diff --git a/cli/node/package.json b/cli/node/package.json
index bee02b2f4..4a03bdf96 100644
--- a/cli/node/package.json
+++ b/cli/node/package.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     "mem0": "./dist/index.js"
   },
   "scripts": {
-    "build": "tsup src/index.ts --format esm --dts --clean",
+    "build": "tsup",
     "dev": "tsx src/index.ts",
     "test": "vitest run",
     "test:watch": "vitest",
diff --git a/cli/node/src/backend/platform.ts b/cli/node/src/backend/platform.ts
index 419fdf85e..cdef78b35 100644
--- a/cli/node/src/backend/platform.ts
+++ b/cli/node/src/backend/platform.ts
@@ -58,15 +58,20 @@ export class PlatformBackend implements Backend {
     if (resp.status === 400) {
       let detail: string;
       try {
-        const body = await resp.json();
-        detail = (body as Record<string, string>).detail ?? resp.statusText;
+        const body = await resp.json() as Record<string, unknown>;
+        detail = (body.detail ?? body.message ?? JSON.stringify(body)) as string ?? resp.statusText;
       } catch {
         detail = resp.statusText;
       }
       throw new APIError(path, detail);
     }
     if (!resp.ok) {
-      throw new Error(`HTTP ${resp.status}: ${resp.statusText}`);
+      let detail: string = resp.statusText;
+      try {
+        const body = await resp.json() as Record<string, unknown>;
+        detail = (body.detail ?? body.message ?? resp.statusText) as string;
+      } catch { /* ignore */ }
+      throw new Error(`HTTP ${resp.status}: ${detail}`);
     }
     if (resp.status === 204) {
       return {};
diff --git a/cli/node/src/branding.ts b/cli/node/src/branding.ts
index 7eb54fae0..e60c5e3be 100644
--- a/cli/node/src/branding.ts
+++ b/cli/node/src/branding.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,6 @@
 
 import chalk from "chalk";
 import ora, { type Ora } from "ora";
-import { createRequire } from "node:module";
-
-const _require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
-const PKG_VERSION: string = _require("../package.json").version;
 
 export const LOGO = `
 ███╗   ███╗███████╗███╗   ███╗ ██████╗      ██████╗██╗     ██╗
@@ -48,7 +44,7 @@ export function printBanner(): void {
   const pad = 3; // horizontal padding each side (matches Rich's padding=(0, 2))
   const logoLines = LOGO.trimEnd().split("\n");
   const tagline = `  ${TAGLINE}`;
-  const subtitle = `Node.js SDK · v${PKG_VERSION}`;
+  const subtitle = `Node.js SDK · v${__CLI_VERSION__}`;
   const contentLines = ["", ...logoLines, "", tagline, ""];
 
   // Compute inner width from longest content line + padding both sides
@@ -90,7 +86,7 @@ export function printWarning(message: string): void {
 }
 
 export function printInfo(message: string): void {
-  console.log(`${brand(sym("◆", "*"))} ${message}`);
+  console.error(`${brand(sym("◆", "*"))} ${message}`);
 }
 
 export function printScope(ids: Record<string, string | undefined>): void {
@@ -102,7 +98,7 @@ export function printScope(ids: Record<string, string | undefined>): void {
     }
   }
   if (parts.length > 0) {
-    console.log(`  ${dim(`Scope: ${parts.join(", ")}`)}`);
+    console.error(`  ${dim(`Scope: ${parts.join(", ")}`)}`);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/cli/node/src/commands/memory.ts b/cli/node/src/commands/memory.ts
index 9c900afc7..95065f98e 100644
--- a/cli/node/src/commands/memory.ts
+++ b/cli/node/src/commands/memory.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import type { Backend } from "../backend/base.js";
 import {
   formatAddResult,
   formatJson,
+  formatJsonEnvelope,
   formatMemoriesTable,
   formatMemoriesText,
   formatSingleMemory,
@@ -60,11 +61,27 @@ export async function cmdAdd(
     content = fs.readFileSync(0, "utf-8").trim();
   }
 
+  if (content !== undefined && content.trim() === "") {
+    printError("Content cannot be empty.");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
   if (!content && !msgs) {
     printError("No content provided. Pass text, --messages, --file, or pipe via stdin.");
     process.exit(1);
   }
 
+  // Validate --expires
+  if (opts.expires) {
+    if (!/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$/.test(opts.expires)) {
+      printError("Invalid date format for --expires. Use YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2025-12-31).");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    if (new Date(opts.expires) <= new Date()) {
+      printError("--expires date must be in the future.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+  }
+
   let meta: Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
   if (opts.metadata) {
     try {
@@ -155,6 +172,15 @@ export async function cmdSearch(
 
   const fieldList = opts.fields ? opts.fields.split(",").map((f) => f.trim()) : undefined;
 
