diff --git a/cli/tests/lib.sh b/cli/tests/lib.sh
index 8109f1076b..2bb3f00627 100644
--- a/cli/tests/lib.sh
+++ b/cli/tests/lib.sh
@@ -145,36 +145,66 @@ expect_contains() {
 
 # ------- JSON helpers --------------------------------------------------------
 
-# Extract MLS group ID as lowercase hex from wn JSON output.
-# Handles both formats:
-#   - plain hex string (from `groups list`)
-#   - {"value":{"vec":[...]}} serde struct (from `groups create`)
-#   - flat byte array [n, ...] (from some responses)
-# Plus the three wrapper shapes wn actually uses:
-#   - {"result": {"mls_group_id": ...}}                    (groups create)
-#   - {"group": {"mls_group_id": ...}, "membership": ...}  (groups invites[0])
-#   - {"mls_group_id": ...}                                (bare)
-# Input: JSON string via stdin; optional 2nd arg = field name (default: mls_group_id)
+# Extract an MLS group id as lowercase hex from `wn --json` output.
+#
+# MDK 0.9.x settled on one envelope, `{"ok":true,"result":{...}}`, but the
+# group id sits at a different place per verb:
+#   groups create           -> .result.group_id
+#   groups accept / rename  -> .result.group.group_id
+#   groups invites[]        -> .group_id            (an element, already peeled)
+#   groups members/admins   -> .result.group_id
+# Older builds wrapped the id as a serde `{"value":{"vec":[...]}}` struct or a
+# bare byte array; both are still decoded so a run against an older `wn` binary
+# reports a real mismatch instead of an empty string.
+#
+# Input: JSON on stdin. Optional 1st arg overrides the field name.
 jq_group_id() {
-    local field="${1:-mls_group_id}"
+    local field="${1:-group_id}"
     jq -r --arg f "$field" '
         def byte2hex:
             . as $n |
             [($n / 16 | floor), ($n % 16)] |
             map(if . < 10 then (48 + .) else (87 + .) end) |
             implode;
-        (.group // .result // .) |
-        (.group // .) |
-        .[$f] |
-        if type == "string" then .
-        elif (type == "object" and (.value.vec != null)) then
-            [.value.vec[] | byte2hex] | join("")
-        elif type == "array" then
-            [.[] | byte2hex] | join("")
-        else empty end
+        def as_hex:
+            if type == "string" then .
+            elif (type == "object" and (.value.vec != null)) then
+                [.value.vec[] | byte2hex] | join("")
+            elif type == "array" then
+                [.[] | byte2hex] | join("")
+            else empty end;
+        [ (.result? // empty), (.result?.group? // empty), (.group? // empty), . ]
+        | map(select(type == "object") | .[$f]? // empty | as_hex)
+        | map(select(. != null and . != ""))
+        | first // empty
     ' 2>/dev/null || true
 }
 
+# Peel MDK 0.9.x's `{"ok":true,"result":{...}}` envelope and hand back the
+# named collection as a JSON array. MDK moved every list one level in and gave
+# it a name (`invites`, `members`, `admins`, `messages`), so a bare
+# `(.result // .) | .[]?` now iterates the RESULT OBJECT'S VALUES — three
+# scalars where the harness expected invite objects. That failure is silent:
+# every poll simply never matches, and the test reports "never received
+# invite" for a welcome that arrived and was accepted.
+#
+# Input: JSON on stdin, collection name as $1.
+jq_list() {
+    local name="$1"
+    jq -c --arg n "$name" '
+        [ (.result?[$n]? // empty), (.[$n]? // empty), (.result? // empty), . ]
+        | map(select(type == "array"))
+        | (first // [])
+        | .[]
+    ' 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+
+# npub or hex pubkey of one member/admin entry. MDK names the field per
+# collection: members carry `member_id`, admins carry `admin_id`.
+jq_member_ids() {
+    jq -r '.member_id? // .admin_id? // .pubkey? // .public_key? // empty' 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+
 # ------- polling helpers -----------------------------------------------------
 
