diff --git a/cccli/cli.py b/cccli/cli.py
index 2a14df271dbc01b7e9157860b7c615da0ecb225a..7d4ac780bdd924503b34c58ba9db732b0b26912a 100644
--- a/cccli/cli.py
+++ b/cccli/cli.py
@@ -104,7 +104,9 @@ class Cli(object):
                 continue
             # alias subsitution
             if argv[0] in self.alias:
-                argv[0] = self.alias[argv[0]]
+                oldargv = argv[1:]
+                argv = shlex.split(self.alias[argv[0]])
+                argv.extend(oldargv)
             self._exec_command(argv)
         if self.interactive:
             self.printer.out("tcho!")
@@ -120,7 +122,7 @@ class Cli(object):
                 Command(["help"], self).call()
             else:
                 Command(argv, self).call()
-        except BadArgument as e:
+        except cmdBadArgument as e:
             if str(e):
                 self.printer.error("Bad argument: %s."%str(e))
             else:
@@ -128,11 +130,8 @@ class Cli(object):
             usage = Command.usage(argv[0])
             if usage != "":
                 self.printer.out("usage: %s."%usage)
-        except BadCommand as e:
-            if str(e):
-                self.printer.error("command: %s."%str(e))
-            else:
-                self.printer.error("No command: %s."%argv[0])
+        except cmdBadName:
+            self.printer.error("No command: %s."%argv[0])
         except cmdWarning as e:
             self.printer.warn("%s: %s"%(argv[0], str(e)))
         except cmdError as e:
diff --git a/cccli/command.py b/cccli/command.py
index 1aedffee01be8d397820c75909a8c0309172688f..8e5d73a253074f9d921f5de4c53e5dd314e506b2 100644
--- a/cccli/command.py
+++ b/cccli/command.py
@@ -21,21 +21,19 @@ class Command(object):
 
     def __init__(self, argv, cli):
         # check argv
-        if len(argv) < 1:
-            raise BadCommand()
+        if len(argv) == 0:
+            raise cmdBadName()
         # check valid command chars
         if not re.match("^[a-zA-Z0-9]+", argv[0]):
-            raise BadCommand("Invalid command name")
+            raise cmdBadName()
         cmdlist = [ x[4:] for x in dir(self) if x.startswith("cmd_") ]
         matchlist = [ x for x in cmdlist if re.match("%s.+"%argv[0], x) ]
         if argv[0] in cmdlist:
             pass
         elif len(matchlist) == 1:
             argv[0] = matchlist[0]
-        elif len(matchlist) > 1:
-            raise BadCommand("Too many command: %s"%", ".join(matchlist))
         else:
-            raise BadCommand()
+            raise cmdBadName()
         self._cmd = getattr(self, "cmd_%s"%argv[0])
         self._argv = argv
         self.cli = cli
@@ -46,7 +44,7 @@ class Command(object):
         '''Return usage of a command'''
         fname = "cmd_%s"%cmdname
         if not hasattr(cls, fname):
-            raise BadArgument(cmdname)
+            raise cmdBadName(cmdname)
         if hasattr(getattr(cls, fname), "usage"):
             return getattr(getattr(cls, fname), "usage")
         return ""
@@ -58,7 +56,7 @@ class Command(object):
             if hasattr(self, name):
                 cmd = getattr(self, name)
                 return cmd(self._argv)
-        raise BadCommand(self._argv[0])
+        raise cmdBadName(self._argv[0])
 
     def cmd_exit(self, argv):
         '''Quit application with respect'''
@@ -81,7 +79,7 @@ class Command(object):
     def cmd_usage(self, argv):
         '''Print usage of a command'''
         if len(argv) != 2:
-            raise BadArgument()
+            raise cmdBadArgument()
         usage = Command.usage(argv[1])
         if usage != "":
             self.printer.out("usage: %s"%usage)
@@ -120,9 +118,9 @@ class Command(object):
                 if hasattr(getattr(self, fname), "details"):
                     Self.Printer.out("Details: %s"%getattr(getattr(self, fname), "details"))
             else:
-                raise BadArgument(argv[1])
+                raise cmdBadArgument(argv[1])
         else:
-            raise BadArgument()
+            raise cmdBadArgument()
     cmd_help.usage = "help [command]"
     cmd_help.desc = "Print help about a command"
 
@@ -133,22 +131,22 @@ class Command(object):
                 self.printer.out("%s=%s"%(n, v))
         elif len(argv) == 2:
             if argv[1] not in self.cli.alias:
-                raise BadArgument(argv[1])
+                raise cmdBadArgument(argv[1])
             self.printer.out("%s=%s"%(argv[1], self.cli.alias[argv[1]]))
         elif len(argv) == 3:
             self.cli.alias[argv[1]] = argv[2]
             self.cli.alias.save(self.cli.settings.get("alias", ""))
         else:
-            raise BadArgument()
+            raise cmdBadArgument()
     cmd_alias.usage = "alias [name] [value]"
     cmd_alias.desc = "Show or create aliases"
 
     def cmd_unalias(self, argv):
         '''Remove an alias'''
         if len(argv) != 2:
-            raise BadArgument()
+            raise cmdBadArgument()
         if argv[1] not in self.cli.alias:
-            raise BadArgument("%s: No such alias"%argv[1])
+            raise cmdBadArgument("%s: No such alias"%argv[1])
         del self.cli.alias[argv[1]]
         self.cli.alias.save(self.cli.settings.get("alias", ""))
     cmd_unalias.usage = "unalias [name]"
@@ -184,7 +182,7 @@ class Command(object):
     def _startstopsdestroypauseresume(self, argv):
         # arg stuff
         if len(argv) == 1:
-            raise BadArgument()
+            raise cmdBadArgument()
         tql = str.join(" ", argv[1:])
         # print tql list result
         items = self.cli.rpc.list(tql)
diff --git a/cccli/exception.py b/cccli/exception.py
index 446e39e69f7a5f52df72fcf9328873254ae431a4..78048a3d4ae06adc806ce2e00929b3cba787928f 100644
--- a/cccli/exception.py
+++ b/cccli/exception.py
@@ -12,14 +12,17 @@ class cliException(Exception):
 class cliError(cliException):
     pass
 
-class BadCommand(cliError):
+class BadArgument(cliError):
     pass
 
 ################################################################################
 class cmdException(cliException):
     pass
 
-class BadArgument(cmdException):
+class cmdBadName(cmdException):
+    pass
+
+class cmdBadArgument(cmdException):
     pass
 
 class cmdWarning(cmdException):