTerminalSendStatus("Remote command", recipient, result, est_timeout);
 }
 
 void MyMesh::clearTerminalTrace() {
@@ -3884,6 +4000,7 @@ void MyMesh::sendTerminalRawTrace(const char* arguments) {
 void MyMesh::handleTerminalCommand(char* command) {
   while (*command == ' ' || *command == '\t') command++;
   if (*command == 0) return;
+  mesh::cli::normalizeCommandVerb(command);
 
 #if defined(COMPANION_RADIO_FULL)
   char full_reply[160];
@@ -3907,8 +4024,20 @@ void MyMesh::handleTerminalCommand(char* command) {
   const char* path_spec = NULL;
   const mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch path_match =
       mesh::cli::parseTerminalArgumentCommand(command, "path", path_spec);
+  const char* recipient_prefix = NULL;
+  const mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch recipient_match =
+      mesh::cli::parseTerminalArgumentCommand(command, "to",
+                                              recipient_prefix);
+  const char* display_arguments = NULL;
+  const mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch display_match =
+      mesh::cli::parseTerminalArgumentCommand(command, "show",
+                                              display_arguments);
 
-  if (strcmp(command, "channels") == 0) {
+  if (display_match != mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch::NoMatch) {
+    handleTerminalDisplayCommand(
+        display_match == mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch::Valid
+            ? display_arguments : NULL);
+  } else if (strcmp(command, "channels") == 0) {
     listTerminalChannels();
   } else if (channel_match != mesh::cli::TerminalChannelCommandMatch::NoMatch) {
     if (channel_match != mesh::cli::TerminalChannelCommandMatch::Valid) {
@@ -3993,11 +4122,11 @@ void MyMesh::handleTerminalCommand(char* command) {
     } else {
       Serial.print("  ERROR: clock cannot go backwards\r\n");
     }
-  } else if (strncmp(command, "to ", 3) == 0) {
-    const char* prefix = command + 3;
+  } else if (recipient_match
+             == mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch::Valid) {
     ContactInfo* recipient = NULL;
-    if (*prefix != 0 && strlen(prefix) < sizeof(ContactInfo::name)) {
-      recipient = searchContactsByPrefix(prefix);
+    if (strlen(recipient_prefix) < sizeof(ContactInfo::name)) {
+      recipient = searchContactsByPrefix(recipient_prefix);
     }
     if (recipient == NULL || recipient->type == ADV_TYPE_NONE) {
       Serial.print("  ERROR: name prefix not found\r\n");
@@ -4006,7 +4135,8 @@ void MyMesh::handleTerminalCommand(char* command) {
       _terminal_recipient_set = true;
       Serial.printf("  Recipient %s selected\r\n", recipient->name);
     }
-  } else if (strcmp(command, "to") == 0) {
+  } else if (recipient_match
+             == mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch::MissingArgument) {
     ContactInfo* recipient = getTerminalRecipient();
     if (recipient != NULL) {
       Serial.printf("  Current recipient: %s\r\n", recipient->name);
@@ -4162,8 +4292,9 @@ void MyMesh::handleTerminalCommand(char* command) {
     Serial.print("  clock\r\n");
     Serial.print("  time <epoch-seconds>\r\n");
     Serial.print("  list [n]\r\n");
+    Serial.print("  show [adverts|channels|emergency] [on|off]\r\n");
     Serial.print("  to [recipient name or prefix]\r\n");
-    Serial.print("  path [direct|clear|hop[,hop...]]\r\n");
+    Serial.print("  path [direct|clear|hops separated by spaces or commas]\r\n");
     Serial.print("  send <text>\r\n");
     Serial.print("  login <admin-password>\r\n");
     Serial.print("  cmd <remote-command>\r\n");
@@ -4405,6 +4536,7 @@ void MyMesh::loop() {
   BaseChatMesh::loop();
 #ifdef ENABLE_USB_INTERFACE
   serviceTerminalLogin();
+  serviceTerminalCommand();
   serviceTerminalTrace();
 #endif
   if (!command_radio_apply_pending && saved_radio_apply_pending && !hasOutbound()
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h
index 72d68f6a..1678b08e 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.h
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
 #include <helpers/LogicalMessageCache.h>
 #include <helpers/SimpleMeshTables.h>
 #include <helpers/StaticPoolPacketManager.h>
+#include <helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h>
+#include <helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h>
 #include <target.h>
 
