diff --git a/errors/errno.fugu b/errors/errno.fugu
index fcf10dc..005c0ad 100755
--- a/errors/errno.fugu
+++ b/errors/errno.fugu
@@ -1433,3 +1433,8 @@ errors sdhc SDHCD_ERR_ {
     failure BULK_FRAME_SET             "Bulk frame already set",
     failure BULK_FRAME_NOT_SET         "Bulk frame not set",
 };
+
+errors shelly SHELLY_ERR_ {
+    failure BUFFER_OVERFLOW      "Buffer limits reached",
+    failure WRITE                "String write failed",
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/usr/shelly/shelly.c b/usr/shelly/shelly.c
index 78da716..0c738dd 100644
--- a/usr/shelly/shelly.c
+++ b/usr/shelly/shelly.c
@@ -24,6 +24,35 @@ static struct shelly_st_global * global_state;
 
 #include "shelly_cmd.c"
 
+//prints a null terminated string
+errval_t shelly_write_str(char * str) {
+    errval_t err;
+    for (size_t i = 0; str[i] != '\0'; ++i) {
+        err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, str[i]);
+        if (err_is_fail(err)) return err_push(err, SHELLY_ERR_WRITE);
+    }
+    err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, '\0');
+    if (err_is_fail(err)) return err_push(err, SHELLY_ERR_WRITE);
+    return SYS_ERR_OK;
+}
+
+void shelly_reset_buffer(void) {
+    global_state->buffer_i = 0;
+    global_state->buf[0] = '\0';
+}
+
+errval_t shelly_buffer_append(char c) {
+    global_state->buf[global_state->buffer_i] = c;
+    global_state->buffer_i += 1;
+
+    if (global_state->buffer_i == SHELLY_BUF_SIZE) {
+        shelly_reset_buffer();
+        return SHELLY_ERR_BUFFER_OVERFLOW;
+    }
+
+    return SYS_ERR_OK;
+}
+
 __attribute__((__used__))
 static void handle_lpuart_interrupt(void * arg) {
     errval_t err;
@@ -31,32 +60,38 @@ static void handle_lpuart_interrupt(void * arg) {
     assert(global_state);
 
     char input_char;
-    err = lpuart_getchar(global_state->uart_s, &input_char);
-    if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to get character");
+    while (true) {
+        err = lpuart_getchar(global_state->uart_s, &input_char);
+        if (err == LPUART_ERR_NO_DATA) {
+            break;
+        } else if (err_is_fail(err)) {
+            USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to get character");
+        }
 
-    err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, input_char);
-    if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to put character");
-
-    if (input_char == ASCII_NL || input_char == ASCII_EOF || input_char == ASCII_CR) {
-        err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, '\n');
+        err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, input_char);
         if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to put character");
 
-        global_state->buf[global_state->buffer_i] = '\0';
-        global_state->buffer_i += 1;
+        if (input_char == ASCII_NL || input_char == ASCII_EOF || input_char == ASCII_CR) {
+            err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, '\n');
+            if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to put character");
 
-        err = handle_shelly_cmd(global_state->buf, global_state->buffer_i);
-        if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while running command");
+            global_state->buf[global_state->buffer_i] = '\0';
+            global_state->buffer_i += 1;
 
-        global_state->buffer_i = 0;
+            err = handle_shelly_cmd(global_state->buf, global_state->buffer_i);
+            if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while running command");
 
-        err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, ASCII_EOT);
-        if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to put character");
-        err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, '>');
-        if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to put character");
-    } else {
-        global_state->buf[global_state->buffer_i] = input_char;
-        global_state->buffer_i += 1;
-        global_state->buffer_i %= SHELLY_BUF_SIZE;
+            shelly_reset_buffer();
+
+            err = shelly_write_str("\x3>");
+            if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to write string");
+        } else {
+            err = shelly_buffer_append(input_char);
+            if (err_is_fail(err)) {
+                err = shelly_write_str("shelly buffer full! resetting...\n");
+                if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to write string");
+            }
+        }
     }
     SHELLY_DEBUG("[handle_lpuart_interrupt] done\n");
 }
diff --git a/usr/shelly/shelly.h b/usr/shelly/shelly.h
index 039b823..6f3a40f 100644
--- a/usr/shelly/shelly.h
+++ b/usr/shelly/shelly.h
@@ -50,4 +50,8 @@ struct shelly_st_local {
     struct ump_send_chan * send_chan;
 };
 
+errval_t shelly_write_str(char * str);
+void shelly_reset_buffer(void);
+errval_t shelly_buffer_append(char c);
+
 #endif // ndef SHELLY_H_
diff --git a/usr/shelly/shelly_cmd.c b/usr/shelly/shelly_cmd.c
index d2cc1e6..593f995 100644
--- a/usr/shelly/shelly_cmd.c
+++ b/usr/shelly/shelly_cmd.c
@@ -15,14 +15,8 @@ static void parse_cmd_line(char * line, int * argc, char ** argv) {
 static errval_t shelly_cmd_echo(char * line) {
     errval_t err;
     SHELLY_DEBUG("[shelly_cmd_echo] argc=%d\n", argc);
-
-    for (int i = 0; line[i] != '\0'; ++i) {
-        err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, line[i]);
-        if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to put character");
-    }
-    err = lpuart_putchar(global_state->uart_s, '\0');
-    if (err_is_fail(err)) USER_PANIC_ERR(err, "while trying to put character");
-
+    err = shelly_write_str(line);
+    if (err_is_fail(err)) return err;
     return SYS_ERR_OK;
 }
 
@@ -74,7 +68,9 @@ static errval_t handle_shelly_cmd(char* line, size_t len) {
     } else if (strcmp(cmd, "run") == 0) {
         return shelly_cmd_run(remaining_line);
     } else {
-        SHELLY_DEBUG("unknown command %s\n", argv[0]);
+        char buf[256];
+        snprintf(buf, 256, "unknown command %s\n", cmd);
+        shelly_write_str(buf);
     }
 
     return SYS_ERR_OK;