diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 09d1a92..b13344c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,48 @@ All notable changes to `cloverleaf-larry` / `larry-anywhere` are recorded here.
 Versioning is loose-semver; bumps trigger the in-process self-update on every
 running client via `LARRY_BASE_URL` + `MANIFEST`.
 
+## v0.8.26 — 2026-05-28
+
+**★ HARDENING: extend the v0.8.25 control-byte sanitize across the whole tool
+suite (Vera follow-up).** v0.8.25 fixed the terminal-corruption leak in
+`lib/nc-document.sh` only. Vera flagged that the OTHER tools dumping
+NetConfig/`.tcl`/HL7 content to stdout carry the SAME risk and were still
+unsanitised — most importantly `nc-msgs.sh`, whose raw HL7 contains C0 framing
+bytes (e.g. `0x1c` block separator) that corrupt a terminal when viewed
+un-redirected.
+
+- **Shared sanitiser.** `_sanitize_ctl` is hoisted out of `nc-document.sh` into
+  `lib/cygwin-safe.sh` (already the sourceable shared-primitives lib), so every
+  tool shares ONE definition. `nc-document.sh` now sources it; its behavior is
+  UNCHANGED — it still strips UNCONDITIONALLY (the doc is a human-readable
+  artifact; control bytes are unwanted even when redirected to a `.txt`).
+
+- **New `_sanitize_ctl_tty` — the data-tool variant.** For the data-producing
+  tools (`nc-msgs.sh`, `nc-parse.sh`, `hl7-field.sh`, `hl7-diff.sh`,
+  `hl7-sanitize.sh`, `hl7-desanitize.sh`) stripping happens ONLY when stdout is
+  an interactive terminal (`[ -t 1 ]`). When the user pipes/redirects (e.g.
+  `nc-msgs … --format raw > input.msgs` feeding route_test, or `| awkcut`), the
+  output passes through RAW and byte-identical — the `0x1c` HL7 framing and
+  other bytes are LOAD-BEARING downstream and must not be silently corrupted.
+  Each tool's output region runs in a brace group piped through the gate, with
+  `${PIPESTATUS[0]}` propagated so subcommand exit codes survive the pipe.
+  (`hl7-schema.sh` is sourced-only — no stdout sink of its own — so it is
+  untouched.)
+
+- **`ssh-helper.sh` `_read_hidden` trap nits (Vera).** (a) The restore trap was
+  installed only when `stty -g` succeeded, yet `stty -echo` ran regardless — a
+  `^C` in that window left echo off. Now a restore trap is installed on EVERY
+  path BEFORE touching echo (falling back to `stty echo` when the save failed).
+  (b) The trap reset was `trap -` (reset-to-default); it now captures the
+  caller's PRIOR `INT/TERM/HUP` trap with `trap -p` and restores it.
+
+Proved on the real test integrator (`to_appriss.smatdb`, 11 msgs): `nc-msgs …
+--format raw` to a file kept `0x1c`/`0x0d` intact (493 bytes), while the same
+command through a PTY stripped ESC/FS; `cmp` confirmed they differ. `nc-document
+--name codametrix` to a file still emits 0 control bytes with the em-dash
+preserved. Portable: `LC_ALL=C tr` octal ranges + POSIX `[ -t 1 ]`; no GNU-only
+flags. `bash -n` clean on all touched files. MANIFEST regenerated.
+
 ## v0.8.25 — 2026-05-28
 
 **★ FIX: terminal line-editing corruption after `larry tools …` runs (Bryan,
diff --git a/MANIFEST b/MANIFEST
index 4e89300..8af70b0 100644
--- a/MANIFEST
+++ b/MANIFEST
@@ -23,16 +23,16 @@
 # scripts/make-manifest.sh and bump VERSION.
 
