diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 889d2513..50c632ea 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -299,12 +299,13 @@ When adding COMMANDS sections in `src/help.ts`, use `chalk.bold()` for headers,
 
 ### Flag conventions
 - All flags kebab-case: `--my-flag` (never camelCase)
+- **No duplicate defaults in descriptions**: oclif appends `[default: N]` to `--help` automatically. Don't repeat it in `description`. Exceptions: falsy defaults (`0`, `false`) — oclif suppresses these, so keep them in the description. Behavioral phrases like `"defaults to current app"` are fine too.
 - `--app`: `"The app ID or name (defaults to current app)"` (for commands with `resolveAppId`), `"The app ID (defaults to current app)"` (for commands without)
-- `--limit`: `"Maximum number of results to return"` with `min: 1` (oclif shows `[default: N]` automatically, don't duplicate in description)
+- `--limit`: `"Maximum number of results to return"` with `min: 1`
 - `--duration`: Use `durationFlag` from `src/flags.ts`. `"Automatically exit after N seconds"`, alias `-D`.
 - `--rewind`: Use `rewindFlag` from `src/flags.ts`. `"Number of messages to rewind when subscribing (default: 0)"`. Apply with `this.configureRewind(channelOptions, flags.rewind, flags, component, channelName)`.
 - `--start`/`--end`: Use `timeRangeFlags` from `src/flags.ts` and parse with `parseTimestamp()` from `src/utils/time.ts`. Accepts ISO 8601, Unix ms, or relative (e.g., `"1h"`, `"30m"`, `"2d"`).
-- `--direction`: `"Direction of message retrieval (default: backwards)"` or `"Direction of log retrieval"`, options `["backwards", "forwards"]`.
+- `--direction`: `"Direction of message retrieval"` or `"Direction of log retrieval"`, options `["backwards", "forwards"]`.
 - Channels use "publish", Rooms use "send" (matches SDK terminology)
 - Command descriptions: imperative mood, sentence case, no trailing period (e.g., `"Subscribe to presence events on a channel"`)
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 425661d1..bb4b2e0a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -865,7 +865,7 @@ FLAGS
       --json                Output in JSON format
       --pretty-json         Output in colorized JSON format
       --token-only          Output only the token string without any formatting or additional information
-      --ttl=<value>         [default: 3600] Time to live in seconds (default: 3600, 1 hour)
+      --ttl=<value>         [default: 3600] Time to live in seconds
 
 DESCRIPTION
   Create an Ably Token with capabilities
@@ -910,7 +910,7 @@ FLAGS
       --json                Output in JSON format
       --pretty-json         Output in colorized JSON format
       --token-only          Output only the token string without any formatting or additional information
-      --ttl=<value>         [default: 3600] Time to live in seconds (default: 3600, 1 hour)
+      --ttl=<value>         [default: 3600] Time to live in seconds
 
 DESCRIPTION
   Create an Ably JWT token with capabilities
@@ -1401,11 +1401,15 @@ DESCRIPTION
   Manage annotations on Ably Pub/Sub channel messages
 
 EXAMPLES
-  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --name thumbsup
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "metrics:total.v1"
+
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:unique.v1" --name thumbsup
 
   $ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel
 
   $ ably channels annotations get my-channel "01234567890:0"
+
+  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1"
 ```
 
 _See code: [src/commands/channels/annotations/index.ts](https://github.com/ably/ably-cli/blob/v0.17.0/src/commands/channels/annotations/index.ts)_
@@ -1436,13 +1440,15 @@ DESCRIPTION
   Delete an annotation from a channel message
 
 EXAMPLES
-  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --name thumbsup
+  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1"
 
-  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:multiple.v1" --name thumbsup
+  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "categories:distinct.v1" --name important
 
-  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --json
+  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:unique.v1" --name thumbsup
 
-  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --pretty-json
+  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "rating:multiple.v1" --name stars
+
+  $ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1" --json
 ```
 
 _See code: [src/commands/channels/annotations/delete.ts](https://github.com/ably/ably-cli/blob/v0.17.0/src/commands/channels/annotations/delete.ts)_
@@ -1509,15 +1515,17 @@ DESCRIPTION
   Publish an annotation on a channel message
 
 EXAMPLES
-  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --name thumbsup
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "metrics:total.v1"
+
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1"
 
-  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:multiple.v1" --name thumbsup --count 3
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "categories:distinct.v1" --name important
 
-  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --data '{"key":"value"}'
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:unique.v1" --name thumbsup
 
-  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --json
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "rating:multiple.v1" --name stars --count 4
 
-  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --pretty-json
+  $ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "metrics:total.v1" --json
 ```
 
 _See code: [src/commands/channels/annotations/publish.ts](https://github.com/ably/ably-cli/blob/v0.17.0/src/commands/channels/annotations/publish.ts)_
@@ -1552,11 +1560,11 @@ EXAMPLES
 
   $ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --type "reactions:flag.v1"
 
-  $ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --json
-
-  $ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --pretty-json
+  $ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --type "metrics:total.v1"
 
   $ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --duration 30
+
+  $ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --json
 ```
 