 /* ---------------------------------- CONFIGURATION ------------------------------------- */
@@ -202,7 +204,9 @@ protected:
 #endif
   ContactInfo* processAck(const uint8_t *data) override;
   void queueMessage(const ContactInfo &from, uint8_t txt_type, mesh::Packet *pkt, uint32_t sender_timestamp,
-                    const uint8_t *extra, int extra_len, const char *text);
+                    const uint8_t *extra, int extra_len, const char *text,
+                    bool terminal_command_reply=false,
+                    uint32_t terminal_command_elapsed_millis=0);
 
   void onMessageRecv(const ContactInfo &from, mesh::Packet *pkt, uint32_t sender_timestamp,
                      const char *text) override;
@@ -280,9 +284,15 @@ private:
   void importTerminalCard(char* command);
   void listTerminalChannels();
   void sendTerminalChannelMessage(ChannelDetails& channel, const char* text);
+  void handleTerminalDisplayCommand(const char* arguments);
+  void printTerminalSendStatus(const char* operation,
+                               const ContactInfo& recipient, int result,
+                               uint32_t timeout_millis);
   void clearTerminalLogin();
   void serviceTerminalLogin();
   void sendTerminalLogin(ContactInfo& recipient, const char* password);
+  void clearTerminalCommand();
+  void serviceTerminalCommand();
   void sendTerminalCommand(ContactInfo& recipient, const char* command);
   void clearTerminalTrace();
   void serviceTerminalTrace();
@@ -339,6 +349,7 @@ private:
   bool _cli_rescue;
 #ifdef ENABLE_USB_INTERFACE
   bool _terminal_mode;
+  mesh::TerminalDisplayFilter _terminal_display;
   bool _terminal_recipient_set;
   uint8_t _terminal_recipient_key[PUB_KEY_SIZE];
   uint8_t _terminal_tmp_buf[MAX_TRANS_UNIT];
@@ -346,6 +357,8 @@ private:
   uint8_t _terminal_login_key[4];
   unsigned long _terminal_login_expires_at;
   char _terminal_login_target[32];
+  mesh::TerminalCommandTracker<PUB_KEY_SIZE> _terminal_command;
+  char _terminal_command_target[32];
   bool _terminal_trace_pending;
   uint8_t _terminal_trace_hash_size;
   uint32_t _terminal_trace_tag;
diff --git a/src/helpers/BaseChatMesh.cpp b/src/helpers/BaseChatMesh.cpp
index 09f867af..1a689267 100644
--- a/src/helpers/BaseChatMesh.cpp
+++ b/src/helpers/BaseChatMesh.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #include <helpers/BaseChatMesh.h>
+#include <helpers/ContactListOrder.h>
 #include <helpers/RemoteCliRequest.h>
+#include <helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h>
 #include <Utils.h>
 
 #ifndef SERVER_RESPONSE_DELAY
@@ -89,7 +91,7 @@ ContactInfo* BaseChatMesh::allocateContactSlot(bool transient_only) {
     } else if (shouldOverwriteWhenFull()) {
       // Find oldest non-favourite contact by oldest lastmod timestamp
       for (int i = MAX_ANON_CONTACTS; i < num_contacts; i++) {
-        bool is_favourite = (contacts[i].flags & 0x01) != 0;
+        bool is_favourite = mesh::isFavoriteContact(contacts[i].flags);
         if (!is_favourite && contacts[i].lastmod < oldest_lastmod) {
           oldest_lastmod = contacts[i].lastmod;
           oldest_idx = i;
@@ -495,6 +497,7 @@ int BaseChatMesh::sendCommandData(const ContactInfo& recipient,
                                   uint32_t timestamp, uint8_t attempt,
                                   const char* text, uint32_t& est_timeout,
                                   uint32_t logical_request_id) {
+  est_timeout = 0;
   int text_len = strlen(text);
   if (text_len > MAX_TEXT_LEN) return MSG_SEND_FAILED;
 