 # Top-level scripts
-larry.sh	dd9fdba88d20c4472826ef9355a7a0aa3d6bcf1d9d040aff9f07a2bb1351a287
+larry.sh	7fccca0d10a0a742d66efd21da703d780c8359411995cf69925123575b14321c
 larry-tunnel.sh	6b050e4eeab15669f4858eaf3b807f168f211ced07815db9521bc40a093f6aaa
 larry-auth.sh	a220cdf7878569dc3028951ee57fc8d5e706a8ca5c6aa45347b58facb386f831
 larry-rollback.sh	91b5e9aa6c79266bf306dcfba4ca791c07971bd6924d67a779037531648aa6d0
 install-larry.sh	fa36e23a39eacbd0d7ecedd3b42131902f816ee7e98241dfc6e28c6e4ba80423
 
 # Metadata
-VERSION	7a2e873644ed9f1015114f43072f374eb0e1716bb1a97e73daa1337474d3e1fd
+VERSION	6520a3a0746d8a2969ca4c76db2109929b36882541fcdbe3fb6de1718903d97f
 MANUAL.md	c64bd0251a51ad150508b4e1185355bc4826a64071d4de339f92ed550dbfacde
-CHANGELOG.md	c659506dea3dea5b1cc53ef41f978219d6e9894b4fc4a05df07df660a56f79be
+CHANGELOG.md	0d7a88d389d6723ee2dd289e5d143d4ada8f232ca0df43c392be9bca856f70b6
 
 # Agent personas (system-prompt overlays)
 agents/larry.md	0a1ef737e7fc133ab35be09f79c3a4df33de814e0404b69b950932d0c8a01be1
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ agents/cloverleaf-cheatsheet.md	cd62d57e7ca067b42f1db2dc75a48f1474ae4b742a560250
 agents/regress.md	bb05ed1439b1e35d6e9799e32d683bfab166472c72115c1f02757e227c74e42f
 
 # Cygwin/MobaXterm CR-taint defense primitives (sourced by every tool)
-lib/cygwin-safe.sh	efa83387f03e213a2b200b78cf5468dc930d71b4e3dbb98477187057fa8f4857
+lib/cygwin-safe.sh	6cef02f3e931f4067eed990b01fb9535c9e5b1e91b62ff318f0008732d4ad545
 
 # v0.8.4: content-validating fetch (HTML-sign-in-page trap detection + per-
 # file-type shape checks) for the installer/auto-updater. Canonical home of the
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ lib/fetch-safe.sh	abecf0045b9856f63ffa346119443c11de56547344be32bddaed9fbae6b021
 lib/oauth.sh	04a93376f88fe53cc1c86a5dbe577735c60375dadd4f2fda55b921ef3cddf22b
 
 # Secure SSH with ControlMaster (password hidden from Larry-the-LLM)
-lib/ssh-helper.sh	b8442e1e086eed7afebc77e1948c9c688301a8ef4b14f563470396aceccdddd4
+lib/ssh-helper.sh	18df1f1f1936c930ba0197c0e0b4bd89c027500de99b56067b620ca9144f6e9e
 
 # v0.8.6: work-box → Mac headers.log sync (tsk-2026-05-27-023). Incremental,
 # offset-tracked push of $LARRY_HOME/log/headers.log to a daemon-watched path
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@ lib/lessons.sh	45ea4fdadb843701cd3e87f6a0011ba4097978661851ebc9098ad22ea219efb1
 lib/journal.sh	11c62a2d47b6b67a2f423fd8b86c454126df18d2dc3e150233bbd08293e39fe7
 
 # HL7 utilities
-lib/hl7-sanitize.sh	6c7d068e0f8538683074c11cf3350868021e9c0f1823f26bf83afdc285d5dc75
-lib/hl7-desanitize.sh	d43e29eefde170cdee64b31383d32ccc995773eec9ccad26a18d4cf2270e58f5
-lib/hl7-diff.sh	162ad0e2ed2cd0e57f395ed53c4b3aa0d8f094ee08fa648f4724e0bda176f464
-lib/hl7-field.sh	e70b032b6f3d7056fe77a564dafb1025c0feae4eaf596fb7cf315893442c1d42
+lib/hl7-sanitize.sh	c0ea35d28c32dcbb1476835a6e58c2ecdbd04f0a479b889675724fc564f4205f
+lib/hl7-desanitize.sh	2e5462a61ab1e8bd3fefb956bace8ca1ae33397a09024cbe766fa55c37a5aad6
+lib/hl7-diff.sh	66985afb3073340f1c12b0d7b39f41a5d8df68dfebc89c55190d6915f6077e86
+lib/hl7-field.sh	a640f7cbd9521dc96171ee1dbdf909170262101a1d7a433f6f0ce2bea8d42b02
 lib/hl7-schema.sh	2ba4057a214867ff4950f10057ee4ffd7149e1a82ba94b07b6857d77bf10d75f
 