 # Snapshot currently-pending invites on <B|C> as a comma-separated list of
@@ -197,7 +227,7 @@ snapshot_invites() {
         local g
         g=$(printf '%s' "$one" | jq_group_id)
         [[ -n "$g" ]] && gids+=("$g")
-    done < <(printf '%s' "$raw" | jq -c '(.result // .) | .[]?' 2>/dev/null)
+    done < <(printf '%s' "$raw" | jq_list invites)
     # bash 3.2 (stock macOS) treats "${gids[*]}" on an empty array as an
     # unbound reference under `set -u`, so guard the expansion.
     if (( ${#gids[@]} > 0 )); then
@@ -228,9 +258,10 @@ wait_for_invite() {
     deadline=$(( start + timeout ))
     last_hb=$start
     while [[ $(date +%s) -lt $deadline ]]; do
-        # Post-v0.2 `wn --json groups invites` returns `{"result": [...]}`
-        # (older builds returned the bare array). Peel the wrapper when
-        # present so a pending invite is actually detected.
+        # MDK 0.9.x returns `{"ok":true,"result":{"invites":[...], …}}`.
+        # `jq_list` peels the envelope AND names the collection; iterating
+        # `.result` directly walks the sibling scalars instead and never
+        # matches.
         local raw
         raw=$("$wnfn" --json groups invites 2>/dev/null || true)
         # Walk every pending invite (not just .[0]) so we skip past stales.
@@ -242,14 +273,14 @@ wait_for_invite() {
                 printf '%s\n' "$gid"
                 return 0
             fi
-        done < <(printf '%s' "$raw" | jq -c '(.result // .) | .[]?' 2>/dev/null)
+        done < <(printf '%s' "$raw" | jq_list invites)
 
         # Heartbeat every ~10s.
         local now=$(date +%s)
         if (( now - last_hb >= 10 )); then
             local elapsed=$(( now - start )) remaining=$(( deadline - now ))
             local pending
-            pending=$(printf '%s' "$raw" | jq '(.result // .) | length' 2>/dev/null || echo "?")
+            pending=$(printf '%s' "$raw" | jq_list invites | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
             local recent=""
             if [[ -f "$data_dir/logs/stderr.log" ]]; then
                 recent=$(tail -n 200 "$data_dir/logs/stderr.log" 2>/dev/null \
@@ -277,9 +308,10 @@ wait_for_message() {
         else
             payload=$(wn_c_json messages list "$gid" --limit 20 2>/dev/null || true)
         fi
+        # MDK 0.9.x: `.result.messages[]`, decrypted body in `plaintext`.
         if [[ -n "${payload:-}" ]] && \
-           printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -e --arg n "$needle" \
-                '(.result // .) | .[]? | select((.content // .text // "") | contains($n))' \
+           printf '%s' "$payload" | jq_list messages | jq -e --arg n "$needle" \
+                'select((.plaintext // .content // .text // "") | contains($n))' \
                 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             return 0
         fi
diff --git a/cli/tests/marmot/tests-create.sh b/cli/tests/marmot/tests-create.sh
index b868380ef9..5cb2bb2036 100644
--- a/cli/tests/marmot/tests-create.sh
+++ b/cli/tests/marmot/tests-create.sh
@@ -184,12 +184,19 @@ test_05_b_adds_a_existing() {
     record_result "$id" fail "wn add-members A failed"; return
   }
 
-  # A joins
-  if ! amy_json marmot await group --name "Interop-05" --timeout 30 >/dev/null; then
+  # A joins. `gid` is wn's MLS group id; amy indexes by the MIP-01
+  # nostr_group_id, which only exists locally once A has processed the
+  # welcome — so take amy's id from its own await, never wn's.
+  local a_out a_gid
+  a_out=$(amy_json marmot await group --name "Interop-05" --timeout 30) || {
     record_result "$id" fail "A never received invite to Interop-05"; return
+  }
+  a_gid=$(printf '%s' "$a_out" | jq -r '.group_id // empty')
+  if [[ -z "$a_gid" ]]; then
+    record_result "$id" fail "A joined Interop-05 but reported no group_id"; return
   fi
 