 _See code: [src/commands/channels/annotations/subscribe.ts](https://github.com/ably/ably-cli/blob/v0.17.0/src/commands/channels/annotations/subscribe.ts)_
@@ -1698,8 +1706,8 @@ ARGUMENTS
 
 FLAGS
   -v, --verbose             Output verbose logs
-      --cipher=<value>      Decryption key for encrypted messages (AES-128)
-      --direction=<option>  [default: backwards] Direction of message retrieval (default: backwards)
+      --cipher=<value>      Decryption key for encrypted messages, uses AES-256 by default
+      --direction=<option>  [default: backwards] Direction of message retrieval
                             <options: backwards|forwards>
       --end=<value>         End time as ISO 8601, Unix ms, or relative (e.g., "1h", "30m", "2d")
       --json                Output in JSON format
@@ -1723,7 +1731,7 @@ EXAMPLES
 
   $ ably channels history my-channel --limit 100
 
-  $ ably channels history my-channel --direction forward
+  $ ably channels history my-channel --direction forwards
 ```
 
 _See code: [src/commands/channels/history.ts](https://github.com/ably/ably-cli/blob/v0.17.0/src/commands/channels/history.ts)_
@@ -2021,8 +2029,8 @@ ARGUMENTS
   MESSAGE  The message to publish (JSON format or plain text)
 
 FLAGS
-  -c, --count=<value>       [default: 1] Number of messages to publish (default: 1)
-  -d, --delay=<value>       [default: 40] Delay between messages in milliseconds (default: 40ms, max 25 msgs/sec)
+  -c, --count=<value>       [default: 1] Number of messages to publish
+  -d, --delay=<value>       [default: 40] Delay between messages in milliseconds (max 25 msgs/sec)
   -e, --encoding=<value>    The encoding for the message
   -n, --name=<value>        The event name (if not specified in the message JSON)
   -v, --verbose             Output verbose logs
@@ -2078,13 +2086,13 @@ ARGUMENTS
 FLAGS
   -D, --duration=<value>           Automatically exit after N seconds
   -v, --verbose                    Output verbose logs
-      --cipher-algorithm=<value>   [default: aes] Encryption algorithm to use (default: aes)
-      --cipher-key=<value>         Encryption key for decrypting messages (hex-encoded)
-      --cipher-key-length=<value>  [default: 256] Length of encryption key in bits (default: 256)
-      --cipher-mode=<value>        [default: cbc] Cipher mode to use (default: cbc)
+      --cipher-algorithm=<value>   [default: aes] Encryption algorithm to use
+      --cipher-key=<value>         Encryption key for decrypting messages (base64-encoded or hex-encoded)
+      --cipher-key-length=<value>  [default: 256] Length of encryption key in bits
+      --cipher-mode=<value>        [default: cbc] Cipher mode to use
       --client-id=<value>          Overrides any default client ID when using API authentication. Use "none" to
                                    explicitly set no client ID. Not applicable when using token authentication.
-      --delta                      Enable delta compression for messages
+      --delta                      Enable delta compression (VCDIFF) to reduce message payload sizes
       --json                       Output in JSON format
       --pretty-json                Output in colorized JSON format
       --rewind=<value>             Number of messages to rewind when subscribing (default: 0)
@@ -2358,13 +2366,13 @@ FLAGS
       --channel-filter=<value>  Channel filter pattern
       --json                    Output in JSON format
       --pretty-json             Output in colorized JSON format
-      --request-mode=<option>   [default: single] Request mode for the integration (default: single)
+      --request-mode=<option>   [default: single] Request mode for the integration
                                 <options: single|batch>
       --rule-type=<option>      (required) Type of integration (http, amqp, etc.)
                                 <options: http|amqp|kinesis|firehose|pulsar|kafka|azure|azure-functions|mqtt|cloudmqtt>
       --source-type=<option>    (required) The event source type
                                 <options: channel.message|channel.presence|channel.lifecycle|presence.message>
-      --status=<option>         [default: enabled] Initial status of the integration (default: enabled)
+      --status=<option>         [default: enabled] Initial status of the integration
                                 <options: enabled|disabled>
       --target-url=<value>      Target URL for HTTP integrations
 
@@ -3554,11 +3562,11 @@ FLAGS
   -v, --verbose             Output verbose logs
       --app=<value>         The app ID or name (defaults to current app)
       --json                Output in JSON format
-      --max-length=<value>  [default: 10000] Maximum number of messages in the queue (default: 10000)
+      --max-length=<value>  [default: 10000] Maximum number of messages in the queue (max: 10000)
       --name=<value>        (required) Name of the queue
       --pretty-json         Output in colorized JSON format
-      --region=<value>      [default: us-east-1-a] Region for the queue (default: us-east-1-a)
-      --ttl=<value>         [default: 60] Time to live for messages in seconds (default: 60)
+      --region=<value>      [default: us-east-1-a] Region for the queue (e.g., us-east-1-a, eu-west-1-a)
+      --ttl=<value>         [default: 60] Time to live for messages in seconds (max: 3600)
 
 DESCRIPTION
   Create a queue
@@ -3566,7 +3574,7 @@ DESCRIPTION
 EXAMPLES
   $ ably queues create --name "my-queue"
 
-  $ ably queues create --name "my-queue" --ttl 3600 --max-length 100000
+  $ ably queues create --name "my-queue" --ttl 300 --max-length 5000
 
   $ ably queues create --name "my-queue" --region "eu-west-1-a" --app "My App"
 
@@ -3772,7 +3780,7 @@ FLAGS
   -v, --verbose         Output verbose logs
       --end=<value>     End time as ISO 8601, Unix ms, or relative (e.g., "1h", "30m", "2d")