 # v0.8.2: Microsoft Presidio sidecar (optional, opt-in install).
@@ -97,12 +97,12 @@ lib/nc-xlate.sh	ea02693c3dff5db271771d4bb2927b23465b07798df2f9912bc2d2b58a134d54
 lib/nc-smat-diff.sh	ac003954701ea6b7f4aa1f6941f8536af5b5cdfbb75e306789753d453f06800e
 lib/nc-create-thread.sh	5a9d5407c117183cad831d6b95f0e785b1b806f5ccc67f803c12b3695882b5b7
 lib/nc-tclgen.sh	dc95f523d543192fc7b3ae204107ce67ebb9b7e5184fa0642a1af2e2454d3241
-lib/nc-parse.sh	ab06df8264983a9c490af25bf20e1551a91e68b45a9ec24c6cb0fce1f1b9dd69
+lib/nc-parse.sh	3419b3f8d0cfdaf767f91551d6e2441d0743d80bd31515ffa61c769db1542c2f
 lib/nc-paths.sh	388d2f4560736587a01218cadc1de612cd59e392819d16db2f56f19174c1111b
 lib/nc-inbound.sh	52d28c5f8d97bdf96f0fc7b5300d35b106b8e1226578f4cda430deb2a8b4a91b
 lib/nc-make-jump.sh	08a0bc58a299c95c60a59a5202792daf0ada3a8a0be7dc1b4cccc5724f5c9c79
-lib/nc-msgs.sh	729e2d6c9159e83fa177fc6b982e48ed8453a9743477cc90afdd3cd4ec7e620c
-lib/nc-document.sh	13aef8f6335ee63966fdd74678c506fb4ed7ed749f750e7daad142258e518f41
+lib/nc-msgs.sh	20517922d1153ec7827c833987497fb305d087b579911d1b9067d65ae156a19f
+lib/nc-document.sh	47211e99089c0446d25a1e84545a734894720a1c9ad8f59b920332035e4ea880
 lib/nc-diff-interface.sh	6b64ec3070a3d75d1d79632c9aeb357177fdbcc77c474aa78e6f6929fda1a324
 lib/nc-find.sh	8c79e0acad7de56e4e1f12d61e071a4b98c4e2310a1f7fb183697df521215e3f
 lib/nc-insert-protocol.sh	ad1fa0bafbf4fdfb12bad20f9c22c3eed519f8846774331e26aa9becd6f8898a
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 4039074..85ccf6f 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.8.25
+0.8.26
diff --git a/larry.sh b/larry.sh
index fcbd61d..2e4f535 100755
--- a/larry.sh
+++ b/larry.sh
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ set -o pipefail
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Config
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-LARRY_VERSION="0.8.25"
+LARRY_VERSION="0.8.26"
 LARRY_HOME="${LARRY_HOME:-$HOME/.larry}"
 