-  amy_json marmot message send "$gid" "joined from amethyst" >/dev/null || {
+  amy_json marmot message send "$a_gid" "joined from amethyst" >/dev/null || {
     record_result "$id" fail "amy send failed"; return
   }
   if wait_for_message B "$gid" "joined from amethyst" 90 \
diff --git a/cli/tests/marmot/tests-extras.sh b/cli/tests/marmot/tests-extras.sh
index 0c3cbc33f3..e9781fc830 100644
--- a/cli/tests/marmot/tests-extras.sh
+++ b/cli/tests/marmot/tests-extras.sh
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ test_09_reply_react_unreact() {
   # B anchors. Needs a member to be present — if Test 11 already ran and A left,
   # skip cleanly so we don't double-fail.
   if ! wn_b --json groups members "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
-        | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" '(.result // .) | .[]? | select((.pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
+        | jq_list members | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" \
+            'select((.member_id // .pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
         >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     record_result "$id" skip "A already left GROUP_02"; return
   fi
@@ -26,7 +27,9 @@ test_09_reply_react_unreact() {
   sleep 3
   local msg_id
   msg_id=$(wn_b --json messages list "$mls_gid" --limit 10 2>/dev/null \
-             | jq -r '[(.result // .) | .[]? | select((.content // .text // "") == "anchor for reactions")][0].id // empty')
+             | jq_list messages \
+             | jq -r 'select((.plaintext // .content // .text // "") == "anchor for reactions")
+                      | (.message_id // .id)' | head -n 1)
   if [[ -z "$msg_id" || "$msg_id" == "null" ]]; then
     record_result "$id" fail "couldn't find anchor message id"; return
   fi
@@ -47,7 +50,9 @@ test_09_reply_react_unreact() {
   sleep 3
   local a_anchor_id
   a_anchor_id=$(amy_json marmot message list "$gid" --limit 50 2>/dev/null \
-                  | jq -r '[.messages[]? | select((.content // "") == "anchor for reactions")][0].event_id // empty')
+                  | jq_list messages \
+                  | jq -r 'select((.plaintext // .content // "") == "anchor for reactions")
+                           | (.message_id // .event_id)' | head -n 1)
   if [[ -z "$a_anchor_id" || "$a_anchor_id" == "null" ]]; then
     record_result "$id" fail "amy couldn't find anchor message in local log"; return
   fi
@@ -67,7 +72,7 @@ test_09_reply_react_unreact() {
     payload=$(wn_b_json messages list "$mls_gid" --limit 50 2>/dev/null || true)
     if [[ -n "$payload" ]] && \
          printf '%s' "$payload" \
-           | jq -e '(.result // .) | .[]? | (.reactions.by_emoji // {}) | keys[]?' \
+           | jq_list messages | jq -e '(.reactions.by_emoji // {}) | keys[]?' \
                   2>/dev/null \
            | grep -qF '"🍕"'; then
       saw=1; break
@@ -92,7 +97,8 @@ test_10_concurrent_commits() {
     record_result "$id" skip "no GROUP_02"; return
   fi
   if ! wn_b --json groups members "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
-        | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" '(.result // .) | .[]? | select((.pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
+        | jq_list members | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" \
+            'select((.member_id // .pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
         >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     record_result "$id" skip "A already left GROUP_02"; return
   fi
@@ -110,7 +116,8 @@ test_10_concurrent_commits() {
   # whitenoise-rs ≥ v0.2.x wraps the group payload one level deeper as
   # `{"result": {"group": {…name…}}}`; the older shape was a bare group
   # object under `.result`. Accept both.
-  b_name=$(wn_b --json groups show "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null | jq -r '(.result // .) | (.group // .) | .name // empty')
+  b_name=$(wn_b --json groups show "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
+             | jq -r '(.result // .) | (.group // .) | (.profile.name // .name) // empty')
   local a_name
   a_name=$(amy_field '.name' marmot group show "$gid" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
 
@@ -194,7 +201,8 @@ test_13_keypackage_rotation() {
   local id="13 keypackage rotation"
 
   local before
-  before=$(wn_b --json keys check "$A_NPUB" 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.result.event_id // empty')
+  before=$(wn_b --json keys check "$A_NPUB" 2>/dev/null \
+             | jq -r '.result.key_package.key_package_event_id // .result.event_id // empty')
   if [[ -z "$before" ]]; then
     record_result "$id" fail "no prior KP for A"; return
   fi
@@ -205,7 +213,8 @@ test_13_keypackage_rotation() {
 
