diff --git a/common/content/completion.js b/common/content/completion.js
index c2f2c0d0..11b7f407 100644
--- a/common/content/completion.js
+++ b/common/content/completion.js
@@ -1141,7 +1141,7 @@ function Completion() //{{{
             context = context.contexts["/list"];
             context.wait();
 
-            let list = template.generic(
+            let list = template.commandOutput(
                 <div highlight="Completions">
                     { template.completionRow(context.title, "CompTitle") }
                     { template.map(context.items, function (item) context.createRow(item), null, 100) }
diff --git a/common/content/events.js b/common/content/events.js
index 38449a05..7f0e47ab 100644
--- a/common/content/events.js
+++ b/common/content/events.js
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ function AutoCommands() //{{{
                 }
             });
 
-            var list = template.generic(
+            var list = template.commandOutput(
                 <table>
                     <tr highlight="Title">
                         <td colspan="2">----- Auto Commands -----</td>
diff --git a/common/content/hints.js b/common/content/hints.js
index 03c88bd3..fa39b97f 100644
--- a/common/content/hints.js
+++ b/common/content/hints.js
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ function Hints() //{{{
         }
 
         hintNumber = 0;
-        hintString = commandline.getCommand();
+        hintString = commandline.command;
         updateStatusline();
         showHints();
         if (validHints.length == 1)
diff --git a/common/content/io.js b/common/content/io.js
index 69f41f21..22156ffb 100644
--- a/common/content/io.js
+++ b/common/content/io.js
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ function IO() //{{{
 
             let output = io.system(args);
 
-            commandline.echo(template.generic(<span highlight="CmdOutput">{output}</span>));
+            commandline.commandOutput(template.commandOutput(<span highlight="CmdOutput">{output}</span>));
 
             autocommands.trigger("ShellCmdPost", {});
         },
diff --git a/common/content/liberator.js b/common/content/liberator.js
index 2861bf0c..d48ed17b 100644
--- a/common/content/liberator.js
+++ b/common/content/liberator.js
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ const liberator = (function () //{{{
                             totalUnits = "msec";
                         }
 
-                        var str = template.generic(
+                        let str = template.commandOutput(
                                 <table>
                                     <tr highlight="Title" align="left">
                                         <th colspan="3">Code execution summary</th>
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ const liberator = (function () //{{{
                 if (args.bang)
                     liberator.open("about:");
                 else
-                    liberator.echo(template.generic(<>{config.name} {liberator.version} running on:<br/>{navigator.userAgent}</>));
+                    liberator.echo(template.commandOutput(<>{config.name} {liberator.version} running on:<br/>{navigator.userAgent}</>));
             },
             {
                 argCount: "0",
@@ -850,10 +850,10 @@ const liberator = (function () //{{{
                 err = "E477: No ! allowed";
             }
 
-            if (!err)
-                command.execute(args, special, count, modifiers);
-            else
-                liberator.echoerr(err);
+            if (err)
+                return liberator.echoerr(err);
+            commandline.command = str.replace(/^\s*:\s*/);
+            command.execute(args, special, count, modifiers);
         },
 
         // TODO: move to buffer.focus()?
diff --git a/common/content/liberator.xul b/common/content/liberator.xul
index 3be74c0b..a2e67338 100644
--- a/common/content/liberator.xul
+++ b/common/content/liberator.xul
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ the terms of any one of the MPL, the GPL or the LGPL.
 
         <stack orient="horizontal" align="stretch" class="liberator-container" liberator:highlight="CmdLine">
             <textbox class="plain" id="liberator-message" flex="1" readonly="true" liberator:highlight="Normal"/>
-            <hbox id="liberator-commandline" hidden="false" class="liberator-container" liberator:highlight="Normal">
+            <hbox id="liberator-commandline" hidden="false" collapsed="true" class="liberator-container" liberator:highlight="Normal">
                 <label class="plain" id="liberator-commandline-prompt"  flex="0" crop="end" value="" collapsed="true"/>
                 <textbox class="plain" id="liberator-commandline-command" flex="1" type="timed" timeout="100"
                     oninput="liberator.modules.commandline.onEvent(event);"
diff --git a/common/content/modes.js b/common/content/modes.js
index e5592d08..cc7dbc39 100644
--- a/common/content/modes.js
+++ b/common/content/modes.js
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ const modes = (function () //{{{
             if (!options["showmode"])
                 return;
 
-            commandline.echo(getModeMessage(), "ModeMsg");
+            commandline.echo(getModeMessage(), "ModeMsg", commandline.DISALLOW_MULTILINE);
         },
 
         // add/remove always work on the extended mode only
@@ -226,8 +226,11 @@ const modes = (function () //{{{
 
         remove: function (mode)
         {
-            extended &= ~mode;
-            this.show();
+            if (extended & mode)
+            {
+                extended &= ~mode;
+                this.show();
+            }
         },
 
         get passNextKey() passNextKey,
diff --git a/common/content/template.js b/common/content/template.js
index a5e3e9db..a080863d 100644
--- a/common/content/template.js
+++ b/common/content/template.js
@@ -204,9 +204,9 @@ const template = {
             return str;
     },
 