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/lib/cygwin-safe.sh b/lib/cygwin-safe.sh
index 71ddd03..57ecee4 100755
--- a/lib/cygwin-safe.sh
+++ b/lib/cygwin-safe.sh
@@ -130,3 +130,50 @@ read_clean() {
   printf -v "$_var" '%s' "$_raw"
   return $_rc
 }
+
+# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# CONTROL-BYTE SANITIZER (terminal-corruption defence) — shared since v0.8.26.
+#
+# Origin: v0.8.25 added this as a private helper in nc-document.sh after raw
+# ESC/control bytes in tool output flipped the user's terminal mode and broke
+# backspace/arrows (recoverable only with `stty sane`/`reset`). v0.8.26 hoists
+# the one definition here so EVERY tool that dumps NetConfig/.tcl/HL7 content
+# shares it — most importantly nc-msgs.sh, whose raw HL7 carries 0x1c block
+# framing and other C0 bytes that wreck a terminal when viewed un-redirected.
+#
+# `_sanitize_ctl` filters stdin→stdout, stripping the C0 control bytes that
+# corrupt a terminal while PRESERVING the three whitespace controls that text
+# legitimately uses (TAB, LF, CR) and all high bytes (0x80-0xFF, so UTF-8
+# names/comments and the em-dash survive intact).
+#
+# Strip set (octal, POSIX `tr` ranges — portable to AIX/Linux/BSD/Cygwin):
+#   \001-\010  SOH..BS   (drops BS ^H, the literal-backspace culprit)
+#   [keep \011 TAB, \012 LF]
+#   \013\014   VT, FF
+#   [keep \015 CR — legit in MobaXterm/Windows-tainted content]
+#   \016-\037  SO..US     (drops ESC 0x1B, the mode-flip culprit; 0x1c FS too)
+#   \177       DEL
+# LC_ALL=C forces byte-wise operation (AIX `tr` is locale-sensitive otherwise).
+# Falls back to `cat` if `tr` is somehow unavailable, so it never drops data.
+_sanitize_ctl() {
+  LC_ALL=C tr -d '\001-\010\013\014\016-\037\177' 2>/dev/null || cat
+}
+
+# `_sanitize_ctl_tty` — the DATA-TOOL variant. nc-msgs/nc-parse/hl7-* emit data
+# that downstream tooling consumes byte-for-byte (e.g. `nc-msgs ... > input.msgs`
+# feeding route_test, or `| awkcut`). The 0x1c HL7 framing and other control
+# bytes are LOAD-BEARING on a pipe/redirect — stripping them would silently
+# corrupt the data. So we only sanitize when stdout is an interactive TERMINAL
+# (protect the human's tty); on a pipe/file we pass through RAW, byte-identical.
+#
+# `[ -t 1 ]` is POSIX (true only when fd 1 is a terminal). Note this is a
+# FILTER (stdin→stdout); the gate decision is made once at call time. Callers
+# pipe their whole output region through it and propagate ${PIPESTATUS[0]} so
+# the upstream producer's exit code is preserved across the pipe.
+_sanitize_ctl_tty() {
+  if [ -t 1 ]; then
+    _sanitize_ctl
+  else
+    cat
+  fi
+}
diff --git a/lib/hl7-desanitize.sh b/lib/hl7-desanitize.sh
index 0360cf5..eeb7ff4 100755
--- a/lib/hl7-desanitize.sh
+++ b/lib/hl7-desanitize.sh
@@ -21,6 +21,19 @@ set -o pipefail
 LARRY_HOME="${LARRY_HOME:-$HOME/.larry}"
 DEFAULT_TABLE="$LARRY_HOME/sanitize/lookup.tsv"
 
+# v0.8.26: shared control-byte sanitizer. Desanitized HL7 can carry C0 control
+# bytes that corrupt a terminal when viewed un-redirected; strip them ONLY when
+# stdout is a tty. Piping to `less` (a documented use) is NOT a tty, so the
+# content passes through raw and less handles the control bytes itself. See
+# lib/cygwin-safe.sh.
+_HL7D_LIB_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+if [ -r "$_HL7D_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh" ]; then
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090,SC1091
+  . "$_HL7D_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh"
+else
+  _sanitize_ctl_tty() { cat; }   # degrade safe: raw passthrough if lib missing
+fi
+
 die() { printf 'hl7-desanitize: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 table="$DEFAULT_TABLE"
@@ -41,8 +54,8 @@ done
 [ -f "$table" ] || die "no lookup table at $table (sanitize first?)"
 
 if [ -n "$single_token" ]; then
-  awk -F'\t' -v t="$single_token" 'NR>1 && $1==t {print $3; found=1; exit} END{if (!found) {print "no such token: " t > "/dev/stderr"; exit 2}}' "$table"
-  exit $?
+  awk -F'\t' -v t="$single_token" 'NR>1 && $1==t {print $3; found=1; exit} END{if (!found) {print "no such token: " t > "/dev/stderr"; exit 2}}' "$table" | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+  exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
 fi
 