       --json            Output in JSON format
-      --order=<option>  [default: newestFirst] Query direction: oldestFirst or newestFirst (default: newestFirst)
+      --order=<option>  [default: newestFirst] Order of results: oldestFirst or newestFirst
                         <options: oldestFirst|newestFirst>
       --pretty-json     Output in colorized JSON format
       --show-metadata   Display message metadata if available
@@ -3953,8 +3961,8 @@ ARGUMENTS
   TEXT  The message text to send
 
 FLAGS
-  -c, --count=<value>      [default: 1] Number of messages to send (default: 1)
-  -d, --delay=<value>      [default: 40] Delay between messages in milliseconds (default: 40ms, max 25 msgs/sec)
+  -c, --count=<value>      [default: 1] Number of messages to send
+  -d, --delay=<value>      [default: 40] Delay between messages in milliseconds (max 25 msgs/sec)
   -v, --verbose            Output verbose logs
       --client-id=<value>  Overrides any default client ID when using API authentication. Use "none" to explicitly set
                            no client ID. Not applicable when using token authentication.
diff --git a/src/chat-base-command.ts b/src/chat-base-command.ts
index 5db8c9a2..fd5a16ed 100644
--- a/src/chat-base-command.ts
+++ b/src/chat-base-command.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-import { ChatClient, Room, RoomStatus } from "@ably/chat";
+import type * as Ably from "ably";
+import { ChatClient, LogLevel, Room, RoomStatus } from "@ably/chat";
 
 import { AblyBaseCommand } from "./base-command.js";
 import { productApiFlags } from "./flags.js";
@@ -96,8 +97,13 @@ export abstract class ChatBaseCommand extends AblyBaseCommand {
       );
     }
 
-    // Use the Ably client to create the Chat client
-    return (this._chatClient = new ChatClient(realtimeClient));
+    // Use the Ably client to create the Chat client.
+    // Suppress Chat SDK's console logger by default; enable it when --verbose is active
+    // so that additional diagnostic output is available on demand.
+    const chatOptions = flags.verbose
+      ? { logLevel: LogLevel.Info }
+      : { logLevel: LogLevel.Silent };
+    return (this._chatClient = new ChatClient(realtimeClient, chatOptions));
   }
 
   protected setupRoomStatusHandler(
diff --git a/src/commands/apps/create.ts b/src/commands/apps/create.ts
index 265fe264..55d70fd6 100644
--- a/src/commands/apps/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/apps/create.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ export default class AppsCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
 
   async run(): Promise<void> {
     const { flags } = await this.parse(AppsCreateCommand);
+    if (!flags.name?.trim()) {
+      this.fail("App name cannot be empty", flags, "parse");
+    }
 
     try {
       const controlApi = this.createControlApi(flags);
diff --git a/src/commands/apps/rules/create.ts b/src/commands/apps/rules/create.ts
index 94178807..4dd1c73c 100644
--- a/src/commands/apps/rules/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/apps/rules/create.ts
@@ -100,6 +100,9 @@ export default class RulesCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
 
   async run(): Promise<void> {
     const { flags } = await this.parse(RulesCreateCommand);
+    if (!flags.name?.trim()) {
+      this.fail("Rule name cannot be empty", flags, "parse");
+    }
 
     const appId = await this.requireAppId(flags);
 
diff --git a/src/commands/auth/issue-ably-token.ts b/src/commands/auth/issue-ably-token.ts
index 4aa1230d..7471372e 100644
--- a/src/commands/auth/issue-ably-token.ts
+++ b/src/commands/auth/issue-ably-token.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ export default class IssueAblyTokenCommand extends AblyBaseCommand {
 
     ttl: Flags.integer({
       default: 3600, // 1 hour
-      description: "Time to live in seconds (default: 3600, 1 hour)",
+      description: "Time to live in seconds",
     }),
   };
 
diff --git a/src/commands/auth/issue-jwt-token.ts b/src/commands/auth/issue-jwt-token.ts
index 694b6b35..979a2414 100644
--- a/src/commands/auth/issue-jwt-token.ts
+++ b/src/commands/auth/issue-jwt-token.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export default class IssueJwtTokenCommand extends AblyBaseCommand {
 
     ttl: Flags.integer({
       default: 3600, // 1 hour
-      description: "Time to live in seconds (default: 3600, 1 hour)",
+      description: "Time to live in seconds",
     }),
   };
 
diff --git a/src/commands/auth/keys/create.ts b/src/commands/auth/keys/create.ts
index 34577f61..c8965ec1 100644
--- a/src/commands/auth/keys/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/auth/keys/create.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ export default class KeysCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
 
   async run(): Promise<void> {
     const { flags } = await this.parse(KeysCreateCommand);
+    if (!flags.name?.trim()) {
+      this.fail("Key name cannot be empty", flags, "parse");
+    }
 
     const appId = await this.requireAppId(flags);
 
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/annotations/delete.ts b/src/commands/channels/annotations/delete.ts
index bb21a459..af854dad 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/annotations/delete.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/annotations/delete.ts
@@ -33,10 +33,11 @@ export default class ChannelsAnnotationsDelete extends AblyBaseCommand {
   static override description = "Delete an annotation from a channel message";
 
   static override examples = [
-    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --name thumbsup',
-    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:multiple.v1" --name thumbsup',
-    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --json',
-    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --pretty-json',
