diff --git a/bitchat/Services/CashuTokenDecoder.swift b/bitchat/Services/CashuTokenDecoder.swift
index 78c3b3c2..87dfee02 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/CashuTokenDecoder.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/CashuTokenDecoder.swift
@@ -67,23 +67,45 @@ enum CashuTokenDecoder {
     }
 
     /// Decodes a token (raw or `cashu:` URI form) into a display summary.
-    /// V3 tokens must parse as JSON; V4 tokens whose CBOR we cannot walk
-    /// still return a generic `TokenInfo` (version "B", no amount) because
-    /// the payload may use encodings this minimal reader doesn't support.
-    static func decode(_ raw: String) -> TokenInfo? {
+    ///
+    /// In the default (permissive) mode this is for *rendering*: V3 tokens
+    /// must parse as JSON, but a V4 token whose CBOR we cannot walk still
+    /// returns a generic `TokenInfo` (version "B", no amount) because the
+    /// payload may use encodings this minimal reader doesn't support — an
+    /// unknown chip is fine for display.
+    ///
+    /// In `strict` mode (used by the `/pay` SEND path) there is no permissive
+    /// fallback: the token must cleanly decode to a known version *and* carry
+    /// a positive amount, otherwise this returns nil. This stops base64 junk
+    /// and truncated V4 tokens from being relayed as if they were valid money.
+    static func decode(_ raw: String, strict: Bool = false) -> TokenInfo? {
         guard let token = bareToken(from: raw) else { return nil }
         let version = String(token[token.index(token.startIndex, offsetBy: 5)])
         guard let payload = base64URLDecode(String(token.dropFirst(6))), !payload.isEmpty else {
             return nil
         }
+        let info: TokenInfo?
         switch version {
         case "A":
-            return decodeV3(payload)
+            info = decodeV3(payload)
         case "B":
-            return decodeV4(payload) ?? TokenInfo(version: "B", amount: nil, unit: nil, mintHost: nil, memo: nil)
+            if let walked = decodeV4(payload) {
+                info = walked
+            } else if strict {
+                // Couldn't cleanly walk the CBOR — refuse to send it.
+                return nil
+            } else {
+                info = TokenInfo(version: "B", amount: nil, unit: nil, mintHost: nil, memo: nil)
+            }
         default:
             return nil
         }
+        guard let info else { return nil }
+        if strict {
+            // A sendable token must resolve to a positive, sane amount.
+            guard let amount = info.amount, amount > 0 else { return nil }
+        }
+        return info
     }
 
     // MARK: - Base64url
diff --git a/bitchat/Services/CommandProcessor.swift b/bitchat/Services/CommandProcessor.swift
index 81337fc4..220e66ef 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/CommandProcessor.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/CommandProcessor.swift
@@ -353,8 +353,8 @@ final class CommandProcessor {
         guard parts.count == 1, let token = CashuTokenDecoder.bareToken(from: parts[0]) else {
             return .error(message: "that doesn't look like a cashu token — expected cashuA… or cashuB…")
         }
-        guard let info = CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token) else {
-            return .error(message: "couldn't decode that cashu token — not sending it")
+        guard let info = CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token, strict: true) else {
+            return .error(message: "invalid cashu token — it doesn't decode to a known token with an amount, not sending it")
         }
 
         let summary = info.displayAmount ?? "a cashu token"
diff --git a/bitchatTests/CashuTokenDecoderTests.swift b/bitchatTests/CashuTokenDecoderTests.swift
index 6fa0aefa..890a7eeb 100644
--- a/bitchatTests/CashuTokenDecoderTests.swift
+++ b/bitchatTests/CashuTokenDecoderTests.swift
@@ -188,6 +188,50 @@ struct CashuTokenDecoderTests {
         #expect(info?.mintHost == nil)
     }
 
+    // MARK: - Strict Mode (used by the /pay SEND path)
+
+    @Test func strictAcceptsValidV3WithPositiveAmount() {
+        let token = makeV3Token(entries: [("https://mint.example.com", [2, 8])])
+        let info = CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token, strict: true)
+        #expect(info?.version == "A")
+        #expect(info?.amount == 10)
+    }
+
+    @Test func strictAcceptsValidDefiniteLengthV4() {
+        let token = makeV4Token(amounts: [1, 4, 16])
+        let info = CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token, strict: true)
+        #expect(info?.version == "B")
+        #expect(info?.amount == 21)
+    }
+
+    @Test func strictRejectsUnwalkableV4() {
+        // Valid base64, but not CBOR we can walk: permissive mode returns a
+        // generic chip, strict mode refuses it.
+        let token = "cashuB" + base64URL(Data([0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x00, 0x01, 0x02]))
+        #expect(CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token)?.version == "B")
+        #expect(CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token, strict: true) == nil)
+    }
+
+    @Test func strictRejectsTruncatedV4() {
+        let token = makeV4Token(amounts: [1, 4, 16])
+        // Lop off the tail of the base64 payload — CBOR can no longer be walked.
+        let truncated = String(token.prefix(token.count - 12))
+        #expect(CashuTokenDecoder.decode(truncated, strict: true) == nil)
+    }
+
+    @Test func strictRejectsAmountlessToken() {
+        // A well-formed V3 token that carries no positive proof amount.
+        let json: [String: Any] = [
+            "token": [[
+                "mint": "https://mint.example.com",
+                "proofs": [["amount": 0, "id": "x", "secret": "s", "C": "c"] as [String: Any]]
+            ] as [String: Any]]
+        ]
+        let token = "cashuA" + base64URL(try! JSONSerialization.data(withJSONObject: json))
+        #expect(CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token)?.amount == nil)
+        #expect(CashuTokenDecoder.decode(token, strict: true) == nil)
+    }
+
     // MARK: - URI Form and Normalization
 