 # Build sed expression set from lookup table
@@ -80,7 +93,9 @@ NR == FNR {
 '
 
 if [ -n "$input_file" ]; then
-  awk -F'\t' "$awk_script" "$table" "$input_file"
+  awk -F'\t' "$awk_script" "$table" "$input_file" | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+  exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
 else
-  awk -F'\t' "$awk_script" "$table" /dev/stdin
+  awk -F'\t' "$awk_script" "$table" /dev/stdin | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+  exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
 fi
diff --git a/lib/hl7-diff.sh b/lib/hl7-diff.sh
index d372c4e..6781da8 100755
--- a/lib/hl7-diff.sh
+++ b/lib/hl7-diff.sh
@@ -28,6 +28,18 @@ set -o pipefail
 NC_SELF="$0"
 LIB_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$NC_SELF")" && pwd)"
 
+# v0.8.26: shared control-byte sanitizer. The diff echoes raw HL7 field values,
+# which can carry C0 control bytes that corrupt a terminal when viewed
+# un-redirected. The final awk (sole stdout producer) is piped through the
+# tty-gated sanitizer; on a pipe/redirect it passes through raw. See
+# lib/cygwin-safe.sh.
+if [ -r "$LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh" ]; then
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090,SC1091
+  . "$LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh"
+else
+  _sanitize_ctl_tty() { cat; }   # degrade safe: raw passthrough if lib missing
+fi
+
 die() { printf 'hl7-diff: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 2; }
 
 IGNORE="MSH.7"
@@ -89,6 +101,8 @@ trap 'rm -f "$TMP_L" "$TMP_R"' EXIT
 split_messages "$LEFT"  "$TMP_L"
 split_messages "$RIGHT" "$TMP_R"
 
+# v0.8.26: pipe the comparison output through the tty-gated sanitizer, then
+# propagate ${PIPESTATUS[0]} so awk's exit (0 identical, 1 differs) survives.
 awk -v IGNORE="$IGNORE" -v INCLUDE="$INCLUDE" -v FMT="$FORMAT" \
     -v LFILE="$LEFT" -v RFILE="$RIGHT" '
   function ignored(seg, field, comp, subc,    key, key2) {
@@ -245,4 +259,5 @@ awk -v IGNORE="$IGNORE" -v INCLUDE="$INCLUDE" -v FMT="$FORMAT" \
     if (FMT == "text") printf "\n%d total field difference(s)\n", DIFF_COUNT
     exit (DIFF_COUNT > 0 ? 1 : 0)
   }
-' RS=$'\x1e' "$TMP_L" "$TMP_R"
+' RS=$'\x1e' "$TMP_L" "$TMP_R" | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
diff --git a/lib/hl7-field.sh b/lib/hl7-field.sh
index 8e1f0db..92abee8 100755
--- a/lib/hl7-field.sh
+++ b/lib/hl7-field.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,21 @@
 # Exit codes: 0 = found (any number of values printed), 2 = bad path, 3 = not found.
 set -u
 
+# v0.8.26: shared control-byte sanitizer. HL7 field/segment content carries C0
+# control bytes (e.g. 0x1c block framing) that corrupt a terminal when viewed
+# un-redirected. _sanitize_ctl_tty strips them ONLY when stdout is a tty; on a
+# pipe/redirect the bytes pass through raw (load-bearing downstream). The whole
+# body below runs in a brace group piped through it, and ${PIPESTATUS[0]} is
+# propagated so every exit code (usage 0, bad-path 2, not-found 3) survives.
+_HL7F_LIB_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+if [ -r "$_HL7F_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh" ]; then
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090,SC1091
+  . "$_HL7F_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh"
+else
+  _sanitize_ctl_tty() { cat; }   # degrade safe: raw passthrough if lib missing
+fi
+
+{
 usage() { sed -n '2,20p' "$0"; exit 0; }
 
 PATH_SPEC="${1:-}"
@@ -209,3 +224,5 @@ if [ -n "$FIELD_VAL" ]; then
       }
     '
 fi
+} | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
diff --git a/lib/hl7-sanitize.sh b/lib/hl7-sanitize.sh
index e02a932..d6ca6c8 100755
--- a/lib/hl7-sanitize.sh
+++ b/lib/hl7-sanitize.sh
@@ -29,10 +29,23 @@
 set -o pipefail
 