+    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1"',
+    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "categories:distinct.v1" --name important',
+    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:unique.v1" --name thumbsup',
+    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "rating:multiple.v1" --name stars',
+    '$ ably channels annotations delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1" --json',
   ];
 
   static override flags = {
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/annotations/index.ts b/src/commands/channels/annotations/index.ts
index c7c0e965..03589405 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/annotations/index.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/annotations/index.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ export default class ChannelsAnnotations extends BaseTopicCommand {
     "Manage annotations on Ably Pub/Sub channel messages";
 
   static override examples = [
-    '<%= config.bin %> <%= command.id %> publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --name thumbsup',
+    '<%= config.bin %> <%= command.id %> publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "metrics:total.v1"',
+    '<%= config.bin %> <%= command.id %> publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:unique.v1" --name thumbsup',
     "<%= config.bin %> <%= command.id %> subscribe my-channel",
     '<%= config.bin %> <%= command.id %> get my-channel "01234567890:0"',
+    '<%= config.bin %> <%= command.id %> delete my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1"',
   ];
 }
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/annotations/publish.ts b/src/commands/channels/annotations/publish.ts
index 584a2a3a..04365fe2 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/annotations/publish.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/annotations/publish.ts
@@ -33,11 +33,12 @@ export default class ChannelsAnnotationsPublish extends AblyBaseCommand {
   static override description = "Publish an annotation on a channel message";
 
   static override examples = [
-    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --name thumbsup',
-    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:multiple.v1" --name thumbsup --count 3',
-    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --data \'{"key":"value"}\'',
-    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --json',
-    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:flag.v1" --pretty-json',
+    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "metrics:total.v1"',
+    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "receipts:flag.v1"',
+    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "categories:distinct.v1" --name important',
+    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "reactions:unique.v1" --name thumbsup',
+    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "rating:multiple.v1" --name stars --count 4',
+    '$ ably channels annotations publish my-channel "01234567890:0" "metrics:total.v1" --json',
   ];
 
   static override flags = {
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/annotations/subscribe.ts b/src/commands/channels/annotations/subscribe.ts
index e58457a4..838eb1c0 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/annotations/subscribe.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/annotations/subscribe.ts
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ export default class ChannelsAnnotationsSubscribe extends AblyBaseCommand {
   static override examples = [
     "$ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel",
     '$ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --type "reactions:flag.v1"',
-    "$ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --json",
-    "$ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --pretty-json",
+    '$ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --type "metrics:total.v1"',
     "$ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --duration 30",
+    "$ ably channels annotations subscribe my-channel --json",
   ];
 
   static override flags = {
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/history.ts b/src/commands/channels/history.ts
index ada6b603..7c0a92b9 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/history.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/history.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
   formatMessageTimestamp,
   formatIndex,
   formatCountLabel,
+  formatProgress,
   formatResource,
   formatLimitWarning,
   formatMessagesOutput,
@@ -37,17 +38,18 @@ export default class ChannelsHistory extends AblyBaseCommand {
     '$ ably channels history my-channel --start "2023-01-01T00:00:00Z" --end "2023-01-02T00:00:00Z"',
     "$ ably channels history my-channel --start 1h",
     "$ ably channels history my-channel --limit 100",
-    "$ ably channels history my-channel --direction forward",
+    "$ ably channels history my-channel --direction forwards",
   ];
 
   static override flags = {
     ...productApiFlags,
     cipher: Flags.string({
-      description: "Decryption key for encrypted messages (AES-128)",
+      description:
+        "Decryption key for encrypted messages, uses AES-256 by default",
     }),
     direction: Flags.string({
       default: "backwards",
-      description: "Direction of message retrieval (default: backwards)",
+      description: "Direction of message retrieval",
       options: ["backwards", "forwards"],
     }),
 
@@ -87,6 +89,24 @@ export default class ChannelsHistory extends AblyBaseCommand {
       // Build history query parameters
       const historyParams = buildHistoryParams(flags);
 
+      // Show fetching status
+      if (this.shouldOutputJson(flags)) {
+        this.logJsonEvent(
+          {
+            channel: channelName,