-    generic: function generic(xml)
+    commandOutput: function generic(xml)
     {
-        return <>:{commandline.getCommand()}<br/>{xml}</>;
+        return <>:{commandline.command}<br/>{xml}</>;
     },
 
     // every item must have a .xml property which defines how to draw itself
diff --git a/common/content/ui.js b/common/content/ui.js
index f6663812..c0b84460 100644
--- a/common/content/ui.js
+++ b/common/content/ui.js
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
 
         get completion() 
         {
-            let str = commandline.getCommand();
+            let str = commandline.command;
             return str.substring(this.prefix.length, str.length - this.suffix.length);
         },
         set completion set_completion(completion)
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
                         if (this.substring && this.substring != this.completion)
                         {
                             this.completion = this.substring;
-                            liberator.triggerCallback("change", currentExtendedMode, commandline.getCommand());
+                            liberator.triggerCallback("change", currentExtendedMode, commandline.command);
                         }
                         break;
                     }
@@ -412,7 +412,6 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
     });
 
     var tabTimer = new util.Timer(0, 0, function tabTell(event) {
-        liberator.dump("tabTell");
         if (completions)
             completions.tab(event.shiftKey);
     });
@@ -456,7 +455,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
         let callback = promptSubmitCallback;
         promptSubmitCallback = null;
         if (callback)
-            callback.call(commandline, value == null ? commandline.getCommand() : value);
+            callback.call(commandline, value == null ? commandline.command : value);
     }
 
     /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////}}}
@@ -477,7 +476,6 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
     // the command bar which contains the current command
     const commandWidget = document.getElementById("liberator-commandline-command");
 
-
     const messageBox = document.getElementById("liberator-message");
 
     commandWidget.inputField.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIDOMNSEditableElement);
@@ -496,6 +494,9 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
     // this is then used if we focus the command line again without the "official"
     // way of calling "open"
     var currentExtendedMode = null;     // the extended mode which we last openend the command line for
+    // modules.__defineGetter__("currentExtendedMode", function () _currentExtendedMode)
+    // modules.__defineSetter__("currentExtendedMode", function (val) (liberator.dumpStack("currentExtendedMode = " + (val && modes.getMode(val).name)),
+    //          _currentExtendedMode = val))
     var currentPrompt = null;
     var currentCommand = null;
 
@@ -541,8 +542,6 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
         let field = messageBox.inputField;
         if (!forceSingle && field.editor.rootElement.scrollWidth > field.scrollWidth)
             echoMultiline(<span highlight="Message">{str}</span>, highlightGroup);
-        else
-            messageBox.collapsed = false;
     }
 
     // TODO: resize upon a window resize
@@ -871,7 +870,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
                 storage.styles.removeSheet("silent-mode", null, null, null, true);
         },
 
-        getCommand: function getCommand()
+        get command()
         {
             try
             {
@@ -880,6 +879,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
             catch (e) {}
             return commandWidget.value;
         },
+        set command(cmd) commandWidget.value = cmd,
 
         open: function open(prompt, cmd, extendedMode)
         {
@@ -890,12 +890,12 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
             currentExtendedMode = extendedMode || null;
             keepCommand = false;
 
-            modes.set(modes.COMMAND_LINE, currentExtendedMode);
-
             setPrompt(currentPrompt);
             setCommand(currentCommand);
             commandlineWidget.collapsed = false;
 
+            modes.set(modes.COMMAND_LINE, currentExtendedMode);
+
             commandWidget.focus();
 
             history = History(commandWidget.inputField, (modes.extended == modes.EX) ? "command" : "search");
@@ -940,13 +940,8 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
         // liberator.echo uses different order of flags as it omits the hightlight group, change v.commandline.echo argument order? --mst
         echo: function echo(str, highlightGroup, flags)
         {
-            let focused = document.commandDispatcher.focusedElement;
-            if (focused && focused == commandWidget.inputField || focused == multilineInputWidget.inputField)
-                return false;
             if (silent)
                 return false;
-            if (modes.main == modes.COMMAND_LINE)
-                return false;
 
             highlightGroup = highlightGroup || this.HL_NORMAL;
 
@@ -956,7 +951,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
             // The DOM isn't threadsafe. It must only be accessed from the main thread.
             liberator.callInMainThread(function ()
             {
-                let action = echoLine;
+                let action = outputContainer.collapsed ? echoLine : echoMultiline;
                 if (flags & commandline.FORCE_MULTILINE)
                     action = echoMultiline;
                 else if (flags & commandline.FORCE_SINGLELINE)
@@ -973,9 +968,6 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
 
                 if (action)
                     action(str, highlightGroup, (flags & (this.FORCE_SINGLELINE | this.DISALLOW_MULTILINE)));
-
-                // Why do we do this? --Kris
-                currentExtendedMode = null;
             });
 
             return true;
@@ -1022,7 +1014,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
 
         onEvent: function onEvent(event)
         {
-            let command = this.getCommand();
+            let command = this.command;
 
             if (event.type == "blur")
             {
@@ -1034,7 +1026,7 @@ function CommandLine() //{{{
             }
             else if (event.type == "focus")
             {
-                if (!currentExtendedMode && event.target == commandWidget.inputField)
+                if (!commandShown() && event.target == commandWidget.inputField)
                 {
                     event.target.blur();
                     liberator.beep();