diff --git a/crates/windlass/src/application.rs b/crates/windlass/src/application.rs
index 1fa3805..bcb4e70 100644
--- a/crates/windlass/src/application.rs
+++ b/crates/windlass/src/application.rs
@@ -59,11 +59,8 @@ impl Connection {
                 return Ok(());
             }
 
-            trace!("decoding part of identify response");
-            let resp = IdentifyResponse::decode(payload)?;
-
             self.dictionary
-                .receive_response(&mut self.transport, &resp, receive_time)?;
+                .receive_response(&mut self.transport, payload, receive_time)?;
 
             return Ok(());
         };
@@ -106,57 +103,64 @@ impl DictionaryReceiveState {
     pub fn receive_response(
         &mut self,
         transport: &mut transport::Connection,
-        resp: &IdentifyResponseData<'_>,
+        payload: &mut &[u8],
         receive_time: Instant,
     ) -> Result<(), Error> {
-        match self {
-            Self::InProgress { start, so_far } => {
-                if (receive_time - *start).as_secs() >= 10 {
-                    return Err(Error::IdentifyTimeout);
-                }
-                if (resp.offset as usize) != so_far.len() {
-                    return Ok(());
-                }
-
-                so_far.extend(resp.data);
-
-                if !resp.data.is_empty() {
-                    trace!(
-                        offset = resp.offset,
-                        len = resp.data.len(),
-                        "received more of dictionary"
-                    );
-                    transport.push_message(
-                        Identify::encode(
-                            u32::try_from(so_far.len())
-                                .expect("identify data length overflowed u32!"),
-                            40,
-                        )
-                        .payload
-                        .content,
-                    );
-
-                    return Ok(());
-                }
-
-                // done receiving dictionary
-                trace!("done receiving dictionary, attempting decode");
-                let mut decoder = flate2::read::ZlibDecoder::new(so_far.as_slice());
-                let mut buf = Vec::new();
-                decoder.read_to_end(&mut buf).map_err(Error::DictionaryIO)?;
-                let raw_dict: RawDictionary =
-                    serde_json::from_slice(&buf).map_err(Error::DictionaryJson)?;
-                let dict = Dictionary::try_from(raw_dict).map_err(Error::DictionaryData)?;
-
-                trace!(dict = ?dict, "dictionary in place");
-
-                *self = Self::Done(dict);
-            }
-            Self::Done(_) => (),
+        trace!("decoding part of identify response");
+        let Self::InProgress { start, so_far } = self else {
+            return Ok(());
         };
 
+        let resp = IdentifyResponse::decode(payload)?;
+
+        if (receive_time - *start).as_secs() >= 10 {
+            return Err(Error::IdentifyTimeout);
+        }
+        if (resp.offset as usize) != so_far.len() {
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+
+        so_far.extend(resp.data);
+
+        if !resp.data.is_empty() {
+            trace!(
+                offset = resp.offset,
+                len = resp.data.len(),
+                "received more of dictionary"
+            );
+            transport.push_message(
+                Identify::encode(
+                    u32::try_from(so_far.len()).expect("identify data length overflowed u32!"),
+                    40,
+                )
+                .payload
+                .content,
+            );
+
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+
+        // done receiving dictionary
+        trace!("done receiving dictionary, attempting decode");
+        let dict = Self::decode_complete(so_far.as_slice())?;
+        trace!(dict = ?dict, "dictionary in place");
+        *self = Self::Done(dict);
+
         Ok(())
     }
+
+    fn decode_complete(data: &[u8]) -> Result<Dictionary, Error> {
+        let mut decoder = flate2::read::ZlibDecoder::new(data);
+
+        let mut buf = Vec::new();
+        decoder.read_to_end(&mut buf).map_err(Error::DictionaryIO)?;
+
+        let raw_dict: RawDictionary =
+            serde_json::from_slice(&buf).map_err(Error::DictionaryJson)?;
+        let dict = Dictionary::try_from(raw_dict).map_err(Error::DictionaryData)?;
+
+        Ok(dict)
+    }
 }
 
 #[derive(Error, Debug)]
diff --git a/crates/windlass/src/macros.rs b/crates/windlass/src/macros.rs
index c118ada..513ff77 100644
--- a/crates/windlass/src/macros.rs
+++ b/crates/windlass/src/macros.rs
@@ -111,8 +111,14 @@ macro_rules! mcu_message_impl {
                 fn encode(&self) -> $crate::messages::FrontTrimmableBuffer {
                     use $crate::encoding::Writable;
                     let mut buf = Vec::with_capacity($crate::transport::MESSAGE_LENGTH_PAYLOAD_MAX);
-                    buf.push(0);
-                    buf.push(0);
+                    if let Some(id) = $cmd_id {
+                        $crate::encoding::encode_vlq_int(&mut buf, id);
+                    } else {
+                        // todo: assumes this will be replaced later
+                        // not sure why we add two though
+                        buf.push(0);
+                        buf.push(0);
+                    }
                     $(self.$arg.write(&mut buf);)*
                     $crate::messages::FrontTrimmableBuffer { content: buf, offset: 0 }
                 }