+            limit: flags.limit,
+            status: "fetching",
+          },
+          flags,
+        );
+      } else {
+        this.log(
+          formatProgress(
+            `Fetching ${flags.limit} most recent messages from channel ${formatResource(channelName)}`,
+          ),
+        );
+      }
+
       // Get history
       const history = await channel.history(historyParams);
       const {
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/inspect.ts b/src/commands/channels/inspect.ts
index 4b6eb2e0..a58b2af3 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/inspect.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/inspect.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ export default class ChannelsInspect extends AblyBaseCommand {
     }
     const url = `${dashboardHost}/accounts/${accountId}/apps/${appId}/channels/${encodeURIComponent(args.channel)}`;
 
-    await openUrl(url, this);
+    const isJson = this.shouldOutputJson(flags);
+    if (isJson) {
+      this.logJsonResult({ message: `Opening ${url} in your browser` }, flags);
+    }
+
+    await openUrl(url, this, isJson);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/publish.ts b/src/commands/channels/publish.ts
index 2e78c2c6..7ee04f6d 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/publish.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/publish.ts
@@ -47,13 +47,13 @@ export default class ChannelsPublish extends AblyBaseCommand {
     count: Flags.integer({
       char: "c",
       default: 1,
-      description: "Number of messages to publish (default: 1)",
+      description: "Number of messages to publish",
+      min: 1,
     }),
     delay: Flags.integer({
       char: "d",
       default: 40,
-      description:
-        "Delay between messages in milliseconds (default: 40ms, max 25 msgs/sec)",
+      description: "Delay between messages in milliseconds (max 25 msgs/sec)",
     }),
     encoding: Flags.string({
       char: "e",
@@ -163,8 +163,7 @@ export default class ChannelsPublish extends AblyBaseCommand {
     flags: Record<string, unknown>,
     publisher: (msg: Ably.Message) => Promise<Ably.PublishResult | void>,
   ): Promise<void> {
-    // Validate count and delay
-    const count = Math.max(1, flags.count as number);
+    const count = flags.count as number;
     let delay = flags.delay as number;
 
     this.logCliEvent(
diff --git a/src/commands/channels/subscribe.ts b/src/commands/channels/subscribe.ts
index 7990b87a..55432cd0 100644
--- a/src/commands/channels/subscribe.ts
+++ b/src/commands/channels/subscribe.ts
@@ -49,22 +49,24 @@ export default class ChannelsSubscribe extends AblyBaseCommand {
     ...rewindFlag,
     "cipher-algorithm": Flags.string({
       default: "aes",
-      description: "Encryption algorithm to use (default: aes)",
+      description: "Encryption algorithm to use",
     }),
     "cipher-key": Flags.string({
-      description: "Encryption key for decrypting messages (hex-encoded)",
+      description:
+        "Encryption key for decrypting messages (base64-encoded or hex-encoded)",
     }),
     "cipher-key-length": Flags.integer({
       default: 256,
-      description: "Length of encryption key in bits (default: 256)",
+      description: "Length of encryption key in bits",
     }),
     "cipher-mode": Flags.string({
       default: "cbc",
-      description: "Cipher mode to use (default: cbc)",
+      description: "Cipher mode to use",
     }),
     delta: Flags.boolean({
       default: false,
-      description: "Enable delta compression for messages",
+      description:
+        "Enable delta compression (VCDIFF) to reduce message payload sizes",
     }),
     "sequence-numbers": Flags.boolean({
       default: false,
diff --git a/src/commands/integrations/create.ts b/src/commands/integrations/create.ts
index 518c123b..e13e7697 100644
--- a/src/commands/integrations/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/integrations/create.ts
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export default class IntegrationsCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
     }),
     "request-mode": Flags.string({
       default: "single",
-      description: "Request mode for the integration (default: single)",
+      description: "Request mode for the integration",
       options: ["single", "batch"],
       required: false,
     }),
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ export default class IntegrationsCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
     }),
     status: Flags.string({
       default: "enabled",
-      description: "Initial status of the integration (default: enabled)",
+      description: "Initial status of the integration",
       options: ["enabled", "disabled"],
       required: false,
     }),
diff --git a/src/commands/queues/create.ts b/src/commands/queues/create.ts
index 31688d0a..4bfdc8b6 100644
--- a/src/commands/queues/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/queues/create.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export default class QueuesCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
 
   static examples = [
     '$ ably queues create --name "my-queue"',
-    '$ ably queues create --name "my-queue" --ttl 3600 --max-length 100000',
+    '$ ably queues create --name "my-queue" --ttl 300 --max-length 5000',
     '$ ably queues create --name "my-queue" --region "eu-west-1-a" --app "My App"',
     '$ ably queues create --name "my-queue" --json',
   ];
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export default class QueuesCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
     }),
     "max-length": Flags.integer({
       default: 10_000,
-      description: "Maximum number of messages in the queue (default: 10000)",
+      description: "Maximum number of messages in the queue (max: 10000)",
       required: false,
     }),
