diff --git a/implementations/Crafter.Debug.Cli-Client.cpp b/implementations/Crafter.Debug.Cli-Client.cpp
index 6e03563..677af1c 100644
--- a/implementations/Crafter.Debug.Cli-Client.cpp
+++ b/implementations/Crafter.Debug.Cli-Client.cpp
@@ -878,13 +878,19 @@ namespace {
         for (std::size_t i = 0; i < args.size(); ++i) {
             const std::string_view arg = args[i];
             if (!options.command.empty()) {
-                // Global flags may follow the command too, before its own.
-                if (arg == "--json") {
+                // Global flags go anywhere, as agents write them: `wait
+                // --paused --timeout 60s`. No command has options of these
+                // names, but for `call --json '{...}'`, its arguments as JSON.
+                const bool callArguments = options.command == "call" && arg == "--json" && i + 1 < args.size() && args[i + 1].starts_with('{');
+                if (arg == "--json" && !callArguments) {
                     options.json = true;
                     continue;
                 }
-                options.rest.emplace_back(arg);
-                continue;
+                if (arg != "--timeout" && arg != "-i" && arg != "--instance") {
+                    options.rest.emplace_back(arg);
+                    if (callArguments) options.rest.emplace_back(args[++i]);
+                    continue;
+                }
             }
             if ((arg == "-i" || arg == "--instance") && i + 1 < args.size()) {
                 options.instance = args[++i];
@@ -897,6 +903,9 @@ namespace {
                     return exitUsage;
                 }
                 options.timeout = *timeout;
+            } else if (arg == "--timeout" || arg == "-i" || arg == "--instance") {
+                *env.err << std::format("crafter-debug: {} needs a value\n", arg);
+                return exitUsage;
             } else if (arg == "-h" || arg == "--help") {
                 *env.out << usage;
                 return exitOk;
diff --git a/tests/ShouldRunClientCommands/main.cpp b/tests/ShouldRunClientCommands/main.cpp
index 4694e7c..28451e3 100644
--- a/tests/ShouldRunClientCommands/main.cpp
+++ b/tests/ShouldRunClientCommands/main.cpp
@@ -161,6 +161,10 @@ int main() {
     Check(r.code == 0 && Has(r.out, "'score >= 1' held at frame"), "wait for a condition");
     r = Run({ "--timeout", "100ms", "wait", "score < 0" }, instances);
     Check(r.code == 5 && Has(r.err, "was not true within"), "a wait that times out exits 5 and says what the paths were");
+    r = Run({ "wait", "score < 0", "--timeout", "100ms" }, instances);
+    Check(r.code == 5 && Has(r.err, "was not true within"), std::format("global flags also go after the command's own ({})", r.err));
+    r = Run({ "wait", "--frames", "1", "--timeout" }, instances);
+    Check(r.code == 2 && Has(r.err, "--timeout needs a value"), "a global flag without its value is a usage error");
 
     r = Run({ "log", "--last", "5" }, instances);
     Check(r.code == 0 && Has(r.out, "AGENT"), "log shows the agent's actions");
@@ -178,6 +182,12 @@ int main() {
     } catch (const ParseError&) {
     }
     Check(r.code == 0 && json, "--json prints JSON");
+    r = Run({ "status", "--json" }, instances);
+    Check(r.code == 0 && r.out.starts_with("{"), "--json after the command too");
+    r = Run({ "call", "Player_SetAim", "--json", R"({"slot": 4, "yaw": 5})" }, instances);
+    Check(r.code == 0 && Has(r.out, R"({"slot":4,"yaw":5.0})"), std::format("call takes its arguments as JSON ({})", r.out + r.err));
+    r = Run({ "call", "Player_SetAim", "--json", R"({"slot": 4})", "yaw=7", "--json" }, instances);
+    Check(r.code == 0 && Has(r.out, R"({"slot":4,"yaw":7.0})"), std::format("JSON arguments with key=value on top, and --json after them ({})", r.out + r.err));
 
     r = Run({ "stauts" }, instances);
     Check(r.code == 2 && Has(r.err, "did you mean 'status'"), "a mistyped command name gets a suggestion");