@@ -514,18 +517,35 @@ int BaseChatMesh::sendCommandData(const ContactInfo& recipient,
                             recipient.getSharedSecret(self_id), temp,
                             payload_len);
   if (pkt == NULL) return MSG_SEND_FAILED;
+  if (recipient.out_path_len != OUT_PATH_UNKNOWN
+      && !mesh::Packet::isValidPathLen(recipient.out_path_len)) {
+    releasePacket(pkt);
+    return MSG_SEND_FAILED;
+  }
 
   uint32_t t = _radio->getEstAirtimeFor(pkt->getRawLength());
+  const uint32_t base_timeout = recipient.out_path_len == OUT_PATH_UNKNOWN
+      ? calcFloodTimeoutMillisFor(t)
+      : calcDirectTimeoutMillisFor(t, recipient.out_path_len);
+  if (!mesh::calculateRemoteCliTimeoutMillis(base_timeout, est_timeout)) {
+    releasePacket(pkt);
+    return MSG_SEND_FAILED;
+  }
+
   int rc;
+  bool sent;
   if (recipient.out_path_len == OUT_PATH_UNKNOWN) {
-    sendFloodScoped(recipient, pkt);
-    txt_send_timeout = futureMillis(est_timeout = calcFloodTimeoutMillisFor(t));
+    sent = sendFloodScoped(recipient, pkt);
     rc = MSG_SEND_SENT_FLOOD;
   } else {
-    sendDirect(pkt, recipient.out_path, recipient.out_path_len);
-    txt_send_timeout = futureMillis(est_timeout = calcDirectTimeoutMillisFor(t, recipient.out_path_len));
+    sent = sendDirect(pkt, recipient.out_path, recipient.out_path_len);
     rc = MSG_SEND_SENT_DIRECT;
   }
+  if (!sent) {
+    est_timeout = 0;
+    return MSG_SEND_FAILED;
+  }
+  txt_send_timeout = futureMillis(est_timeout);
   return rc;
 }
 
@@ -851,12 +871,12 @@ void BaseChatMesh::resetPathTo(ContactInfo& recipient) {
 
 static ContactInfo* table;  // pass via global :-(
 
-static int cmp_adv_timestamp(const void *a, const void *b) {
+static int cmp_contact_list_order(const void *a, const void *b) {
   int a_idx = *((int *)a);
   int b_idx = *((int *)b);
-  if (table[b_idx].last_advert_timestamp > table[a_idx].last_advert_timestamp) return 1;
-  if (table[b_idx].last_advert_timestamp < table[a_idx].last_advert_timestamp) return -1;
-  return 0;
+  return mesh::compareContactListOrder(
+      table[a_idx].flags, table[a_idx].last_advert_timestamp,
+      table[b_idx].flags, table[b_idx].last_advert_timestamp);
 }
 
 void BaseChatMesh::scanRecentContacts(int last_n, ContactVisitor* visitor) {
@@ -864,7 +884,8 @@ void BaseChatMesh::scanRecentContacts(int last_n, ContactVisitor* visitor) {
     sort_array[i] = i;
   }
   table = contacts; // pass via global *sigh* :-(
-  qsort(sort_array, num_contacts, sizeof(sort_array[0]), cmp_adv_timestamp);
+  qsort(sort_array, num_contacts, sizeof(sort_array[0]),
+        cmp_contact_list_order);
 
   if (last_n == 0) {
     last_n = num_contacts;   // scan ALL
diff --git a/src/helpers/CLICommandUtils.h b/src/helpers/CLICommandUtils.h
index b8ced260..bf17c487 100644
--- a/src/helpers/CLICommandUtils.h
+++ b/src/helpers/CLICommandUtils.h
@@ -58,6 +58,13 @@ enum class TerminalPathParseResult : uint8_t {
   RouteTooLong,
 };
 
+// Direct-route prefixes are consumed hop by hop, so a destination cannot
+// distinguish a zero-hop packet from one that arrived through repeaters.
+// "ROUTED" describes the received unicast class without claiming zero hops.
+inline const char* terminalInboundRouteLabel(bool is_direct_route) {
+  return is_direct_route ? "ROUTED" : "FLOOD";
+}
+
 struct RecentRepeaterGetQuery {
   int page;
   uint8_t search_prefix[3];
@@ -204,10 +211,11 @@ inline bool terminalPathKeywordMatches(const char* text,
   return *text == 0;
 }
 