     name: Flags.string({
@@ -34,21 +34,32 @@ export default class QueuesCreateCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
     }),
     region: Flags.string({
       default: "us-east-1-a",
-      description: "Region for the queue (default: us-east-1-a)",
+      description: "Region for the queue (e.g., us-east-1-a, eu-west-1-a)",
       required: false,
     }),
     ttl: Flags.integer({
       default: 60,
-      description: "Time to live for messages in seconds (default: 60)",
+      description: "Time to live for messages in seconds (max: 3600)",
       required: false,
     }),
   };
 
   async run(): Promise<void> {
     const { flags } = await this.parse(QueuesCreateCommand);
+    if (!flags.name?.trim()) {
+      this.fail("Queue name cannot be empty", flags, "parse");
+    }
 
     const appId = await this.requireAppId(flags);
 
+    if (flags["max-length"] > 10_000) {
+      this.fail("max-length must not exceed 10000.", flags, "queueCreate");
+    }
+
+    if (flags.ttl > 3600) {
+      this.fail("ttl must not exceed 3600 seconds.", flags, "queueCreate");
+    }
+
     try {
       const controlApi = this.createControlApi(flags);
       const queueData = {
diff --git a/src/commands/queues/delete.ts b/src/commands/queues/delete.ts
index 56ec98f0..53e42c9d 100644
--- a/src/commands/queues/delete.ts
+++ b/src/commands/queues/delete.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ export default class QueuesDeleteCommand extends ControlBaseCommand {
 
   async run(): Promise<void> {
     const { args, flags } = await this.parse(QueuesDeleteCommand);
+    if (!args.queueId?.trim()) {
+      this.fail("Queue ID cannot be empty", flags, "parse");
+    }
 
     const appId = await this.requireAppId(flags);
 
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/list.ts b/src/commands/rooms/list.ts
index 19b0b291..ff19db44 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/list.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/list.ts
@@ -117,6 +117,10 @@ export default class RoomsList extends ChatBaseCommand {
           const roomNameMatch = channelId.match(/^(.+?)::\$chat.*$/);
           if (!roomNameMatch || !roomNameMatch[1]) return false;
           const roomName = roomNameMatch[1];
+          // Apply prefix filter at the room name level, not just the channel level.
+          // The server-side prefix filter operates on channel IDs (e.g., "prefix::$chat::messages"),
+          // but we need to verify the extracted room name itself starts with the user's prefix.
+          if (flags.prefix && !roomName.startsWith(flags.prefix)) return false;
           if (seenRooms.has(roomName)) return false;
           seenRooms.add(roomName);
           return true;
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts
index fc807856..20197c58 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts
@@ -58,8 +58,7 @@ export default class MessagesHistory extends ChatBaseCommand {
     }),
     order: Flags.string({
       default: "newestFirst",
-      description:
-        "Query direction: oldestFirst or newestFirst (default: newestFirst)",
+      description: "Order of results: oldestFirst or newestFirst",
       options: ["oldestFirst", "newestFirst"],
     }),
     "show-metadata": Flags.boolean({
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts
index 7c4e63cb..f59a6f4f 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts
@@ -67,13 +67,13 @@ export default class MessagesSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
     count: Flags.integer({
       char: "c",
       default: 1,
-      description: "Number of messages to send (default: 1)",
+      description: "Number of messages to send",
+      min: 1,
     }),
     delay: Flags.integer({
       char: "d",
       default: 40,
-      description:
-        "Delay between messages in milliseconds (default: 40ms, max 25 msgs/sec)",
+      description: "Delay between messages in milliseconds (max 25 msgs/sec)",
     }),
     metadata: Flags.string({
       description: "Additional metadata for the message (JSON format)",
@@ -137,8 +137,7 @@ export default class MessagesSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
 
       const room = await this.chatClient.rooms.get(args.room);
 
-      // Validate count and delay
-      const count = Math.max(1, flags.count);
+      const count = flags.count;
       let { delay } = flags;
 
       // Enforce minimum delay when sending multiple messages
diff --git a/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/get.ts b/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/get.ts
index 97b36a7f..099977b3 100644
--- a/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/get.ts
+++ b/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/get.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { Args } from "@oclif/core";
 
-import { AblyBaseCommand } from "../../../base-command.js";
+import { SpacesBaseCommand } from "../../../spaces-base-command.js";
 import { productApiFlags } from "../../../flags.js";
 import { formatLabel, formatResource } from "../../../utils/output.js";
 
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ interface OccupancyMetrics {
   subscribers: number;
 }
 
-export default class SpacesOccupancyGet extends AblyBaseCommand {
+export default class SpacesOccupancyGet extends SpacesBaseCommand {
   static override args = {
     space_name: Args.string({
       description: "Space name to get occupancy for",
diff --git a/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/subscribe.ts b/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/subscribe.ts
index f8de63b3..e97d3c14 100644
--- a/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/subscribe.ts
+++ b/src/commands/spaces/occupancy/subscribe.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { Args } from "@oclif/core";
 import * as Ably from "ably";
 
