diff --git a/frontend/src/components/FirewallRuleBuilder.tsx b/frontend/src/components/FirewallRuleBuilder.tsx
index f586297..2896a41 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/FirewallRuleBuilder.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/FirewallRuleBuilder.tsx
@@ -29,14 +29,11 @@ interface RuleBuilderProps {
   onCreated?: () => Promise<void> | void;
 }
 
-/**
- * Helper: create an nft JSON 'expr' array from form values.
- * The produced expr is intentionally conservative and designed to be renderable by the backend's renderer.
- */
+/* ---------- helpers ---------- */
+
 function buildExprFromValues(values: any): Expr[] {
   const expr: Expr[] = [];
 
-  // protocol
   const protoChoice = values.protocolChoice ?? 'preset';
   if (protoChoice === 'preset') {
     const preset = values.protocolPreset;
@@ -90,7 +87,6 @@ function buildExprFromValues(values: any): Expr[] {
     }
   }
 
-  // source/destination addresses
   if (values.saddr) {
     expr.push({
       match: {
@@ -110,7 +106,6 @@ function buildExprFromValues(values: any): Expr[] {
     });
   }
 
-  // ports for tcp/udp
   if (values.sport) {
     const useUdp =
       values.protocolPreset === 'udp' ||
@@ -130,7 +125,6 @@ function buildExprFromValues(values: any): Expr[] {
     expr.push(obj);
   }
 
-  // advanced free-text (try JSON, otherwise string token)
   if (values.advanced) {
     const adv = values.advanced.trim();
     try {
@@ -141,7 +135,6 @@ function buildExprFromValues(values: any): Expr[] {
     }
   }
 
-  // action
   const action = values.action || 'drop';
   if (action === 'drop') expr.push({ drop: null });
   else if (action === 'accept') expr.push({ accept: null });
@@ -150,9 +143,6 @@ function buildExprFromValues(values: any): Expr[] {
   return expr;
 }
 
-/**
- * Deterministic short textual serializer for expr (preview)
- */
 function textFromExpr(expr: Expr): string {
   if (expr == null) return '';
   if (Array.isArray(expr)) {
@@ -211,12 +201,15 @@ function textFromExpr(expr: Expr): string {
   return String(expr);
 }
 
+/* ---------- component ---------- */
+
 export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
   const [tables, setTables] = useState<TableOut[]>([]);
   const [form] = Form.useForm();
-  const [preview, setPreview] = useState('');
-  const [exprPreview, setExprPreview] = useState<Expr | null>(null);
+
+  const [cmdPreview, setCmdPreview] = useState<string>('');
+  const [requestJsonPreview, setRequestJsonPreview] = useState<any>(null);
 
   // fetch tables/chains on mount
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -269,8 +262,35 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
   const updatePreviews = useCallback(() => {
     const vals = form.getFieldsValue();
     const expr = buildExprFromValues(vals);
-    setExprPreview(expr);
-    setPreview(textFromExpr(expr));
+
+    // compute family/table/chain choices for cmd + request JSON
+    let family = 'inet';
+    let tableName = 'filter';
+    let chain = 'input';
+
+    const tableSelect = vals.tableSelect;
+    if (tableSelect && tableSelect !== '__manual__') {
+      const [f, n] = String(tableSelect).split(':');
+      family = f || family;
+      tableName = n || tableName;
+    } else {
+      family = vals.familyManual || family;
+      tableName = vals.tableManual || tableName;
+    }
+
+    const chainVal = vals.chainSelect;
+    if (!chainVal || chainVal === '__manual_chain__') {
+      chain = vals.chainManual || chain;
+    } else {
+      chain = chainVal;
+    }
+
+    const short = textFromExpr(expr);
+    const cmd = `add rule ${family} ${tableName} ${chain} ${short}`.trim();
+    setCmdPreview(cmd);
+
+    const reqObj = { family, table: tableName, chain, expr };
+    setRequestJsonPreview(reqObj);
   }, [form]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -302,6 +322,8 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
       }
 
       const expr = buildExprFromValues(values);
+      const cmd = `add rule ${family} ${tableName} ${chain} ${textFromExpr(expr)}`.trim();
+      const reqObj = { family, table: tableName, chain, expr };
 
