diff --git a/backend/src/mqtt/client.ts b/backend/src/mqtt/client.ts
index 87f4269..6946dca 100644
--- a/backend/src/mqtt/client.ts
+++ b/backend/src/mqtt/client.ts
@@ -311,6 +311,7 @@ async function handleMessage(topic: string, rawPayload: Buffer): Promise<void> {
   let decodedHash: string | undefined;
   let decodedHops: number | undefined;
   let decodedPathHashSizeBytes: number | undefined;
+  let decodedRouteType: number | undefined;
   let summary:     string | undefined;
   let srcNodeId:   string | undefined;
   let advertCount: number | undefined;
@@ -319,13 +320,14 @@ async function handleMessage(topic: string, rawPayload: Buffer): Promise<void> {
 
   if (rawHex) {
     try {
-      const { decoded, pathHashes, pathHashCount, pathHashSize } = decodePacketCompat(rawHex, keyStore);
+      const { decoded, pathHashes, pathHashCount, pathHashSize, routeType: decodedRT } = decodePacketCompat(rawHex, keyStore);
 
       if (decoded) {
         resolvedPacketType = decoded.payloadType ?? resolvedPacketType;
         decodedHash = decoded.messageHash;
         decodedHops = pathHashCount ?? decoded.pathLength;
         decodedPathHashSizeBytes = pathHashSize;
+        decodedRouteType = decodedRT;
         if (pathHashes && pathHashes.length > 0) {
           path = pathHashes;
         }
@@ -443,6 +445,7 @@ async function handleMessage(topic: string, rawPayload: Buffer): Promise<void> {
       topic,
       network,
       packetType: resolvedPacketType,
+      routeType:  decodedRouteType,
       hopCount:   decodedHops,
       pathHashSizeBytes: decodedPathHashSizeBytes,
       direction,
@@ -462,7 +465,7 @@ async function handleMessage(topic: string, rawPayload: Buffer): Promise<void> {
       srcNodeId,
       topic,
       packetType: resolvedPacketType,
-      routeType:  undefined,
+      routeType:  decodedRouteType,
       hopCount:   decodedHops,
       pathHashSizeBytes: decodedPathHashSizeBytes,
       rssi,
diff --git a/backend/src/mqtt/decodePacket.ts b/backend/src/mqtt/decodePacket.ts
index 83eab82..b6313f1 100644
--- a/backend/src/mqtt/decodePacket.ts
+++ b/backend/src/mqtt/decodePacket.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ import { MeshCoreDecoder } from '@michaelhart/meshcore-decoder';
 type KeyStore = ReturnType<typeof MeshCoreDecoder.createKeyStore>;
 
 type PathMeta = {
+  routeType: number;
+  transportCodes: string | undefined;
   encodedLengthByte: number;
   pathLengthOffset: number;
   pathHashCount: number;
@@ -16,6 +18,8 @@ export type CompatDecodedPacket = {
   pathHashes?: string[];
   pathHashCount?: number;
   pathHashSize?: number;
+  routeType?: number;
+  transportCodes?: string;
 };
 
 function bytesToHex(bytes: Uint8Array): string {
@@ -34,18 +38,38 @@ function parsePathMeta(rawHex: string): PathMeta | null {
 
   const routeType = bytes[0]! & 0x03;
   let offset = 1;
-  if (routeType === 0 || routeType === 3) offset += 4;
+
+  // Extract transport codes when present (routeType 0 = FLOOD, 3 = DIRECT with codes)
+  let transportCodes: string | undefined;
+  if (routeType === 0 || routeType === 3) {
+    if (bytes.length < offset + 4) return null;
+    transportCodes = bytesToHex(bytes.subarray(offset, offset + 4));
+    offset += 4;
+  }
+
   if (bytes.length <= offset) return null;
 
   const encodedLengthByte = bytes[offset]!;
   const pathHashCount = encodedLengthByte & 0x3f;
   const pathHashSize = (encodedLengthByte >> 6) + 1;
-  if (pathHashSize > 3) return null;
+
+  // Reserved hash-size mode (0b11 → 4 bytes) — reject fully (#3)
+  if (pathHashSize > 3) {
+    console.warn(`[decode] reserved path hash size mode ${pathHashSize} in packet ${rawHex.slice(0, 16)}…`);
+    return null;
+  }
 
   const pathByteLength = pathHashCount * pathHashSize;
   const pathStart = offset + 1;
   const pathEnd = pathStart + pathByteLength;
-  if (bytes.length < pathEnd) return null;
+
+  // Warn on truncated path data (#2)
+  if (bytes.length < pathEnd) {
+    console.warn(
+      `[decode] truncated path: need ${pathByteLength} path bytes but only ${bytes.length - pathStart} available in packet ${rawHex.slice(0, 16)}…`,
+    );
+    return null;
+  }
 