   local deadline=$(( $(date +%s) + 60 )) after=""
   while [[ $(date +%s) -lt $deadline ]]; do
-    after=$(wn_b --json keys check "$A_NPUB" 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.result.event_id // empty')
+    after=$(wn_b --json keys check "$A_NPUB" 2>/dev/null \
+              | jq -r '.result.key_package.key_package_event_id // .result.event_id // empty')
     [[ -n "$after" && "$after" != "$before" ]] && break
     sleep 3
   done
@@ -323,9 +332,9 @@ test_15_wn_member_leaves() {
     local show
     show=$(amy_json marmot group show "$a_gid" 2>/dev/null) || { sleep 3; continue; }
     local c_still
-    c_still=$(printf '%s' "$show" | jq --arg p "$C_HEX" '[.members[]? | select(.pubkey == $p)] | length')
+    c_still=$(printf '%s' "$show" | jq --arg p "$C_HEX" '[.members[]? | select((.pubkey // .member_id) == $p)] | length')
     local a_still
-    a_still=$(printf '%s' "$show" | jq --arg p "$A_HEX" '[.members[]? | select(.pubkey == $p)] | length')
+    a_still=$(printf '%s' "$show" | jq --arg p "$A_HEX" '[.members[]? | select((.pubkey // .member_id) == $p)] | length')
     if [[ "$c_still" == "0" && "$a_still" == "1" ]]; then
       ok=1; break
     fi
diff --git a/cli/tests/marmot/tests-manage.sh b/cli/tests/marmot/tests-manage.sh
index 46fd29f63c..9a8fcf5fb1 100644
--- a/cli/tests/marmot/tests-manage.sh
+++ b/cli/tests/marmot/tests-manage.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ test_06_member_removal() {
   local deadline=$(( $(date +%s) + 120 )) removed=0
   while [[ $(date +%s) -lt $deadline ]]; do
     if ! wn_c --json groups members "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
-         | jq -e --arg p "$C_HEX" '(.result // .) | .[]? | select((.pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
+         | jq_list members | jq -e --arg p "$C_HEX" \
+             'select((.member_id // .pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
          >/dev/null 2>&1; then
       removed=1; break
     fi
@@ -78,7 +79,10 @@ test_07_metadata_rename() {
     # `{"result": {"group": {…name…}}}`; older builds returned the bare
     # group object under `.result`. Probe both shapes so the test survives
     # either schema.
-    seen=$(wn_b --json groups show "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null | jq -r '(.result // .) | (.group // .) | .name // empty')
+    # MDK 0.9.x keeps the display name in the profile component, not a
+    # top-level `name`: `.result.group.profile.name`.
+    seen=$(wn_b --json groups show "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
+             | jq -r '(.result // .) | (.group // .) | (.profile.name // .name) // empty')
     [[ "$seen" == "Interop-02-renamed" ]] && break
     sleep 3
   done
@@ -151,7 +155,7 @@ test_08_admin_promote_demote() {
 
   local admins
   admins=$(wn_b --json groups admins "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
-             | jq -r '(.result // .) | .[]?.pubkey // .[]?.public_key // .[]?' | tr '\n' ' ')
+             | jq_list admins | jq_member_ids | tr '\n' ' ')
   if [[ "$admins" == *"$A_HEX"* ]]; then
     record_result "$id" fail "A still admin after demote"
   else
@@ -177,7 +181,8 @@ test_11_leave_group() {
   local deadline=$(( $(date +%s) + 120 )) gone=0
   while [[ $(date +%s) -lt $deadline ]]; do
     if ! wn_b --json groups members "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
-         | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" '(.result // .) | .[]? | select((.pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
+         | jq_list admins | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" \
+             'select((.admin_id // .pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
          >/dev/null 2>&1; then
       gone=1; break
     fi
@@ -218,7 +223,8 @@ test_17_group_image_commit() {
   # Skip cleanly if A is no longer a member of GROUP_02 (a later test may have removed
   # A) — this test only makes sense while A can still commit to the group.
   if ! wn_b --json groups members "$mls_gid" 2>/dev/null \
-        | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" '(.result // .) | .[]? | select((.pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
+        | jq_list members | jq -e --arg p "$A_HEX" \
+            'select((.member_id // .pubkey // .public_key) == $p)' \
         >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     record_result "$id" skip "A not in GROUP_02"; return
   fi