       Modal.confirm({
         title: 'Create rule (JSON)',
@@ -314,25 +336,23 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
               </b>
             </Text>
             <Divider />
-            <Text strong>Preview:</Text>
-            <pre style={{ whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap', marginTop: 8 }}>{preview || '(no textual preview available)'}</pre>
+            <Text strong>Generated nft command:</Text>
+            <pre style={{ whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap', marginTop: 8 }}>{cmd || '(no textual preview available)'}</pre>
             <Divider />
-            <Text strong>Expression (JSON):</Text>
-            <pre style={{ whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap', marginTop: 8 }}>{JSON.stringify(expr, null, 2)}</pre>
+            <Text strong>Full JSON NFT request:</Text>
+            <pre style={{ whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap', marginTop: 8 }}>{JSON.stringify(reqObj, null, 2)}</pre>
           </div>
         ),
         okText: 'Create',
         onOk: async () => {
           setLoading(true);
           try {
-            const req = { family, table: tableName, chain, expr };
-            const res = await createRuleJson(req);
+            const res = await createRuleJson(reqObj);
             if (res && res.rc === 0) {
               message.success('Rule created');
               if (onCreated) await onCreated();
               form.resetFields(['advanced']);
             } else {
-              // server returned 2xx but rc != 0
               message.error(`Create failed: ${res?.stderr ?? 'unknown error'}`);
             }
           } catch (err: any) {
@@ -366,7 +386,7 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
         },
       });
     },
-    [form, preview, onCreated],
+    [form, onCreated],
   );
 
   // prepare chain options for currently selected table
@@ -412,6 +432,7 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
         onFinish={handleCreate}
         onValuesChange={onValuesChange}
       >
+        {/* Table selection */}
         <Row gutter={16}>
           <Col xs={24} sm={12}>
             <Form.Item name="tableSelect" label="Table (family:name)" rules={[{ required: true }]}>
@@ -446,6 +467,7 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
           </Col>
         </Row>
 
+        {/* Chain selection */}
         <Row gutter={16}>
           <Col xs={24} sm={12}>
             <Form.Item name="chainSelect" label="Chain (select)">
@@ -467,6 +489,7 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
           </Col>
         </Row>
 
+        {/* Protocol / addresses */}
         <Row gutter={16}>
           <Col xs={24} sm={8}>
             <Form.Item label="Protocol selection" style={{ marginBottom: 0 }}>
@@ -510,6 +533,7 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
           </Col>
         </Row>
 
+        {/* Ports / action */}
         <Row gutter={16}>
           <Col xs={24} sm={6}>
             <Form.Item name="sport" label="Source Port">
@@ -532,6 +556,7 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
           </Col>
         </Row>
 
+        {/* Advanced */}
         <Row>
           <Col span={24}>
             <Form.Item name="advanced" label="Advanced (optional)">
@@ -551,22 +576,28 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
         <Form.Item label="Preview">
           <Space style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'space-between', alignItems: 'center' }}>
             <div style={{ flex: 1, marginRight: 12 }}>
-              <Text strong>Short preview:</Text>
+              <Text strong>nft command preview:</Text>
               <div style={{ marginTop: 6 }}>
-                <Text code copyable={{ text: preview || '' }}>
-                  {preview || '(no textual preview available)'}
+                <Text code copyable={{ text: cmdPreview || '' }}>
+                  {cmdPreview || '(no textual preview available)'}
                 </Text>
               </div>
             </div>
 
             <div style={{ width: 320 }}>
-              <Tooltip title="Copy JSON expr">
+              <Tooltip title="Click to copy expr JSON. Shift+click to copy full request JSON.">
                 <Button
                   icon={<CopyOutlined />}
                   size="small"
-                  onClick={() => {
-                    if (!exprPreview) return;
-                    navigator.clipboard?.writeText(JSON.stringify(exprPreview, null, 2));
+                  onClick={(e) => {
+                    // shiftKey => copy full request JSON
+                    if (e.shiftKey && requestJsonPreview) {
+                      navigator.clipboard?.writeText(JSON.stringify(requestJsonPreview, null, 2));
+                      message.success('Full request JSON copied');
+                      return;
+                    }
+                    if (!cmdPreview) return;
+                    navigator.clipboard?.writeText(JSON.stringify(cmdPreview, null, 2));
                     message.success('Expression JSON copied');
                   }}
                 />
@@ -580,9 +611,9 @@ export const RuleBuilder: React.FC<RuleBuilderProps> = ({ onCreated }) => {
       </Form>
 
       <Divider />
-      <Text strong>Expression (JSON):</Text>
+      <Text strong>Full JSON NFT request:</Text>
       <pre style={{ whiteSpace: 'pre-wrap', background: '#f6f6f6', padding: 12 }}>
-        {JSON.stringify(exprPreview, null, 2)}
+        {JSON.stringify(requestJsonPreview, null, 2)}
       </pre>
     </Card>
   );