   const pathHashes: string[] = [];
   for (let i = 0; i < pathHashCount; i++) {
@@ -55,6 +79,8 @@ function parsePathMeta(rawHex: string): PathMeta | null {
   }
 
   return {
+    routeType,
+    transportCodes,
     encodedLengthByte,
     pathLengthOffset: offset,
     pathHashCount,
@@ -66,6 +92,15 @@ function parsePathMeta(rawHex: string): PathMeta | null {
 
 function buildCompatRawHex(rawHex: string, meta: PathMeta): string {
   if (meta.encodedLengthByte < 64) return rawHex;
+
+  // Guard: pathByteLength > 63 would bleed into upper 2 bits, corrupting the compat byte (#6)
+  if (meta.pathByteLength > 63) {
+    console.warn(
+      `[decode] pathByteLength ${meta.pathByteLength} exceeds 63, skipping compat rewrite for packet ${rawHex.slice(0, 16)}…`,
+    );
+    return rawHex;
+  }
+
   const bytes = hexToBytes(rawHex);
   if (!bytes) return rawHex;
   const compat = new Uint8Array(bytes);
@@ -82,5 +117,7 @@ export function decodePacketCompat(rawHex: string, keyStore: KeyStore): CompatDe
     pathHashes: meta?.pathHashes ?? (decoded.path as string[] | null) ?? undefined,
     pathHashCount: meta?.pathHashCount ?? decoded.pathLength ?? undefined,
     pathHashSize: meta?.pathHashSize ?? 1,
+    routeType: meta?.routeType ?? decoded.routeType ?? undefined,
+    transportCodes: meta?.transportCodes,
   };
 }
diff --git a/backend/src/path-beta/resolver.ts b/backend/src/path-beta/resolver.ts
index 4e6b04c..30ffde5 100644
--- a/backend/src/path-beta/resolver.ts
+++ b/backend/src/path-beta/resolver.ts
@@ -1038,7 +1038,7 @@ export type BetaResolvedPayload = {
 export async function resolveBetaPathForPacketHash(packetHash: string, network: string, observer?: string): Promise<BetaResolvedPayload | null> {
   const [packetResult, observerHopResult] = await Promise.all([
     query<PathPacket>(
-      `SELECT packet_hash, rx_node_id, src_node_id, packet_type, hop_count, path_hashes
+      `SELECT packet_hash, rx_node_id, src_node_id, packet_type, hop_count, path_hashes, path_hash_size_bytes
        FROM packets
        WHERE packet_hash = $1
          AND ($2 = 'all' OR network = $2)
@@ -1095,7 +1095,20 @@ export async function resolveBetaPathForPacketHash(packetHash: string, network:
 
   const src = packet.src_node_id ? (context.nodesById.get(packet.src_node_id) ?? null) : null;
   const hashes = packet.path_hashes ?? [];
-  const hops = packet.hop_count != null ? hashes.slice(0, Math.max(0, packet.hop_count)) : hashes;
+
+  // Validate path hash lengths against wire-format hash size when available (#4)
+  const expectedHexLen = packet.path_hash_size_bytes != null ? packet.path_hash_size_bytes * 2 : null;
+  const validatedHashes = expectedHexLen != null
+    ? hashes.filter((h) => {
+      if (h.length !== expectedHexLen) {
+        console.warn(`${logPrefix} hash length mismatch: expected ${expectedHexLen} hex chars, got ${h.length} ("${h}")`);
+        return false;
+      }
+      return true;
+    })
+    : hashes;
+
+  const hops = packet.hop_count != null ? validatedHashes.slice(0, Math.max(0, packet.hop_count)) : validatedHashes;
   const forceIncludeSource = packet.packet_type === 4;
   const currentHopCount = Number(packet.hop_count ?? 0);
   const observerHopHints: ObserverHopHint[] = currentHopCount > 0 && packet.rx_node_id
diff --git a/backend/src/path-beta/types.ts b/backend/src/path-beta/types.ts
index 9373e3f..942d8c5 100644
--- a/backend/src/path-beta/types.ts
+++ b/backend/src/path-beta/types.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export type PathPacket = {
   packet_type: number | null;
   hop_count: number | null;
   path_hashes: string[] | null;
+  path_hash_size_bytes: number | null;
 };
 
 export type ObserverHopHint = {
diff --git a/backend/src/types/index.ts b/backend/src/types/index.ts
index 443ccbf..3c683c3 100644
--- a/backend/src/types/index.ts
+++ b/backend/src/types/index.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ export interface LivePacket {
   topic: string;
   network?: string;
   packetType?: number;
+  routeType?: number;   // 0=FLOOD, 1=DIRECT, 2=FLOOD+codes, 3=DIRECT+codes
   hopCount?: number;
   pathHashSizeBytes?: number;
   direction?: string;   // 'rx' | 'tx' from mctomqtt