diff --git a/src/cli.zig b/src/cli.zig
index aec7d53..114c000 100644
--- a/src/cli.zig
+++ b/src/cli.zig
@@ -94,10 +94,20 @@ pub const Input = struct {
                 self.stdin = null;
                 return null;
             };
-            const trimmed = std.mem.trim(u8, line, " \t\r\n");
-            // Blank lines separate records, they are not records.
-            if (trimmed.len == 0) continue;
-            return .{ .line = trimmed };
+            // Only the line ending comes off, never the reader's own bytes.
+            //
+            // This used to trim spaces and tabs from both ends of every record,
+            // which is harmless for a code or a JSON object and silent data
+            // loss for a message: `printf '  hello  '` piped into
+            // `deed encrypt` encrypted `hello`, and nothing said so. A record
+            // is whatever sat between two newlines, and what to do about the
+            // whitespace in it is the verb's business, not this one's.
+            const body = if (std.mem.endsWith(u8, line, "\r")) line[0 .. line.len - 1] else line;
+            // A truly empty line separates records and is not one. A line of
+            // spaces IS one, because for `deed encrypt` it is a message
+            // somebody chose to send.
+            if (body.len == 0) continue;
+            return .{ .line = body };
         }
     }
 };
@@ -114,6 +124,45 @@ test "no positionals and no stdin yields nothing" {
     try std.testing.expect((try input.next()) == null);
 }
 
+test "a record is handed back as it was written" {
+    // `deed encrypt` takes a record as the MESSAGE. This used to trim spaces and
+    // tabs off both ends of every record, so `printf '  hello  '` piped in
+    // encrypted `hello` and nothing said so: the reader's own words, altered on
+    // the way to being sealed.
+    var source: std.Io.Reader = .fixed("  hello  \nplain\n\ttabbed\t\n");
+    var window: [64]u8 = undefined;
+    var limited = source.limited(.unlimited, &window);
+    var input = Input.init(&.{}, &limited.interface);
+
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("  hello  ", (try input.next()).?.line);
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("plain", (try input.next()).?.line);
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("\ttabbed\t", (try input.next()).?.line);
+    try std.testing.expect((try input.next()) == null);
+}
+
+test "a line ending comes off, and an empty line is still a separator" {
+    // CRLF is the one thing that is not the reader's bytes: it is how the line
+    // ended, not part of what they wrote.
+    var source: std.Io.Reader = .fixed("one\r\n\ntwo\r\n");
+    var window: [64]u8 = undefined;
+    var limited = source.limited(.unlimited, &window);
+    var input = Input.init(&.{}, &limited.interface);
+
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("one", (try input.next()).?.line);
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("two", (try input.next()).?.line);
+    try std.testing.expect((try input.next()) == null);
+}
+
+test "a line of spaces is a record, not a separator" {
+    // For `deed encrypt` it is a message somebody chose to send. Only a truly
+    // empty line separates.
+    var source: std.Io.Reader = .fixed("   \n");
+    var window: [64]u8 = undefined;
+    var limited = source.limited(.unlimited, &window);
+    var input = Input.init(&.{}, &limited.interface);
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("   ", (try input.next()).?.line);
+}
+
 test "a record too long to hold does not take the stream with it" {
     // A 32-byte window over input whose second record is far longer than it.
     const data = "aa\n" ++ ("x" ** 200) ++ "\nbb\ncc\n";
diff --git a/src/cmd_crypt.zig b/src/cmd_crypt.zig
index 3044ba3..1552738 100644
--- a/src/cmd_crypt.zig
+++ b/src/cmd_crypt.zig
@@ -98,6 +98,15 @@ pub fn run(
             });
             return cli.exit_ok;
         }
+        // Everything after `--` is a message, whatever it starts with. Without
+        // this there was no way to encrypt a line beginning with a hyphen: it
+        // came back as an unknown option, which is a refusal to carry somebody's
+        // words on account of their first character.
+        if (std.mem.eql(u8, a, "--")) {
+            i += 1;
+            while (i < args.len) : (i += 1) try positionals.append(gpa, args[i]);
+            break;
+        }
         if (std.mem.startsWith(u8, a, "-")) {
             const is_sec = std.mem.eql(u8, a, "--sec");
             const is_peer = std.mem.eql(u8, a, dir.peerFlag());
diff --git a/src/cmd_decode.zig b/src/cmd_decode.zig
index 74c2810..b762a98 100644
--- a/src/cmd_decode.zig
+++ b/src/cmd_decode.zig
@@ -63,7 +63,9 @@ pub fn run(
     var failures: usize = 0;
     while (try input.next()) |record| {
         const code = switch (record) {
-            .line => |l| l,
+            // Trimmed here rather than in `Input`: surrounding space around
+            // a code is noise, and `deed encrypt` needs the same bytes it was given.
+            .line => |l| std.mem.trim(u8, l, " \t"),
             .too_long => {
                 try err.print(
                     "deed decode: skipped a code longer than {d} bytes\n",
diff --git a/src/cmd_event.zig b/src/cmd_event.zig
index 8fd5f53..7d6f8e2 100644
--- a/src/cmd_event.zig
+++ b/src/cmd_event.zig
@@ -171,7 +171,9 @@ pub fn run(
     var failures: usize = 0;
     while (try input.next()) |record| {
         const json = switch (record) {
-            .line => |l| l,
+            // Trimmed here rather than in `Input`: surrounding space around
+            // a draft is noise, and `deed encrypt` needs the same bytes it was given.
+            .line => |l| std.mem.trim(u8, l, " \t"),
             .too_long => {
                 try err.print(
                     "deed event: skipped a draft longer than {d} bytes\n",
diff --git a/src/cmd_key.zig b/src/cmd_key.zig
index 4abfd4e..168ad8a 100644
--- a/src/cmd_key.zig
+++ b/src/cmd_key.zig
@@ -128,7 +128,14 @@ fn public(
 