-// Parse: direct | clear | <hop>[,<hop> ...]
+// Parse: direct | clear | <hop>[<separator><hop> ...]
 // Each explicit hop is a one-, two-, or three-byte hexadecimal prefix. All
 // hops must use the same width because that width is encoded once for the
-// complete MeshCore direct path.
+// complete MeshCore direct path. Separators may be commas, spaces, tabs, or
+// mixtures of a comma and surrounding whitespace.
 inline TerminalPathParseResult parseTerminalPath(
     const char* input, uint8_t* output, size_t output_capacity,
     uint8_t max_hops, TerminalPath& result) {
@@ -269,14 +277,16 @@ inline TerminalPathParseResult parseTerminalPath(
     }
     hop_count++;
     input += token_len;
+
+    bool consumed_comma = false;
     input = skipRecentRepeaterSpaces(input);
-    if (*input == 0) break;
-    if (*input != ',') {
-      return TerminalPathParseResult::InvalidSeparator;
+    if (*input == ',') {
+      consumed_comma = true;
+      input = skipRecentRepeaterSpaces(input + 1);
     }
-    input = skipRecentRepeaterSpaces(input + 1);
     if (*input == 0) {
-      return TerminalPathParseResult::InvalidPrefix;
+      if (consumed_comma) return TerminalPathParseResult::InvalidPrefix;
+      break;
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/helpers/ContactListOrder.h b/src/helpers/ContactListOrder.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..adc8015a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/helpers/ContactListOrder.h
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+namespace mesh {
+
+static constexpr uint8_t CONTACT_FLAG_FAVORITE = 0x01;
+
+inline bool isFavoriteContact(uint8_t flags) {
+  return (flags & CONTACT_FLAG_FAVORITE) != 0;
+}
+
+// Negative means A sorts before B. Favorites come first, with the newest
+// advertisement first inside both the favorite and non-favorite groups.
+inline int compareContactListOrder(uint8_t a_flags, uint32_t a_timestamp,
+                                   uint8_t b_flags, uint32_t b_timestamp) {
+  const bool a_favorite = isFavoriteContact(a_flags);
+  const bool b_favorite = isFavoriteContact(b_flags);
+  if (a_favorite != b_favorite) return a_favorite ? -1 : 1;
+  if (a_timestamp > b_timestamp) return -1;
+  if (a_timestamp < b_timestamp) return 1;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+}  // namespace mesh
diff --git a/src/helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h b/src/helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7deb88e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+namespace mesh {
+
+static constexpr uint32_t REMOTE_CLI_TIMEOUT_TOTAL_PERCENT = 300UL;
+static constexpr uint32_t REMOTE_CLI_MAX_TIMEOUT_MILLIS = 0x7FFFFFFFUL;
+
+// Remote CLI_DATA waits for an application-level reply rather than a packet
+// ACK. Use three times the normal route estimate and keep the result within
+// the signed delta range accepted by futureMillis().
+inline bool calculateRemoteCliTimeoutMillis(uint32_t base_timeout_millis,
+                                            uint32_t& timeout_millis) {
+  timeout_millis = 0;
+  if (base_timeout_millis == 0) return false;
+
+  const uint64_t total =
+      static_cast<uint64_t>(base_timeout_millis)
+      * REMOTE_CLI_TIMEOUT_TOTAL_PERCENT / 100UL;
+  if (total > REMOTE_CLI_MAX_TIMEOUT_MILLIS) return false;
+
+  timeout_millis = static_cast<uint32_t>(total);
+  return true;
+}
+
+}  // namespace mesh
diff --git a/src/helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h b/src/helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..068fce70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+namespace mesh {
+
+// Tracks one terminal-originated remote command. CLI_DATA replies do not echo
+// a request identifier, so the sender must serialize commands and match the
+// next reply by the full contact key.
+template <size_t KeySize>
+class TerminalCommandTracker {
+public:
+  TerminalCommandTracker() { clear(); }
+
+  bool begin(const uint8_t* key, uint32_t sent_at,
+             uint32_t timeout_millis) {
+    if (_pending || key == NULL || timeout_millis == 0) return false;
+    memcpy(_key, key, KeySize);
+    _sent_at = sent_at;
+    _timeout_millis = timeout_millis;
+    _pending = true;
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  bool isPending() const { return _pending; }
+
+  bool takeReply(const uint8_t* key, uint32_t received_at,
+                 uint32_t& elapsed_millis) {
+    elapsed_millis = 0;
+    if (!_pending || key == NULL || memcmp(_key, key, KeySize) != 0) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    elapsed_millis = received_at - _sent_at;
