diff --git a/app/client.go b/app/client.go
index 01ece26..e35cb22 100644
--- a/app/client.go
+++ b/app/client.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"os"
 	"regexp"
+	"strings"
 
 	"framagit.org/ppom/reaction/logger"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ const (
 
 type Request struct {
 	Request int
-	Pattern []string
+	Pattern string
 }
 
 type Response struct {
@@ -85,7 +86,7 @@ func usage(err string) {
 }
 
 func ClientShow(format, stream, filter string, regex *regexp.Regexp) {
-	response := SendAndRetrieve(Request{Show, []string{""}})
+	response := SendAndRetrieve(Request{Show, ""})
 	if response.Err != nil {
 		logger.Fatalln("Received error from daemon:", response.Err)
 	}
@@ -137,9 +138,15 @@ func ClientShow(format, stream, filter string, regex *regexp.Regexp) {
 	if regex != nil {
 		for streamName := range response.ClientStatus {
 			for filterName := range response.ClientStatus[streamName] {
-				for patternName := range response.ClientStatus[streamName][filterName] {
-					if !regex.MatchString(patternName) {
-						delete(response.ClientStatus[streamName][filterName], patternName)
+				for patterns := range response.ClientStatus[streamName][filterName] {
+					pmatch := false
+					for _, p := range strings.Split(patterns, "\x00") {
+						if regex.MatchString(p) {
+							pmatch = true
+						}
+					}
+					if !pmatch {
+						delete(response.ClientStatus[streamName][filterName], patterns)
 					}
 				}
 				if len(response.ClientStatus[streamName][filterName]) == 0 {
@@ -162,12 +169,22 @@ func ClientShow(format, stream, filter string, regex *regexp.Regexp) {
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Fatalln("Failed to convert daemon binary response to text format:", err)
 	}
+
+	// Replace \0 joined string with space joined string ("1.2.3.4\0root" -> "1.2.3.4 root")
+	for streamName := range response.ClientStatus {
+		for filterName := range response.ClientStatus[streamName] {
+			for patterns := range response.ClientStatus[streamName][filterName] {
+				text = []byte(strings.ReplaceAll(string(text), strings.Join(strings.Split(patterns, "\x00"), "\\0"), strings.Join(strings.Split(patterns, "\x00"), " ")))
+			}
+		}
+	}
 	fmt.Println(string(text))
+
 	os.Exit(0)
 }
 
-func ClientFlush(pattern []string, streamfilter, format string) {
-	response := SendAndRetrieve(Request{Flush, pattern})
+func ClientFlush(patterns []string, streamfilter, format string) {
+	response := SendAndRetrieve(Request{Flush, strings.Join(patterns, "\x00")})
 	if response.Err != nil {
 		logger.Fatalln("Received error from daemon:", response.Err)
 		os.Exit(1)
diff --git a/app/main.go b/app/main.go
index ae9fc4b..801856d 100644
--- a/app/main.go
+++ b/app/main.go
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ func subCommandParse(f *flag.FlagSet, maxRemainingArgs int) {
 		basicUsage()
 		os.Exit(0)
 	}
-	if len(f.Args()) > maxRemainingArgs {
+	// -1 = no limit to remaining args
+	if maxRemainingArgs > -1 && len(f.Args()) > maxRemainingArgs {
 		fmt.Printf("ERROR unrecognized argument(s): %v\n", f.Args()[maxRemainingArgs:])
 		basicUsage()
 		os.Exit(1)
@@ -102,9 +103,7 @@ func basicUsage() {
 ` + bold + `reaction flush` + reset + ` TARGET
   # remove currently active matches and run currently pending actions for the specified TARGET
   # (then show flushed matches and actions)
-  # e.g. reaction flush 192.168.1.1
-  # Concatenate patterns with " / " if several patterns in TARGET
-  # e.g. reaction flush "192.168.1.1 / root"
+  # e.g. reaction flush 192.168.1.1 root
 
   # options:
     -s/--socket SOCKET               # path to the client-daemon communication socket
@@ -196,7 +195,7 @@ func Main(version, commit string) {
 		SocketPath = addSocketFlag(f)
 		queryFormat := addFormatFlag(f)
 		limit := addLimitFlag(f)
-		subCommandParse(f, 1)
+		subCommandParse(f, -1)
 		if *queryFormat != "yaml" && *queryFormat != "json" {
 			logger.Fatalln("only yaml and json formats are supported")
 			f.PrintDefaults()
@@ -211,7 +210,7 @@ func Main(version, commit string) {
 			logger.Fatalln("for now, -l/--limit is not supported")
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
-		ClientFlush(strings.Split(f.Arg(0), " / "), *limit, *queryFormat)
+		ClientFlush(f.Args(), *limit, *queryFormat)
 
 	case "test-regex":
 		// socket not needed, no interaction with the daemon