     var signer = keys.Signer.init();
     defer signer.deinit();
-    const kp = try signer.keyPairFromSecretKey(sk);
+    // Caught rather than propagated. 64 hex characters can still be a number
+    // outside the curve's range, and letting that escape printed `deed:
+    // InvalidSecretKey`, which names the branch the code took rather than
+    // telling the reader what is wrong with what they pasted.
+    const kp = signer.keyPairFromSecretKey(sk) catch {
+        try err.writeAll("deed key public: that is not a usable secret key (the number is outside the curve's range)\n");
+        return cli.exit_fail;
+    };
 
     const text = if (as_hex)
         try hex.encode(gpa, &kp.public_key)
@@ -263,6 +270,19 @@ test "help is printed on stdout and succeeds" {
     try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("", r.err);
 }
 
+test "a key outside the curve's range is explained, not named" {
+    // 64 hex characters can still be a number the curve cannot use. Letting it
+    // escape printed `deed: InvalidSecretKey`, which names the branch the code
+    // took rather than telling the reader what is wrong with what they pasted.
+    var ob: [1024]u8 = undefined;
+    var eb: [1024]u8 = undefined;
+    const r = try runKey(&.{ "public", "f" ** 64 }, &ob, &eb);
+    try std.testing.expectEqual(cli.exit_fail, r.code);
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("", r.out);
+    try std.testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, r.err, "InvalidSecretKey") == null);
+    try std.testing.expect(std.mem.indexOf(u8, r.err, "curve") != null);
+}
+
 test "the subcommands answer --help too" {
     // They used to reject it as an unknown option, because help was only caught
     // at the subcommand position and never inside the argument loops.
diff --git a/src/cmd_verify.zig b/src/cmd_verify.zig
index b9c4796..8904a77 100644
--- a/src/cmd_verify.zig
+++ b/src/cmd_verify.zig
@@ -71,7 +71,9 @@ pub fn run(
     var failures: usize = 0;
     while (try input.next()) |record| {
         const json = switch (record) {
-            .line => |l| l,
+            // Trimmed here rather than in `Input`: surrounding space around
+            // an event is noise, and `deed encrypt` needs the same bytes it was given.
+            .line => |l| std.mem.trim(u8, l, " \t"),
             .too_long => {
                 try err.print(
                     "deed verify: skipped an event longer than {d} bytes\n",