+    clear();
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  bool expire(uint32_t now, uint32_t& elapsed_millis) {
+    elapsed_millis = 0;
+    if (!_pending) return false;
+    const uint32_t elapsed = now - _sent_at;
+    if (elapsed < _timeout_millis) return false;
+    elapsed_millis = elapsed;
+    clear();
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  void clear() {
+    _pending = false;
+    memset(_key, 0, sizeof(_key));
+    _sent_at = 0;
+    _timeout_millis = 0;
+  }
+
+private:
+  bool _pending;
+  uint8_t _key[KeySize];
+  uint32_t _sent_at;
+  uint32_t _timeout_millis;
+};
+
+}  // namespace mesh
diff --git a/src/helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h b/src/helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f53f92c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+namespace mesh {
+
+enum class TerminalDisplayCategory : uint8_t {
+  None = 0,
+  Adverts,
+  Channels,
+  Emergency,
+};
+
+enum class TerminalDisplayParseResult : uint8_t {
+  StatusAll = 0,
+  StatusOne,
+  Updated,
+  InvalidCategory,
+  InvalidValue,
+};
+
+struct TerminalDisplayCommand {
+  TerminalDisplayCategory category;
+  bool enabled;
+};
+
+// Runtime-only terminal filters. Binary Companion delivery and offline queueing
+// are deliberately unaffected by these display choices.
+class TerminalDisplayFilter {
+public:
+  TerminalDisplayFilter()
+      : _adverts(false), _channels(false), _emergency(true) {}
+
+  bool isEnabled(TerminalDisplayCategory category) const {
+    if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Adverts) return _adverts;
+    if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Channels) return _channels;
+    if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Emergency) return _emergency;
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  void setEnabled(TerminalDisplayCategory category, bool enabled) {
+    if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Adverts) _adverts = enabled;
+    else if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Channels) _channels = enabled;
+    else if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Emergency) _emergency = enabled;
+  }
+
+  bool shouldShowAdvert() const { return _adverts; }
+
+  bool shouldShowChannel(bool is_emergency) const {
+    return is_emergency ? _emergency : _channels;
+  }
+
+private:
+  bool _adverts;
+  bool _channels;
+  bool _emergency;
+};
+
+inline char terminalDisplayAsciiLower(char value) {
+  return value >= 'A' && value <= 'Z' ? value + ('a' - 'A') : value;
+}
+
+inline bool terminalDisplayTokenEquals(const char* token, size_t token_len,
+                                       const char* expected) {
+  if (token == NULL || expected == NULL || strlen(expected) != token_len) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < token_len; i++) {
+    if (terminalDisplayAsciiLower(token[i])
+        != terminalDisplayAsciiLower(expected[i])) {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+inline const char* skipTerminalDisplaySpaces(const char* text) {
+  while (text != NULL && (*text == ' ' || *text == '\t')) text++;
+  return text;
+}
+
+inline const char* terminalDisplayCategoryName(
+    TerminalDisplayCategory category) {
+  if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Adverts) return "adverts";
+  if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Channels) return "channels";
+  if (category == TerminalDisplayCategory::Emergency) return "emergency";
+  return "unknown";
+}
+
+inline TerminalDisplayParseResult parseTerminalDisplayCommand(
+    const char* arguments, TerminalDisplayCommand& command) {
+  command.category = TerminalDisplayCategory::None;
+  command.enabled = false;
+
+  const char* cursor = skipTerminalDisplaySpaces(arguments);
+  if (cursor == NULL || *cursor == 0) {
+    return TerminalDisplayParseResult::StatusAll;
+  }
+
+  const char* category_token = cursor;
+  while (*cursor != 0 && *cursor != ' ' && *cursor != '\t') cursor++;
+  const size_t category_len = (size_t)(cursor - category_token);
+  if (terminalDisplayTokenEquals(category_token, category_len, "advert")
+      || terminalDisplayTokenEquals(category_token, category_len, "adverts")
+      || terminalDisplayTokenEquals(category_token, category_len,
+                                    "advertisements")) {
+    command.category = TerminalDisplayCategory::Adverts;
+  } else if (terminalDisplayTokenEquals(category_token, category_len,
+                                        "channel")