+  if (opts.topK < 1) {
+    printError("--top-k must be >= 1.");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  if (opts.threshold < 0 || opts.threshold > 1) {
+    printError("--threshold must be between 0.0 and 1.0.");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
   const start = performance.now();
   let results: Record<string, unknown>[];
   try {
@@ -179,11 +205,13 @@ export async function cmdSearch(
   }
   const elapsed = (performance.now() - start) / 1000;
 
+  if (opts.output === "quiet") return;
+
   if (opts.output === "json") {
     formatJson(results);
   } else if (opts.output === "table") {
     if (results.length > 0) {
-      formatMemoriesTable(results);
+      formatMemoriesTable(results, { showScore: true });
       printResultSummary({ count: results.length, durationSecs: elapsed, scopeIds: { user_id: opts.userId, agent_id: opts.agentId } });
     } else {
       console.log();
@@ -236,6 +264,15 @@ export async function cmdList(
     output: string;
   },
 ): Promise<void> {
+  if (opts.pageSize < 1) {
+    printError("--page-size must be >= 1.");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  if (opts.page < 1) {
+    printError("--page must be >= 1.");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
   const start = performance.now();
   let results: Record<string, unknown>[];
   try {
@@ -259,8 +296,15 @@ export async function cmdList(
   }
   const elapsed = (performance.now() - start) / 1000;
 
+  if (opts.output === "quiet") return;
+
   if (opts.output === "json") {
-    formatJson(results);
+    formatJsonEnvelope({
+      command: "list",
+      data: results,
+      count: results.length,
+      scope: { user_id: opts.userId, agent_id: opts.agentId },
+    });
   } else if (opts.output === "table") {
     if (results.length > 0) {
       formatMemoriesTable(results);
@@ -372,6 +416,7 @@ export async function cmdDeleteAll(
     // Project-wide wipe using wildcard entity IDs
     if (opts.dryRun) {
       printInfo("Would delete ALL memories project-wide.");
+      printInfo("Run without --dry-run to see the actual count of deleted memories.");
       printInfo("No changes made.");
       return;
     }
diff --git a/cli/node/src/commands/utils.ts b/cli/node/src/commands/utils.ts
index b0ad611e7..07297d89e 100644
--- a/cli/node/src/commands/utils.ts
+++ b/cli/node/src/commands/utils.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
  */
 
 import fs from "node:fs";
-import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 import { printError, printSuccess, timedStatus, colors } from "../branding.js";
 import type { Backend } from "../backend/base.js";
 import { formatJsonEnvelope } from "../output.js";
@@ -11,9 +10,6 @@ import boxen from "boxen";
 
 const { brand, dim, success, error: errorColor } = colors;
 
-const _require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
-const VERSION: string = _require("../../package.json").version;
-
 export async function cmdStatus(
   backend: Backend,
   opts: { userId?: string; agentId?: string; output?: string } = {},
@@ -73,7 +69,7 @@ export async function cmdStatus(
 }
 
 export function cmdVersion(): void {
-  console.log(`  ${brand("◆ Mem0")} CLI v${VERSION}`);
+  console.log(`  ${brand("◆ Mem0")} CLI v${__CLI_VERSION__}`);
 }
 
 export async function cmdImport(
diff --git a/cli/node/src/config.ts b/cli/node/src/config.ts
index 53314f8a9..91ef29353 100644
--- a/cli/node/src/config.ts
+++ b/cli/node/src/config.ts
@@ -132,6 +132,14 @@ const KEY_MAP: Record<string, [keyof Mem0Config, string]> = {
   "defaults.app_id": ["defaults", "appId"],
   "defaults.run_id": ["defaults", "runId"],
   "defaults.enable_graph": ["defaults", "enableGraph"],
+  // Short-form aliases
+  "api_key": ["platform", "apiKey"],
+  "base_url": ["platform", "baseUrl"],
+  "user_id": ["defaults", "userId"],
+  "agent_id": ["defaults", "agentId"],
+  "app_id": ["defaults", "appId"],
+  "run_id": ["defaults", "runId"],
+  "enable_graph": ["defaults", "enableGraph"],
 };
 
 export function getNestedValue(config: Mem0Config, dottedKey: string): unknown {
diff --git a/cli/node/src/globals.d.ts b/cli/node/src/globals.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d51a5c52d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/node/src/globals.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+/** Injected by tsup at build time from package.json version field. */
+declare const __CLI_VERSION__: string;
diff --git a/cli/node/src/index.ts b/cli/node/src/index.ts
index d4969f5f6..4c0c7b8e9 100644
--- a/cli/node/src/index.ts
+++ b/cli/node/src/index.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 import fs from "node:fs";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
-import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 import { Command } from "commander";
 import type { Mem0Config } from "./config.js";
 import { loadConfig } from "./config.js";
@@ -15,9 +14,6 @@ import { getBackend, type Backend } from "./backend/index.js";
 import { printError, colors } from "./branding.js";
 import { richFormatHelp } from "./help.js";
 