 NC_SELF="$0"
+NC_LIB_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$NC_SELF")" && pwd)"
 LARRY_HOME="${LARRY_HOME:-$HOME/.larry}"
 TABLE_DIR="$LARRY_HOME/sanitize"
 DEFAULT_TABLE="$TABLE_DIR/lookup.tsv"
 
+# v0.8.26: shared control-byte sanitizer. Sanitized HL7 and the show-table dump
+# echo message/field bytes that can include C0 controls (and 0x1c framing on
+# raw input) that corrupt a terminal when viewed un-redirected. Strip them ONLY
+# when stdout is a tty; on a pipe/redirect (feeding analysis tooling) the bytes
+# pass through raw and byte-identical. See lib/cygwin-safe.sh.
+if [ -r "$NC_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh" ]; then
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090,SC1091
+  . "$NC_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh"
+else
+  _sanitize_ctl_tty() { cat; }   # degrade safe: raw passthrough if lib missing
+fi
+
 die() { printf 'hl7-sanitize: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -455,6 +468,12 @@ AWK_END
 # Dispatch
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 SUB="${1:-}"
+# v0.8.26: route the whole dispatch's stdout through the tty-gated sanitizer in
+# a brace group, then propagate ${PIPESTATUS[0]} so each subcommand's exit code
+# survives the pipe. On a pipe/redirect the gate is a no-op (raw passthrough).
+# clear-table's confirmation read uses /dev/tty directly, so the pipeline
+# subshell does not interfere with it.
+{
 case "$SUB" in
   show-rules)       shift; cmd_show_rules ;;
   show-table)       shift; cmd_show_table "$@" ;;
@@ -514,3 +533,5 @@ case "$SUB" in
     do_sanitize "$input_file" "$rules" "$table" "$strict" "$update_table"
     ;;
 esac
+} | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
diff --git a/lib/nc-document.sh b/lib/nc-document.sh
index 5f743b3..ce601cc 100755
--- a/lib/nc-document.sh
+++ b/lib/nc-document.sh
@@ -98,6 +98,20 @@ LIB_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$NC_SELF")" && pwd)"
 NCP="$LIB_DIR/nc-parse.sh"
 NCPATHS="$LIB_DIR/nc-paths.sh"
 