-import { AblyBaseCommand } from "../../../base-command.js";
+import { SpacesBaseCommand } from "../../../spaces-base-command.js";
 import { clientIdFlag, durationFlag, productApiFlags } from "../../../flags.js";
 import {
   formatEventType,
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
 
 const SPACE_CHANNEL_TAG = "::$space";
 
-export default class SpacesOccupancySubscribe extends AblyBaseCommand {
+export default class SpacesOccupancySubscribe extends SpacesBaseCommand {
   static override args = {
     space_name: Args.string({
       description: "Space name to subscribe to occupancy events",
diff --git a/src/commands/status.ts b/src/commands/status.ts
index 116bd89f..6e2408ac 100644
--- a/src/commands/status.ts
+++ b/src/commands/status.ts
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ export default class StatusCommand extends AblyBaseCommand {
       }
 
       if (flags.open) {
-        await openUrl("https://status.ably.com", this);
+        await openUrl("https://status.ably.com", this, isJson);
       }
     } catch (error) {
       if (spinner) {
diff --git a/src/utils/open-url.ts b/src/utils/open-url.ts
index 93108510..c7ec6908 100644
--- a/src/utils/open-url.ts
+++ b/src/utils/open-url.ts
@@ -11,16 +11,28 @@ interface Logger {
 // In web CLI mode it prints "Visit <url>" instead of trying to open a browser.
 // We don't want to open browsers in unit tests, and we can't use mocking to catch the calls because of how
 // oclif loads the commands.
-const openUrl = async (url: string, logger: Logger): Promise<void> => {
+// When isJsonOutput is true, human-readable messages are suppressed — callers are responsible for emitting
+// proper JSON envelope output via logJsonResult/logJsonEvent before calling openUrl.
+const openUrl = async (
+  url: string,
+  logger: Logger,
+  isJsonOutput = false,
+): Promise<void> => {
   if (isWebCliMode()) {
-    logger.log(`${chalk.cyan("Visit")} ${url}`);
+    if (!isJsonOutput) {
+      logger.log(`${chalk.cyan("Visit")} ${url}`);
+    }
     return;
   }
-  logger.log(
-    `${chalk.cyan("Opening")} ${url} ${chalk.cyan("in your browser")}...`,
-  );
+  if (!isJsonOutput) {
+    logger.log(
+      `${chalk.cyan("Opening")} ${url} ${chalk.cyan("in your browser")}...`,
+    );
+  }
   if (isTestMode()) {
-    logger.log(`would open URL in browser: ${url}`);
+    if (!isJsonOutput) {
+      logger.log(`would open URL in browser: ${url}`);
+    }
     return;
   }
   await open(url);
diff --git a/test/e2e/channels/channels-e2e.test.ts b/test/e2e/channels/channels-e2e.test.ts
index bc8d292c..3e567a82 100644
--- a/test/e2e/channels/channels-e2e.test.ts
+++ b/test/e2e/channels/channels-e2e.test.ts
@@ -338,7 +338,10 @@ describe("Channel E2E Tests", () => {
 
     let result;
     try {
-      result = JSON.parse(historyResult.stdout);
+      // The --json output is NDJSON (one event line + one result line).
+      // Parse the last non-empty line which contains the result.
+      const lines = historyResult.stdout.trim().split("\n").filter(Boolean);
+      result = JSON.parse(lines.at(-1));
     } catch (parseError) {
       throw new Error(
         `Failed to parse JSON history output. Parse error: ${parseError}. Exit code: ${historyResult.exitCode}, Stderr: ${historyResult.stderr}, Stdout: ${historyResult.stdout}`,
diff --git a/test/unit/commands/channels/history.test.ts b/test/unit/commands/channels/history.test.ts
index 672ff574..57d717c0 100644
--- a/test/unit/commands/channels/history.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/commands/channels/history.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   getMockAblyRest,
   createMockPaginatedResult,
 } from "../../../helpers/mock-ably-rest.js";
+import { captureJsonLogs } from "../../../helpers/ndjson.js";
 import {
   standardHelpTests,
   standardArgValidationTests,
@@ -161,21 +162,26 @@ describe("channels:history command", () => {
     });
 
     it("should output JSON format when --json flag is used", async () => {
-      const { stdout } = await runCommand(
-        ["channels:history", "test-channel", "--json"],
-        import.meta.url,
-      );
-
-      const result = JSON.parse(stdout);
+      const records = await captureJsonLogs(async () => {
+        await runCommand(
+          ["channels:history", "test-channel", "--json"],
+          import.meta.url,
+        );
+      });
+
+      const results = records.filter((r) => r.type === "result");
+      expect(results.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+      const result = results[0];
       expect(result).toHaveProperty("type", "result");
       expect(result).toHaveProperty("command", "channels:history");
       expect(result).toHaveProperty("success", true);
       expect(result).toHaveProperty("messages");
-      expect(result.messages).toHaveLength(2);
-      expect(result.messages[0]).toHaveProperty("id", "msg-1");
-      expect(result.messages[0]).toHaveProperty("name", "test-event");
-      expect(result.messages[0]).toHaveProperty("data");
-      expect(result.messages[0].data).toEqual({ text: "Hello world" });
+      const messages = result.messages as Array<Record<string, unknown>>;
+      expect(messages).toHaveLength(2);
+      expect(messages[0]).toHaveProperty("id", "msg-1");
+      expect(messages[0]).toHaveProperty("name", "test-event");
+      expect(messages[0]).toHaveProperty("data");
+      expect(messages[0].data).toEqual({ text: "Hello world" });
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/test/unit/commands/channels/publish.test.ts b/test/unit/commands/channels/publish.test.ts
index e8b3db6c..0a547b13 100644
--- a/test/unit/commands/channels/publish.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/commands/channels/publish.test.ts
@@ -543,5 +543,27 @@ describe("ChannelsPublish", function () {
       expect(stdout).toContain("1");