+      || terminalDisplayTokenEquals(category_token, category_len,
+                                    "channels")) {
+    command.category = TerminalDisplayCategory::Channels;
+  } else if (terminalDisplayTokenEquals(category_token, category_len,
+                                        "emergency")) {
+    command.category = TerminalDisplayCategory::Emergency;
+  } else {
+    return TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidCategory;
+  }
+
+  cursor = skipTerminalDisplaySpaces(cursor);
+  if (*cursor == 0) return TerminalDisplayParseResult::StatusOne;
+
+  const char* value_token = cursor;
+  while (*cursor != 0 && *cursor != ' ' && *cursor != '\t') cursor++;
+  const size_t value_len = (size_t)(cursor - value_token);
+  cursor = skipTerminalDisplaySpaces(cursor);
+  if (*cursor != 0) return TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidValue;
+
+  if (terminalDisplayTokenEquals(value_token, value_len, "on")) {
+    command.enabled = true;
+  } else if (terminalDisplayTokenEquals(value_token, value_len, "off")) {
+    command.enabled = false;
+  } else {
+    return TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidValue;
+  }
+  return TerminalDisplayParseResult::Updated;
+}
+
+}  // namespace mesh
diff --git a/test/README.md b/test/README.md
index ffc22d81..592c655a 100644
--- a/test/README.md
+++ b/test/README.md
@@ -42,7 +42,8 @@ does not reflect the GoogleTest count -- run the built binary directly
 | `test_telemetry_history` | `src/helpers/TelemetryHistory.h` | 30-minute rings; seven-day temperature/voltage and dynamically sized GPS retention; exact 1 C temperature/status encoding; separate Base64 series payloads; 14-bit GPS differentials; resize preservation, heap budgets, and 1-based paging bounds |
 | `test_flood_filter_policy` | `src/helpers/FloodFilterPolicy.h` | unordered blacklist matching; ordered 1/2/3-byte pbyte rule prefixes; original incoming scope classes and canonical region-name identity; channel-authentication cache key comparison; priority ordering and terminal stop masks; bridge-bucket and regionless channel-target selector encoding; `require=region` and per-channel scope-gate truth tables; fast/slow timing; adding, replacing, and preserving packet scope |
 | `test_logical_message_cache` | `src/helpers/LogicalMessageCache.h` | bounded logical-message mapping; stable retry timestamps; exact older retries after newer messages; stale and same-timestamp mismatch rejection |
-| `test_remote_cli_reply_cache` | `src/helpers/RemoteCliReplyCache.h`, `src/helpers/RemoteCliRequest.h` | authenticated logical-request matching; bounded recent-reply history; backward-compatible retry identity; empty-response completion; on-air truncation and clearing |
+| `test_cli_command_utils` | `src/helpers/CLICommandUtils.h`, `src/helpers/ContactListOrder.h`, `src/helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h`, `src/helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h` | terminal verb/argument/path parsing; routed receive labels; quiet display defaults and independent emergency filtering; favorite-first contact ordering; single-command reply matching, round-trip timing, and rollover-safe expiration |
+| `test_remote_cli_reply_cache` | `src/helpers/RemoteCliReplyCache.h`, `src/helpers/RemoteCliRequest.h`, `src/helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h` | authenticated logical-request matching; bounded recent-reply history; backward-compatible retry identity; 300% response timeout; empty-response completion; on-air truncation and clearing |
 | `test_companion_frame_queue` | `src/helpers/CompanionFrameQueue.h` | response/required/best-effort classification; reserved capacity; stable priority; safe eviction; message-waiting coalescing |
 | `test_serial_mode_switch` | `src/helpers/ArduinoSerialInterface.cpp`, `src/helpers/MultiSerialInterface.h` | independent terminal/seeder control-sequence recognition across reads and binary-frame boundaries; passthrough ownership of USB input and suppression of binary output; Bluetooth-only connection and pairing-request routing |
 | `test_ble_tx_stall_watchdog` | `src/helpers/BleTxStallWatchdog.h` | exact BLE fragment progress; blocked-reply timeout; rollover-safe elapsed time; disconnect recovery retry and completion |
diff --git a/test/test_cli_command_utils/test_cli_command_utils.cpp b/test/test_cli_command_utils/test_cli_command_utils.cpp
index 60f7aa4b..93c3aa5d 100644
--- a/test/test_cli_command_utils/test_cli_command_utils.cpp
+++ b/test/test_cli_command_utils/test_cli_command_utils.cpp
@@ -1,8 +1,106 @@
 #include <gtest/gtest.h>
 