     @Test func uriFormsDecode() {
diff --git a/bitchatTests/CommandProcessorTests.swift b/bitchatTests/CommandProcessorTests.swift
index 030c1d8f..1937174e 100644
--- a/bitchatTests/CommandProcessorTests.swift
+++ b/bitchatTests/CommandProcessorTests.swift
@@ -442,6 +442,45 @@ struct CommandProcessorTests {
         #expect(context.sentPrivateMessages.isEmpty)
     }
 
+    @MainActor
+    @Test func payRejectsTruncatedOrJunkV4Token() {
+        let context = MockCommandContextProvider()
+        context.selectedPrivateChatPeer = PeerID(str: "abcd1234abcd1234")
+        let processor = makePayProcessor(context: context)
+
+        // Truncated V4 (definite-length CBOR can no longer be walked) and
+        // pure base64 junk under the cashuB prefix must both be refused.
+        let truncatedV4 = String(Self.validV4Token.prefix(Self.validV4Token.count - 12))
+        let junkV4 = "cashuB" + String(repeating: "Q", count: 40)
+        for bad in ["/pay \(truncatedV4)", "/pay \(junkV4)"] {
+            switch processor.process(bad) {
+            case .error(let message):
+                #expect(message.contains("invalid cashu token") == true)
+            default:
+                Issue.record("Expected error for \(bad)")
+            }
+        }
+        #expect(context.sentPrivateMessages.isEmpty)
+        #expect(context.sentPublicMessages.isEmpty)
+    }
+
+    @MainActor
+    @Test func paySendsValidDefiniteLengthV4Token() {
+        let context = MockCommandContextProvider()
+        let peerID = PeerID(str: "abcd1234abcd1234")
+        context.selectedPrivateChatPeer = peerID
+        let processor = makePayProcessor(context: context)
+
+        switch processor.process("/pay \(Self.validV4Token)") {
+        case .success(let message):
+            #expect(message?.contains("21 sat") == true)
+        default:
+            Issue.record("Expected success result for valid V4 token")
+        }
+        #expect(context.sentPrivateMessages.count == 1)
+        #expect(context.sentPrivateMessages.first?.content == Self.validV4Token)
+    }
+
     /// 21-sat single-mint V3 token (proofs of 1+4+16).
     private static let validV3Token: String = {
         let json: [String: Any] = [
@@ -459,6 +498,36 @@ struct CommandProcessorTests {
         return "cashuA" + b64
     }()
 
+    /// 21-sat single-mint definite-length V4 (CBOR) token (proofs of 1+4+16).
+    private static let validV4Token: String = {
+        func head(_ major: UInt8, _ value: UInt64) -> [UInt8] {
+            switch value {
+            case 0...23: return [(major << 5) | UInt8(value)]
+            case 24...0xFF: return [(major << 5) | 24, UInt8(value)]
+            default: return [(major << 5) | 25, UInt8(value >> 8), UInt8(value & 0xFF)]
+            }
+        }
+        func text(_ s: String) -> [UInt8] { head(3, UInt64(s.utf8.count)) + Array(s.utf8) }
+        func bytes(_ b: [UInt8]) -> [UInt8] { head(2, UInt64(b.count)) + b }
+        func uint(_ v: UInt64) -> [UInt8] { head(0, v) }
+        func array(_ items: [[UInt8]]) -> [UInt8] { head(4, UInt64(items.count)) + items.flatMap { $0 } }
+        func map(_ pairs: [(String, [UInt8])]) -> [UInt8] { head(5, UInt64(pairs.count)) + pairs.flatMap { text($0.0) + $0.1 } }
+
+        let proofs = [UInt64(1), 4, 16].map { amount in
+            map([("a", uint(amount)), ("s", text("secret")), ("c", bytes([0x02, 0xAB, 0xCD]))])
+        }
+        let cbor = map([
+            ("m", text("https://mint.example.com")),
+            ("u", text("sat")),
+            ("t", array([map([("i", bytes([0x00, 0xAD, 0x26, 0x8C])), ("p", array(proofs))])]))
+        ])
+        let b64 = Data(cbor).base64EncodedString()
+            .replacingOccurrences(of: "+", with: "-")
+            .replacingOccurrences(of: "/", with: "_")
+            .replacingOccurrences(of: "=", with: "")
+        return "cashuB" + b64
+    }()
+
     @MainActor
     private func makePayProcessor(context: MockCommandContextProvider) -> CommandProcessor {
         CommandProcessor(