       expect(stdout).toMatch(/error/i);
     });
+
+    it("should reject --count 0", async function () {
+      const { error } = await runCommand(
+        ["channels:publish", "test-channel", "msg", "--count", "0"],
+        import.meta.url,
+      );
+
+      expect(error?.message).toMatch(
+        /Expected an integer greater than or equal to 1 but received: 0/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should reject --count -1", async function () {
+      const { error } = await runCommand(
+        ["channels:publish", "test-channel", "msg", "--count", "-1"],
+        import.meta.url,
+      );
+
+      expect(error?.message).toMatch(
+        /Expected an integer greater than or equal to 1 but received: -1/,
+      );
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/unit/commands/queues/create.test.ts b/test/unit/commands/queues/create.test.ts
index 2a9c193c..980b7aa5 100644
--- a/test/unit/commands/queues/create.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/commands/queues/create.test.ts
@@ -84,14 +84,14 @@ describe("queues:create command", () => {
       nockControl()
         .post(`/v1/apps/${appId}/queues`, {
           name: mockQueueName,
-          maxLength: 50000,
+          maxLength: 5000,
           region: "eu-west-1-a",
           ttl: 3600,
         })
         .reply(201, {
           ...createMockQueueResponse(appId),
           region: "eu-west-1-a",
-          maxLength: 50000,
+          maxLength: 5000,
           ttl: 3600,
         });
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ describe("queues:create command", () => {
           "--name",
           mockQueueName,
           "--max-length",
-          "50000",
+          "5000",
           "--region",
           "eu-west-1-a",
           "--ttl",
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ describe("queues:create command", () => {
       expect(stdout).toContain("Queue created:");
       expect(stdout).toContain("Region: eu-west-1-a");
       expect(stdout).toContain("TTL: 3600 seconds");
-      expect(stdout).toContain("Max Length: 50000 messages");
+      expect(stdout).toContain("Max Length: 5000 messages");
     });
 
     it("should output JSON format when --json flag is used", async () => {
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ describe("queues:create command", () => {
       expect(stdout).toContain("Max Length: 1 messages");
     });
 
-    it("should accept large parameter values and different regions", async () => {
+    it("should accept max parameter values and different regions", async () => {
       const mockConfig = getMockConfigManager();
       const appId = mockConfig.getCurrentAppId()!;
       const accountId = mockConfig.getCurrentAccount()!.accountId!;
@@ -426,15 +426,15 @@ describe("queues:create command", () => {
       nockControl()
         .post(`/v1/apps/${appId}/queues`, {
           name: mockQueueName,
-          maxLength: 1000000,
+          maxLength: 10000,
           region: "ap-southeast-2-a",
-          ttl: 86400,
+          ttl: 3600,
         })
         .reply(201, {
           ...createMockQueueResponse(appId),
           region: "ap-southeast-2-a",
-          maxLength: 1000000,
-          ttl: 86400,
+          maxLength: 10000,
+          ttl: 3600,
         });
 
       const { stdout } = await runCommand(
@@ -443,19 +443,39 @@ describe("queues:create command", () => {
           "--name",
           mockQueueName,
           "--max-length",
-          "1000000",
+          "10000",
           "--region",
           "ap-southeast-2-a",
           "--ttl",
-          "86400",
+          "3600",
         ],
         import.meta.url,
       );
 
       expect(stdout).toContain("Queue created:");
       expect(stdout).toContain("Region: ap-southeast-2-a");
-      expect(stdout).toContain("TTL: 86400 seconds");
-      expect(stdout).toContain("Max Length: 1000000 messages");
+      expect(stdout).toContain("TTL: 3600 seconds");
+      expect(stdout).toContain("Max Length: 10000 messages");
+    });
+
+    it("should reject max-length exceeding 10000", async () => {
+      const { error } = await runCommand(
+        ["queues:create", "--name", mockQueueName, "--max-length", "10001"],
+        import.meta.url,
+      );
+
+      expect(error).toBeDefined();
+      expect(error?.message).toContain("max-length must not exceed 10000.");
+    });
+
+    it("should reject ttl exceeding 3600", async () => {
+      const { error } = await runCommand(
+        ["queues:create", "--name", mockQueueName, "--ttl", "3601"],
+        import.meta.url,
+      );
+
+      expect(error).toBeDefined();
+      expect(error?.message).toContain("ttl must not exceed 3600 seconds.");
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/send.test.ts b/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/send.test.ts
index bb288e36..4a8107e1 100644
--- a/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/send.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/send.test.ts
@@ -217,5 +217,27 @@ describe("rooms:messages:send command", () => {
       );
       expect(errors.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
     });
+
+    it("should reject --count 0", async () => {
+      const { error } = await runCommand(
+        ["rooms:messages:send", "test-room", "msg", "--count", "0"],
+        import.meta.url,
+      );
+
+      expect(error?.message).toMatch(
+        /Expected an integer greater than or equal to 1 but received: 0/,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should reject --count -1", async () => {
+      const { error } = await runCommand(
+        ["rooms:messages:send", "test-room", "msg", "--count", "-1"],
+        import.meta.url,
+      );
+
+      expect(error?.message).toMatch(
+        /Expected an integer greater than or equal to 1 but received: -1/,
+      );
+    });
   });
 });