 #include <helpers/CLICommandUtils.h>
+#include <helpers/ContactListOrder.h>
+#include <helpers/TerminalCommandTracker.h>
+#include <helpers/TerminalDisplayFilter.h>
 #include <helpers/WiFiPowerSave.h>
 
+TEST(ContactListOrder, SortsFavoritesBeforeNewerNonFavorites) {
+  EXPECT_LT(mesh::compareContactListOrder(0x01, 100, 0x00, 200), 0);
+  EXPECT_GT(mesh::compareContactListOrder(0x00, 200, 0x01, 100), 0);
+}
+
+TEST(ContactListOrder, SortsEachGroupByNewestAdvertisement) {
+  EXPECT_LT(mesh::compareContactListOrder(0x01, 200, 0x01, 100), 0);
+  EXPECT_GT(mesh::compareContactListOrder(0x00, 100, 0x00, 200), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ(0, mesh::compareContactListOrder(0x01, 100, 0x01, 100));
+}
+
+TEST(CLICommandUtils, LabelsInboundDirectRouteAsRouted) {
+  EXPECT_STREQ("ROUTED", mesh::cli::terminalInboundRouteLabel(true));
+  EXPECT_STREQ("FLOOD", mesh::cli::terminalInboundRouteLabel(false));
+}
+
+TEST(TerminalDisplayFilter, UsesQuietDefaultsWithEmergencyVisible) {
+  mesh::TerminalDisplayFilter filter;
+
+  EXPECT_FALSE(filter.shouldShowAdvert());
+  EXPECT_FALSE(filter.shouldShowChannel(false));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(filter.shouldShowChannel(true));
+}
+
+TEST(TerminalDisplayFilter, KeepsChannelAndEmergencyControlsIndependent) {
+  mesh::TerminalDisplayFilter filter;
+
+  filter.setEnabled(mesh::TerminalDisplayCategory::Channels, true);
+  filter.setEnabled(mesh::TerminalDisplayCategory::Emergency, false);
+  filter.setEnabled(mesh::TerminalDisplayCategory::Adverts, true);
+
+  EXPECT_TRUE(filter.shouldShowAdvert());
+  EXPECT_TRUE(filter.shouldShowChannel(false));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(filter.shouldShowChannel(true));
+}
+
+TEST(TerminalDisplayFilter, ParsesStatusAndUpdatesCaseInsensitively) {
+  using mesh::TerminalDisplayCategory;
+  using mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult;
+  mesh::TerminalDisplayCommand command;
+
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalDisplayParseResult::StatusAll,
+            mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand(NULL, command));
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalDisplayParseResult::StatusOne,
+            mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand(" channels ", command));
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalDisplayCategory::Channels, command.category);
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalDisplayParseResult::Updated,
+            mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand(" Emergency OFF ", command));
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalDisplayCategory::Emergency, command.category);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(command.enabled);
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalDisplayParseResult::Updated,
+            mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand("advertisements on", command));
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalDisplayCategory::Adverts, command.category);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(command.enabled);
+}
+
+TEST(TerminalDisplayFilter, RejectsUnknownCategoriesAndValues) {
+  mesh::TerminalDisplayCommand command;
+
+  EXPECT_EQ(mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidCategory,
+            mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand("messages on", command));
+  EXPECT_EQ(mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidValue,
+            mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand("channels maybe", command));
+  EXPECT_EQ(mesh::TerminalDisplayParseResult::InvalidValue,
+            mesh::parseTerminalDisplayCommand("emergency off extra", command));
+}
+
+TEST(TerminalCommandTracker, MatchesReplyAndReportsRoundTrip) {
+  mesh::TerminalCommandTracker<4> tracker;
+  const uint8_t target[] = {0x11, 0x22, 0x33, 0x44};
+  const uint8_t other[] = {0x11, 0x22, 0x33, 0x45};
+  uint32_t elapsed = 99;
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(tracker.begin(target, 1000, 3000));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(tracker.begin(target, 1100, 3000));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(tracker.takeReply(other, 1500, elapsed));
+  EXPECT_EQ(0UL, elapsed);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(tracker.isPending());
+  EXPECT_TRUE(tracker.takeReply(target, 1750, elapsed));
+  EXPECT_EQ(750UL, elapsed);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(tracker.isPending());
+}
+
+TEST(TerminalCommandTracker, ExpiresSafelyAcrossMillisRollover) {
+  mesh::TerminalCommandTracker<4> tracker;
+  const uint8_t target[] = {0xAA, 0xBB, 0xCC, 0xDD};
+  uint32_t elapsed = 0;
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(tracker.begin(target, 0xFFFFFFF0UL, 32));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(tracker.expire(0x0000000FUL, elapsed));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(tracker.expire(0x00000010UL, elapsed));
+  EXPECT_EQ(32UL, elapsed);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(tracker.isPending());
+}
+
 TEST(CLICommandUtils, NormalizesCapitalizedSetVerb) {
   char command[] = "Set altpath 600000,0d2784,F8DADA";
 