-const _require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
-const VERSION: string = _require("../package.json").version;
-
 const program = new Command();
 
 // ── Helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -95,10 +91,10 @@ function resolveGraph(
 
 program
   .name("mem0")
-  .description(`◆ Mem0 CLI v${VERSION} · Node.js SDK\n\nThe Memory Layer for AI Agents`)
+  .description(`◆ Mem0 CLI v${__CLI_VERSION__} · Node.js SDK\n\nThe Memory Layer for AI Agents`)
   .option("--version", "Show version and exit.")
   .on("option:version", () => {
-    console.log(`  ${colors.brand("◆ Mem0")} CLI v${VERSION}`);
+    console.log(`  ${colors.brand("◆ Mem0")} CLI v${__CLI_VERSION__}`);
     process.exit(0);
   })
   .usage("<command> [options]")
@@ -476,11 +472,11 @@ program
         const spec = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(specPath, "utf-8"));
         console.log(JSON.stringify(spec, null, 2));
       } else {
-        console.log(JSON.stringify({ name: "mem0", version: VERSION, description: "The Memory Layer for AI Agents" }, null, 2));
+        console.log(JSON.stringify({ name: "mem0", version: __CLI_VERSION__, description: "The Memory Layer for AI Agents" }, null, 2));
       }
     } else {
       const { brand: b } = colors;
-      console.log(`${b("◆ Mem0 CLI")} v${VERSION} · Node.js SDK\n  The Memory Layer for AI Agents\n`);
+      console.log(`${b("◆ Mem0 CLI")} v${__CLI_VERSION__} · Node.js SDK\n  The Memory Layer for AI Agents\n`);
       console.log("Usage: mem0 <command> [OPTIONS]\n");
       console.log("Commands:");
       console.log("  add              Add a memory from text, messages, file, or stdin");
@@ -501,6 +497,16 @@ program
     }
   });
 
+// ── Version ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+program
+  .command("version")
+  .description("Show version.")
+  .action(async () => {
+    const { cmdVersion } = await import("./commands/utils.js");
+    cmdVersion();
+  });
+
 // ── Entrypoint ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 program.parse();
diff --git a/cli/node/src/output.ts b/cli/node/src/output.ts
index f5e5b3403..aa35e16cc 100644
--- a/cli/node/src/output.ts
+++ b/cli/node/src/output.ts
@@ -52,16 +52,22 @@ export function formatMemoriesText(
   }
 }
 
-export function formatMemoriesTable(memories: Record<string, unknown>[]): void {
+export function formatMemoriesTable(memories: Record<string, unknown>[], opts: { showScore?: boolean } = {}): void {
+  const head = opts.showScore
+    ? [accent("ID"), accent("Score"), accent("Memory"), accent("Category"), accent("Created")]
+    : [accent("ID"), accent("Memory"), accent("Category"), accent("Created")];
+  const colWidths = opts.showScore
+    ? [38, 8, 40, 16, 14]
+    : [38, 40, 16, 14];
   const table = new Table({
-    head: [accent("ID"), accent("Memory"), accent("Category"), accent("Created")],
-    colWidths: [12, 52, 16, 14],
+    head,
+    colWidths,
     wordWrap: true,
     style: { head: [], border: [] },
   });
 
   for (const mem of memories) {
-    const memId = ((mem.id as string) ?? "").slice(0, 8);
+    const memId = ((mem.id as string) ?? "");
     let memoryText = (mem.memory ?? mem.text ?? "") as string;
     if (memoryText.length > 60) {
       memoryText = memoryText.slice(0, 57) + "...";
@@ -69,10 +75,18 @@ export function formatMemoriesTable(memories: Record<string, unknown>[]): void {
     const categories = mem.categories;
     const cat =
       Array.isArray(categories) && categories.length > 0
-        ? (categories[0] as string)
+        ? categories.length > 1
+          ? `${categories[0]} (+${categories.length - 1})`
+          : (categories[0] as string)
         : "—";
     const created = formatDate(mem.created_at as string | undefined) ?? "—";
-    table.push([dim(memId), memoryText, cat, created]);
+    if (opts.showScore) {
+      const score = mem.score as number | undefined;
+      const scoreStr = score !== undefined ? score.toFixed(2) : "—";
+      table.push([dim(memId), scoreStr, memoryText, cat, created]);
+    } else {
+      table.push([dim(memId), memoryText, cat, created]);
+    }
   }
 