+# v0.8.26: the control-byte sanitizer (added here in v0.8.25) now lives in the
+# shared lib/cygwin-safe.sh so every content-dumping tool shares one definition.
+# This tool's behavior is UNCHANGED: out_target() still strips UNCONDITIONALLY
+# (the doc is a human-readable artifact — even when redirected to a .txt for
+# OneNote the user does NOT want control bytes), so it calls _sanitize_ctl, not
+# the tty-gated variant. Fallback below keeps the prior inline definition if the
+# shared lib is somehow unavailable, so behavior never regresses.
+if [ -r "$LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh" ]; then
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090,SC1091
+  . "$LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh"
+else
+  _sanitize_ctl() { LC_ALL=C tr -d '\001-\010\013\014\016-\037\177' 2>/dev/null || cat; }
+fi
+
 die() { printf 'nc-document: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -250,27 +264,20 @@ _locate_thread() {
 # Output sink
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 #
-# v0.8.25 — CONTROL-BYTE SANITIZER (terminal-corruption fix).
+# CONTROL-BYTE SANITIZER — added v0.8.25, hoisted to the shared lib in v0.8.26.
 # This tool reads arbitrary NetConfig and .tcl source (author comments, raw proc
 # bodies via --raw-tcl, xlate bodies). That content can contain raw C0 control
 # bytes — most dangerously ESC (0x1B). When the doc is printed to a terminal
 # (NOT redirected to a file), a stray ESC sequence flips the terminal into a
 # different mode and wrecks line editing (backspace prints ^H, arrows die),
-# forcing `stty sane`/`reset` to recover. We neutralise it at the single output
-# choke-point so EVERY emitted byte is clean, whether bound for stdout or --out.
+# forcing `stty sane`/`reset` to recover.
 #
-# Strip set (octal, POSIX `tr` ranges — portable to AIX/Linux/BSD/Cygwin):
-#   \001-\010  SOH..BS   (drops BS ^H, the literal-backspace culprit)
-#   [keep \011 TAB, \012 LF]
-#   \013\014   VT, FF
-#   [keep \015 CR — legit in MobaXterm/Windows-tainted content]
-#   \016-\037  SO..US     (drops ESC 0x1B, the mode-flip culprit)
-#   \177       DEL
-# High bytes (0x80-0xFF) are NOT touched, so UTF-8 names/comments survive intact.
-# LC_ALL=C forces byte-wise operation (AIX `tr` is locale-sensitive otherwise).
-_sanitize_ctl() {
-  LC_ALL=C tr -d '\001-\010\013\014\016-\037\177' 2>/dev/null || cat
-}
+# We neutralise it at the single output choke-point UNCONDITIONALLY — even when
+# redirected to a .txt for OneNote, this is a human-readable document and the
+# user does NOT want control bytes. So out_target() calls `_sanitize_ctl` (the
+# always-strip variant from lib/cygwin-safe.sh), NOT the tty-gated variant the
+# raw-data tools use. The full strip-set rationale lives with the definition in
+# lib/cygwin-safe.sh; behavior here is identical to v0.8.25.
 out_target() {
   if [ -n "$OUT" ]; then
     mkdir -p "$(dirname "$OUT")" 2>/dev/null
diff --git a/lib/nc-msgs.sh b/lib/nc-msgs.sh
index 5de3d49..7263c06 100755
--- a/lib/nc-msgs.sh
+++ b/lib/nc-msgs.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ if [ -r "$LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh" ]; then
   . "$LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh"
 else
   coerce_int() { local r="${1:-}" d="${2:-0}" c; c=$(printf '%s' "$r" | tr -cd '0-9'); printf '%s' "${c:-$d}"; }
+  # v0.8.26 fallback: raw passthrough if the shared lib is missing. Never strips
+  # — the gated stripping is a terminal-protection nicety, not a correctness need.
+  _sanitize_ctl_tty() { cat; }
 fi
 
 die() { printf 'nc-msgs: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
@@ -416,6 +419,13 @@ match_filters() {
 }
 
 # Emit
+# v0.8.26: route ALL stdout from the emit block through the tty-gated sanitizer.
+# CRITICAL: the `raw` format intentionally emits raw HL7 plus 0x1c framing for
+# downstream tooling (`nc-msgs ... --format raw > input.msgs` → route_test). On a
+# pipe/redirect those bytes are load-bearing and MUST pass through untouched, so
+# the gate sanitizes ONLY when stdout is an interactive tty (protect the human's
+# terminal). Stderr lines (the `>&2` scan summary) bypass this pipe by design.
+{
 case "$FORMAT" in
   count)
     # Apply filter if ANY group has entries
@@ -559,3 +569,7 @@ case "$FORMAT" in
     printf ']\n'
     ;;
 esac
+} | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+# Preserve the emit block's exit status across the gating pipe. The EXIT trap
+# (rm -rf "$TMP_OUT") still fires on this parent exit.
+exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
diff --git a/lib/nc-parse.sh b/lib/nc-parse.sh
index fd9b285..4d6305f 100755
--- a/lib/nc-parse.sh
+++ b/lib/nc-parse.sh
@@ -39,6 +39,19 @@ set -u
 set -o pipefail
 
 NC_SELF="$0"
+NC_LIB_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$NC_SELF")" && pwd)"
+
+# v0.8.26: shared control-byte sanitizer. This tool dumps NetConfig and raw .tcl
+# proc bodies to stdout; that content can carry C0 control bytes (ESC etc.) that
+# corrupt a terminal when viewed un-redirected. _sanitize_ctl_tty strips them
+# ONLY when stdout is a tty — on a pipe/redirect the bytes pass through raw so
+# downstream tooling sees byte-identical content. See lib/cygwin-safe.sh.
+if [ -r "$NC_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh" ]; then
+  # shellcheck disable=SC1090,SC1091
+  . "$NC_LIB_DIR/cygwin-safe.sh"
+else
+  _sanitize_ctl_tty() { cat; }   # degrade safe: raw passthrough if lib missing
+fi
 
