diff --git a/lib/providers/app_provider.dart b/lib/providers/app_provider.dart
index d7b3ea4..3f47a9c 100644
--- a/lib/providers/app_provider.dart
+++ b/lib/providers/app_provider.dart
@@ -236,11 +236,12 @@ class AppProvider with ChangeNotifier {
     // When a contact's routing path is updated in the mesh network
     connectionProvider.onPathUpdated = (publicKey) {
       debugPrint('🔄 [AppProvider] Path updated for contact: ${publicKey.sublist(0, 6).map((b) => b.toRadixString(16).padLeft(2, '0')).join(':')}...');
-      // Trigger a contact sync to get the updated path information
+      // Trigger a single contact fetch to get the updated path information
+      // This is much more efficient than fetching all contacts
       // This happens asynchronously to avoid blocking the event handler
       Future.delayed(const Duration(milliseconds: 100), () {
         if (connectionProvider.deviceInfo.isConnected) {
-          connectionProvider.getContacts();
+          connectionProvider.getContact(publicKey);
         }
       });
     };
@@ -252,11 +253,12 @@ class AppProvider with ChangeNotifier {
       // Check if this is an existing contact that might have updated location
       final contact = contactsProvider.findContactByKey(publicKey);
       if (contact != null) {
-        debugPrint('   Existing contact "${contact.advName}" - triggering contact sync for updates');
-        // Trigger a contact sync to get the updated contact information
+        debugPrint('   Existing contact "${contact.advName}" - fetching updated contact info (optimized)');
+        // Trigger a single contact fetch to get the updated contact information
+        // This is much more efficient than fetching all contacts
         Future.delayed(const Duration(milliseconds: 100), () {
           if (connectionProvider.deviceInfo.isConnected) {
-            connectionProvider.getContacts();
+            connectionProvider.getContact(publicKey);
           }
         });
       } else {
diff --git a/lib/providers/connection_provider.dart b/lib/providers/connection_provider.dart
index b5dc1bb..32431bd 100644
--- a/lib/providers/connection_provider.dart
+++ b/lib/providers/connection_provider.dart
@@ -686,6 +686,30 @@ class ConnectionProvider with ChangeNotifier {
     }
   }
 
+  /// Get a single contact by public key from device
+  ///
+  /// This is more efficient than getContacts() when you only need to refresh
+  /// one specific contact (e.g., after receiving an advertisement or path update).
+  ///
+  /// The contact will be delivered via the onContactReceived callback.
+  Future<void> getContact(Uint8List publicKey) async {
+    if (!_bleService.isConnected) {
+      _error = 'Not connected to device';
+      notifyListeners();
+      return;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      await _bleService.getContactByKey(publicKey);
+    } catch (e) {
+      _error = 'Failed to get contact: $e';
+      debugPrint('⚠️ [Provider] Failed to get contact by key, falling back to full contact sync');
+      // Fallback to full contact sync if command not supported
+      await _bleService.getContacts();
+      notifyListeners();
+    }
+  }
+
   /// Sync all channels from device
   Future<void> syncChannels({int? maxChannels}) async {
     if (!_bleService.isConnected) {
diff --git a/lib/services/meshcore_ble_service.dart b/lib/services/meshcore_ble_service.dart
index 98041ca..038d98b 100644
--- a/lib/services/meshcore_ble_service.dart
+++ b/lib/services/meshcore_ble_service.dart
@@ -311,6 +311,20 @@ class MeshCoreBleService {
     await _commandSender.writeData(FrameBuilder.buildGetContacts());
   }
 
+  /// Get a single contact by public key from device
+  ///
+  /// This is more efficient than getContacts() when you only need to refresh
+  /// one specific contact (e.g., after receiving an advertisement).
+  ///
+  /// The contact will be delivered via the onContactReceived callback.
+  Future<void> getContactByKey(Uint8List publicKey) async {
+    debugPrint('🔍 [BLE] Requesting single contact by key:');
+    debugPrint(
+      '    Public key prefix: ${publicKey.sublist(0, 6).map((b) => b.toRadixString(16).padLeft(2, '0')).join(':')}...',
+    );
+    await _commandSender.writeData(FrameBuilder.buildGetContactByKey(publicKey));
+  }
+
   /// Manually add or update a contact on the companion radio
   Future<void> addOrUpdateContact(Contact contact) async {
     debugPrint('📝 [BLE] Adding/updating contact on companion radio:');
diff --git a/lib/services/meshcore_constants.dart b/lib/services/meshcore_constants.dart
index 36cee01..2c9d3c5 100644
--- a/lib/services/meshcore_constants.dart
+++ b/lib/services/meshcore_constants.dart
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ class MeshCoreConstants {
   static const int cmdSendRawData = 25;
   static const int cmdSendLogin = 26;
   static const int cmdSendStatusReq = 27;
+  static const int cmdGetContactByKey = 30;
   static const int cmdGetChannel = 31;
   static const int cmdSetChannel = 32;
   static const int cmdSignStart = 33;
diff --git a/lib/services/meshcore_opcode_names.dart b/lib/services/meshcore_opcode_names.dart
index ecb70a1..07a2dfb 100644
--- a/lib/services/meshcore_opcode_names.dart
+++ b/lib/services/meshcore_opcode_names.dart
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ class MeshCoreOpcodeNames {
         return 'SEND_LOGIN';
       case MeshCoreConstants.cmdSendStatusReq:
         return 'SEND_STATUS_REQ';
+      case MeshCoreConstants.cmdGetContactByKey:
+        return 'GET_CONTACT_BY_KEY';
       case MeshCoreConstants.cmdGetChannel:
         return 'GET_CHANNEL';
       case MeshCoreConstants.cmdSetChannel:
diff --git a/lib/services/protocol/frame_builder.dart b/lib/services/protocol/frame_builder.dart
index 7ae669a..cd37ef4 100644
--- a/lib/services/protocol/frame_builder.dart
+++ b/lib/services/protocol/frame_builder.dart
@@ -31,6 +31,14 @@ class FrameBuilder {
     return writer.toBytes();
   }
 
+  /// Build GetContactByKey command - retrieves a single contact by public key
+  static Uint8List buildGetContactByKey(Uint8List publicKey) {
+    final writer = BufferWriter();
+    writer.writeByte(MeshCoreConstants.cmdGetContactByKey); // 0x1E (30)
+    writer.writeBytes(publicKey); // 32 bytes
+    return writer.toBytes();
+  }
+
   /// Build AddUpdateContact command
   static Uint8List buildAddUpdateContact(Contact contact) {
     final writer = BufferWriter();