   console.log();
diff --git a/cli/node/tsup.config.ts b/cli/node/tsup.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..52a4352d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/node/tsup.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import { defineConfig } from 'tsup';
+import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
+
+const _require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
+const pkg = _require('./package.json');
+
+export default defineConfig({
+  entry: ['src/index.ts'],
+  format: ['esm'],
+  dts: true,
+  clean: true,
+  define: {
+    __CLI_VERSION__: JSON.stringify(pkg.version),
+  },
+});
diff --git a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/app.py b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/app.py
index c329118a3..5352525b4 100644
--- a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/app.py
+++ b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/app.py
@@ -281,8 +281,8 @@ def search(
     # STEP 7: stdin fallback for query
     if query is None:
         query = _read_stdin()
-    if query is None:
-        print_error(err_console, "No query provided. Pass a query argument or pipe via stdin.")
+    if not query or not query.strip():
+        print_error(err_console, "Search query cannot be empty.")
         raise typer.Exit(1)
 
     backend, config = _get_backend_and_config(api_key, base_url)
@@ -1014,6 +1014,13 @@ def help(
         console.print()
 
 
+@app.command(rich_help_panel="Utility")
+def version() -> None:
+    """Show version and exit."""
+    from mem0_cli.commands.utils import cmd_version
+    cmd_version()
+
+
 # Register config subgroup here so it appears after help in Management panel
 app.add_typer(config_app, name="config", rich_help_panel="Management")
 
diff --git a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/commands/memory.py b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/commands/memory.py
index 6cc24837a..9d5e201fc 100644
--- a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/commands/memory.py
+++ b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/commands/memory.py
@@ -95,6 +95,17 @@ def cmd_add(
         except json.JSONDecodeError:
             cats = [c.strip() for c in categories.split(",")]
 
+    # Validate --expires
+    if expires:
+        import re
+        if not re.match(r'^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$', expires):
+            print_error(err_console, "Invalid date format for --expires. Use YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2025-12-31).")
+            raise typer.Exit(1)
+        from datetime import date
+        if date.fromisoformat(expires) <= date.today():
+            print_error(err_console, "--expires date must be in the future.")
+            raise typer.Exit(1)
+
     with timed_status(err_console, "Adding memory...") as ts:
         try:
             result = backend.add(
@@ -113,7 +124,6 @@ def cmd_add(
             )
         except Exception as e:
             ts.error_msg = str(e)
-            print_error(err_console, str(e))
             raise typer.Exit(1) from None
 
     if output == "quiet":
@@ -164,6 +174,13 @@ def cmd_search(
     if fields:
         field_list = [f.strip() for f in fields.split(",")]
 
+    if top_k < 1:
+        print_error(err_console, "--top-k must be >= 1.")
+        raise typer.Exit(1)
+    if not (0.0 <= threshold <= 1.0):
+        print_error(err_console, "--threshold must be between 0.0 and 1.0.")
+        raise typer.Exit(1)
+
     _start = _time.perf_counter()
     with timed_status(err_console, "Searching memories...") as _ts:
         try:
@@ -186,11 +203,14 @@ def cmd_search(
             raise typer.Exit(1) from None
     _elapsed = _time.perf_counter() - _start
 
+    if output == "quiet":
+        return
+
     if output == "json":
         format_json(console, results)
     elif output == "table":
         if results:
-            format_memories_table(console, results)
+            format_memories_table(console, results, show_score=True)
             print_result_summary(
                 console, len(results), duration_secs=_elapsed, user_id=user_id, agent_id=agent_id
             )
@@ -238,6 +258,13 @@ def cmd_list(
     output: str = "table",
 ) -> None:
     """List memories."""
+    if page_size < 1:
+        print_error(err_console, "--page-size must be >= 1.")
+        raise typer.Exit(1)
+    if page < 1:
+        print_error(err_console, "--page must be >= 1.")
+        raise typer.Exit(1)
+
     _start = _time.perf_counter()
     with timed_status(err_console, "Listing memories...") as _ts:
         try:
@@ -258,8 +285,18 @@ def cmd_list(
             raise typer.Exit(1) from None
     _elapsed = _time.perf_counter() - _start
 