 die() { printf 'nc-parse: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
 
@@ -499,6 +512,11 @@ cmd_help() { sed -n '2,30p' "$NC_SELF"; }
 # Dispatch
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 SUB="${1:-help}"
+# v0.8.26: route the whole dispatch's stdout through the tty-gated sanitizer in
+# a brace group, then propagate ${PIPESTATUS[0]} so the subcommand's exit code
+# (incl. die's exit 1 and not-found 2/3) survives the pipe. On a pipe/redirect
+# the gate is a no-op (raw passthrough); only an interactive tty gets stripped.
+{
 case "$SUB" in
   list-protocols)    [ $# -ge 2 ] || die "usage: $0 list-protocols <netconfig>"; cmd_list_protocols "$2" ;;
   list-processes)    [ $# -ge 2 ] || die "usage: $0 list-processes <netconfig>"; cmd_list_processes "$2" ;;
@@ -517,3 +535,5 @@ case "$SUB" in
   help|-h|--help)    cmd_help ;;
   *)                 die "unknown subcommand: $SUB (try '$0 help')" ;;
 esac
+} | _sanitize_ctl_tty
+exit "${PIPESTATUS[0]}"
diff --git a/lib/ssh-helper.sh b/lib/ssh-helper.sh
index ee47270..1149320 100755
--- a/lib/ssh-helper.sh
+++ b/lib/ssh-helper.sh
@@ -90,12 +90,24 @@ ok()   { printf 'ssh-helper: %s\n' "$*"; }
 # Sets the named variable to the line read (no echo). Returns 0 always (empty
 # input is the caller's "abort" signal).
 _read_hidden() {  # varname
-  local _rh_var="$1" _rh_val="" _rh_saved=""
+  local _rh_var="$1" _rh_val="" _rh_saved="" _rh_prior_trap=""
   if command -v stty >/dev/null 2>&1 && { [ -t 0 ] || [ -e /dev/tty ]; }; then
     _rh_saved=$(stty -g </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || stty -g 2>/dev/null || true)
-    # Restore on ANY exit from the prompt window — normal return OR ^C/kill/HUP.
+    # v0.8.26 nit (b): capture the caller's PRIOR INT/TERM/HUP trap so we can
+    # RESTORE it on the way out instead of blindly resetting to default. `trap -p`
+    # prints the re-installable trap commands (empty if none was set). Harmless
+    # today (no caller sets these around the prompt) but correct.
+    _rh_prior_trap=$(trap -p INT TERM HUP 2>/dev/null || true)
+    # v0.8.26 nit (a): install a restore trap BEFORE touching echo, on EVERY
+    # path. If `stty -g` saved a state, restore exactly that; if the save failed
+    # (_rh_saved empty), fall back to `stty echo` so a ^C mid-read can never
+    # leave the terminal with echo off. Previously the trap was only installed
+    # when _rh_saved was non-empty, yet `stty -echo` ran regardless — an
+    # interrupt in that window left the tty corrupted.
     if [ -n "$_rh_saved" ]; then
-      trap 'stty "$_rh_saved" </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || stty "$_rh_saved" 2>/dev/null; trap - INT TERM HUP' INT TERM HUP
+      trap 'stty "$_rh_saved" </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || stty "$_rh_saved" 2>/dev/null' INT TERM HUP
+    else
+      trap 'stty echo </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || stty echo 2>/dev/null' INT TERM HUP
     fi
     stty -echo </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || stty -echo 2>/dev/null || true
     IFS= read -r _rh_val </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || IFS= read -r _rh_val || true
@@ -104,7 +116,12 @@ _read_hidden() {  # varname
     else
       stty echo </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || stty echo 2>/dev/null || true
     fi
-    trap - INT TERM HUP
+    # Restore the caller's prior trap (or clear ours if there was none).
+    if [ -n "$_rh_prior_trap" ]; then
+      eval "$_rh_prior_trap"
+    else
+      trap - INT TERM HUP
+    fi
   else
     IFS= read -r _rh_val </dev/tty 2>/dev/null || IFS= read -r _rh_val || true
   fi