@@ -123,6 +221,20 @@ TEST(CLICommandUtils, ParsesTerminalLoginAndRemoteCommandArguments) {
                 "logins password", "login", argument));
 }
 
+TEST(CLICommandUtils, ParsesCapitalizedRecipientWithRepeatedWhitespace) {
+  using mesh::cli::TerminalArgumentCommandMatch;
+  char command[] = "To  SEA Mercerwood";
+  const char* recipient = nullptr;
+
+  mesh::cli::normalizeCommandVerb(command);
+
+  EXPECT_STREQ("to  SEA Mercerwood", command);
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalArgumentCommandMatch::Valid,
+            mesh::cli::parseTerminalArgumentCommand(
+                command, "to", recipient));
+  EXPECT_STREQ("SEA Mercerwood", recipient);
+}
+
 TEST(CLICommandUtils, ParsesTerminalDirectAndExplicitPaths) {
   using mesh::cli::TerminalPathMode;
   using mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult;
@@ -157,6 +269,25 @@ TEST(CLICommandUtils, ParsesTerminalDirectAndExplicitPaths) {
   EXPECT_EQ(0, memcmp(expected, route, sizeof(expected)));
 }
 
+TEST(CLICommandUtils, ParsesSpaceSeparatedTerminalPath) {
+  using mesh::cli::TerminalPathMode;
+  using mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult;
+  uint8_t route[6] = {};
+  mesh::cli::TerminalPath path;
+
+  ASSERT_EQ(TerminalPathParseResult::Valid,
+            mesh::cli::parseTerminalPath(
+                "7773D0 7E7662", route, sizeof(route), 63, path));
+
+  const uint8_t expected[] = {0x77, 0x73, 0xD0, 0x7E, 0x76, 0x62};
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalPathMode::Explicit, path.mode);
+  EXPECT_EQ(3, path.hash_size);
+  EXPECT_EQ(2, path.hop_count);
+  EXPECT_EQ(0x82, path.encoded_len);
+  EXPECT_EQ(sizeof(expected), path.byte_len);
+  EXPECT_EQ(0, memcmp(expected, route, sizeof(expected)));
+}
+
 TEST(CLICommandUtils, RejectsMalformedTerminalPaths) {
   using mesh::cli::TerminalPathParseResult;
   uint8_t route[4] = {};
@@ -177,9 +308,9 @@ TEST(CLICommandUtils, RejectsMalformedTerminalPaths) {
   EXPECT_EQ(TerminalPathParseResult::MixedPrefixSize,
             mesh::cli::parseTerminalPath(
                 "AA,BBBB", route, sizeof(route), 63, path));
-  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalPathParseResult::InvalidSeparator,
+  EXPECT_EQ(TerminalPathParseResult::InvalidPrefix,
             mesh::cli::parseTerminalPath(
-                "AA BB", route, sizeof(route), 63, path));
+                "AA,,BB", route, sizeof(route), 63, path));
   EXPECT_EQ(TerminalPathParseResult::TooManyHops,
             mesh::cli::parseTerminalPath(
                 "AA,BB", route, sizeof(route), 1, path));
diff --git a/test/test_remote_cli_reply_cache/test_remote_cli_reply_cache.cpp b/test/test_remote_cli_reply_cache/test_remote_cli_reply_cache.cpp
index b803992d..41718dcd 100644
--- a/test/test_remote_cli_reply_cache/test_remote_cli_reply_cache.cpp
+++ b/test/test_remote_cli_reply_cache/test_remote_cli_reply_cache.cpp
@@ -2,6 +2,23 @@
 
 #include <helpers/RemoteCliReplyCache.h>
 #include <helpers/RemoteCliRequest.h>
+#include <helpers/RemoteCliTimeout.h>
+
+TEST(RemoteCliTimeout, UsesThreeHundredPercentOfRouteEstimate) {
+  uint32_t timeout = 0;
+
+  ASSERT_TRUE(mesh::calculateRemoteCliTimeoutMillis(6218, timeout));
+  EXPECT_EQ(18654UL, timeout);
+}
+
+TEST(RemoteCliTimeout, RejectsInvalidOrOverflowingEstimate) {
+  uint32_t timeout = 123;
+
+  EXPECT_FALSE(mesh::calculateRemoteCliTimeoutMillis(0, timeout));
+  EXPECT_EQ(0UL, timeout);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(mesh::calculateRemoteCliTimeoutMillis(0x7FFFFFFFUL, timeout));
+  EXPECT_EQ(0UL, timeout);
+}
 
 TEST(RemoteCliReplyCache, ReplaysOnlyTheSameAuthenticatedRequest) {
   mesh::RemoteCliReplyCache cache;