+    if output == "quiet":
+        return
+
     if output == "json":
-        format_json(console, results)
+        from mem0_cli.output import format_json_envelope
+        format_json_envelope(
+            console,
+            command="list",
+            data=results,
+            count=len(results),
+            scope={k: v for k, v in {"user_id": user_id, "agent_id": agent_id}.items() if v},
+        )
     elif output == "table":
         if results:
             format_memories_table(console, results)
@@ -376,6 +413,7 @@ def cmd_delete_all(
         # Project-wide wipe using wildcard entity IDs
         if dry_run:
             print_info(console, "Would delete ALL memories project-wide.")
+            print_info(console, "Run without --dry-run to see the actual count.")
             print_info(console, "No changes made (dry run).")
             return
 
diff --git a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/config.py b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/config.py
index 780c30ec1..9ffa64161 100644
--- a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/config.py
+++ b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/config.py
@@ -45,6 +45,17 @@ class Mem0Config:
     platform: PlatformConfig = field(default_factory=PlatformConfig)
 
 
+SHORT_KEY_ALIASES: dict[str, str] = {
+    "api_key": "platform.api_key",
+    "base_url": "platform.base_url",
+    "user_id": "defaults.user_id",
+    "agent_id": "defaults.agent_id",
+    "app_id": "defaults.app_id",
+    "run_id": "defaults.run_id",
+    "enable_graph": "defaults.enable_graph",
+}
+
+
 def ensure_config_dir() -> Path:
     """Create ~/.mem0 directory with secure permissions if it doesn't exist."""
     CONFIG_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
@@ -140,7 +151,8 @@ def redact_key(key: str) -> str:
 
 
 def get_nested_value(config: Mem0Config, dotted_key: str) -> Any:
-    """Get a config value by dotted path, e.g. 'platform.api_key'."""
+    """Get a config value by dotted path, e.g. 'platform.api_key' or short form 'api_key'."""
+    dotted_key = SHORT_KEY_ALIASES.get(dotted_key, dotted_key)
     parts = dotted_key.split(".")
     obj: Any = config
     for part in parts:
@@ -153,6 +165,7 @@ def get_nested_value(config: Mem0Config, dotted_key: str) -> Any:
 
 def set_nested_value(config: Mem0Config, dotted_key: str, value: str) -> bool:
     """Set a config value by dotted path. Returns True on success."""
+    dotted_key = SHORT_KEY_ALIASES.get(dotted_key, dotted_key)
     parts = dotted_key.split(".")
     obj: Any = config
     for part in parts[:-1]:
diff --git a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/output.py b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/output.py
index 3d33003d9..09156c55a 100644
--- a/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/output.py
+++ b/cli/python/src/mem0_cli/output.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def format_memories_text(console: Console, memories: list[dict], title: str = "m
         console.print()
 
 
-def format_memories_table(console: Console, memories: list[dict]) -> None:
+def format_memories_table(console: Console, memories: list[dict], *, show_score: bool = False) -> None:
     """Render memories in a rich table."""
     table = Table(
         border_style=BRAND_COLOR,
@@ -57,20 +57,30 @@ def format_memories_table(console: Console, memories: list[dict]) -> None:
         row_styles=["", "dim"],
         padding=(0, 1),
     )
-    table.add_column("ID", style="dim", max_width=10)
+    table.add_column("ID", style="dim", max_width=38, no_wrap=True)
+    if show_score:
+        table.add_column("Score", max_width=7, justify="right")
     table.add_column("Memory", max_width=50, no_wrap=False)
     table.add_column("Category", max_width=14)
     table.add_column("Created", max_width=12)
 
     for mem in memories:
-        mem_id = mem.get("id", "")[:8]
+        mem_id = mem.get("id", "")
         memory_text = mem.get("memory", mem.get("text", ""))
         if len(memory_text) > 60:
             memory_text = memory_text[:57] + "..."
         categories = mem.get("categories", [])
-        cat = categories[0] if isinstance(categories, list) and categories else "—"
+        if isinstance(categories, list) and categories:
+            cat = categories[0] if len(categories) == 1 else f"{categories[0]} (+{len(categories) - 1})"
+        else:
+            cat = "—"
         created = _format_date(mem.get("created_at")) or "—"
-        table.add_row(mem_id, memory_text, cat, created)
+        if show_score:
+            score = mem.get("score")
+            score_str = f"{score:.2f}" if score is not None else "—"
+            table.add_row(mem_id, score_str, memory_text, cat, created)
+        else:
+            table.add_row(mem_id, memory_text, cat, created)
 
     console.print()
     console.print(table)