diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.cpp
index 56a3395..de44fb9 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.cpp
@@ -163,6 +163,10 @@ void recordCommandCooldown(BotCommandCooldown* cooldowns, size_t cooldown_count,
 }

 bool parseCommand(const char* text, size_t text_len, BotCommand* command) {
+  return parseCommand(text, text_len, command, false);
+}
+
+bool parseCommand(const char* text, size_t text_len, BotCommand* command, bool allow_prefixless) {
   if (!command) return false;
   memset(command, 0, sizeof(*command));
   command->id = BOT_COMMAND_NONE;
@@ -171,9 +175,13 @@ bool parseCommand(const char* text, size_t text_len, BotCommand* command) {
   size_t normalized_len = 0;
   normalizeText(text, text_len, normalized, sizeof(normalized), &normalized_len);

-  if (normalized_len < 2 || (normalized[0] != '!' && normalized[0] != '/')) return false;
+  if (normalized_len == 0) return false;
+
+  bool has_prefix = normalized[0] == '!' || normalized[0] == '/';
+  if (!has_prefix && !allow_prefixless) return false;
+  if (has_prefix && normalized_len < 2) return false;

-  size_t pos = 1;
+  size_t pos = has_prefix ? 1 : 0;
   while (pos < normalized_len && normalized[pos] == ' ') pos++;
   size_t name_start = pos;
   while (pos < normalized_len && !isCommandDelimiter(normalized[pos])) pos++;
@@ -187,6 +195,7 @@ bool parseCommand(const char* text, size_t text_len, BotCommand* command) {
   }
   command->name[copy_name_len] = 0;
   command->id = name_len > BOT_MAX_COMMAND_NAME_LEN ? BOT_COMMAND_UNKNOWN : commandIdForName(command->name, copy_name_len);
+  if (!has_prefix && command->id == BOT_COMMAND_UNKNOWN) return false;

   while (pos < normalized_len && isCommandDelimiter(normalized[pos])) pos++;
   size_t args_len = normalized_len - pos;
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.h b/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.h
index 42b9c5b..e248adc 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.h
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/FirmwareBot.h
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ namespace FirmwareBot {

 BotWriteResult normalizeText(const char* input, size_t input_len, char* output, size_t output_len, size_t* written);
 bool parseCommand(const char* text, size_t text_len, BotCommand* command);
+bool parseCommand(const char* text, size_t text_len, BotCommand* command, bool allow_prefixless);
 bool splitChannelText(const char* text, size_t text_len, char* sender, size_t sender_len, const char** body,
                       size_t* body_len);
 BotWriteResult writeResponse(char* output, size_t output_len, const char* text, size_t text_len, size_t* written);
diff --git a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
index 13ead48..ec6a780 100644
--- a/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
+++ b/examples/companion_radio/MyMesh.cpp
@@ -1011,7 +1011,7 @@ void MyMesh::recordBotObservation(const BotMessage &message, const ContactInfo *
   sendQueuedBotResponses();

   BotCommand command;
-  if (!FirmwareBot::parseCommand(message.text, message.text_len, &command)) {
+  if (!FirmwareBot::parseCommand(message.text, message.text_len, &command, true)) {
     if (message.text_len > 0 && (message.text[0] == '!' || message.text[0] == '/')) bot_stats.parse_errors++;
     return;
   }