diff --git a/lib/connector/meshcore_connector.dart b/lib/connector/meshcore_connector.dart
index 6f36c854..b83a6ba0 100644
--- a/lib/connector/meshcore_connector.dart
+++ b/lib/connector/meshcore_connector.dart
@@ -2797,11 +2797,15 @@ class MeshCoreConnector extends ChangeNotifier {
     try {
       if (!isConnected) return;
 
+      final mode = _pathHashByteWidth - 1;
+      final encodedPathLen = (pathLen >= 0 && pathLen != 0xFF)
+          ? (pathLen | (mode << 6))
+          : pathLen;
       await sendFrame(
         buildUpdateContactPathFrame(
           contact.publicKey,
           customPath,
-          pathLen,
+          encodedPathLen,
           type: contact.type,
           flags: contact.flags,
           name: contact.name,
@@ -2858,11 +2862,15 @@ class MeshCoreConnector extends ChangeNotifier {
               : (updatedFlags & ~contactFlagTeleEnv))
         : updatedFlags;
 
+    final mode = _pathHashByteWidth - 1;
+    final encodedPathLen = (latestContact.pathLength >= 0 && latestContact.pathLength != 0xFF)
+        ? (latestContact.pathLength | (mode << 6))
+        : latestContact.pathLength;
     await sendFrame(
       buildUpdateContactPathFrame(
         latestContact.publicKey,
         latestContact.path,
-        latestContact.pathLength,
+        encodedPathLen,
         type: latestContact.type,
         flags: updatedFlags,
         name: latestContact.name,
@@ -3198,11 +3206,15 @@ class MeshCoreConnector extends ChangeNotifier {
   Future<void> importDiscoveredContact(Contact contact) async {
     if (!isConnected) return;
 
+    final mode = _pathHashByteWidth - 1;
+    final encodedPathLen = (contact.pathLength >= 0 && contact.pathLength != 0xFF)
+        ? (contact.pathLength | (mode << 6))
+        : contact.pathLength;
     await sendFrame(
       buildUpdateContactPathFrame(
         contact.publicKey,
         contact.path,
-        contact.pathLength,
+        encodedPathLen,
         type: contact.type,
         flags: contact.flags,
         name: contact.name,
diff --git a/lib/models/contact.dart b/lib/models/contact.dart
index a5808ed3..d727210c 100644
--- a/lib/models/contact.dart
+++ b/lib/models/contact.dart
@@ -166,8 +166,18 @@ class Contact {
       final type = reader.readByte();
       final flags = reader.readByte();
       final pathLen = reader.readByte();
-      final safePathLen = pathLen > 0
-          ? (pathLen > maxPathSize ? maxPathSize : pathLen)
+      int hopCount = 0;
+      int byteLen = 0;
+      if (pathLen == 0xFF) {
+        hopCount = -1;
+      } else {
+        final mode = (pathLen & 0xC0) >> 6;
+        hopCount = pathLen & 0x3F;
+        final width = mode + 1;
+        byteLen = hopCount * width;
+      }
+      final safePathLen = byteLen > 0
+          ? (byteLen > maxPathSize ? maxPathSize : byteLen)
           : 0;
       final pathBytes = reader.readBytes(maxPathSize).sublist(0, safePathLen);
       final name = reader.readCStringGreedy(maxNameSize);
@@ -213,7 +223,7 @@ class Contact {
         name: name.isEmpty ? 'Unknown' : name,
         type: type,
         flags: flags,
-        pathLength: (pathLen == 0xFF || pathLen > maxPathSize) ? -1 : pathLen,
+        pathLength: hopCount,
         path: pathBytes,
         latitude: lat,
         longitude: lon,
diff --git a/lib/storage/contact_store.dart b/lib/storage/contact_store.dart
index 7883d885..fa4152d2 100644
--- a/lib/storage/contact_store.dart
+++ b/lib/storage/contact_store.dart
@@ -88,15 +88,40 @@ class ContactStore {
     final lastSeenMs = json['lastSeen'] as int? ?? 0;
     final lastMessageMs = json['lastMessageAt'] as int?;
     final lastModifiedMs = json['lastModified'] as int?;
+
+    final rawPathLength = json['pathLength'] as int? ?? -1;
+    final rawPath = json['path'] != null
+        ? Uint8List.fromList(base64Decode(json['path'] as String))
+        : Uint8List(0);
+
+    int decodedPathLength = rawPathLength;
+    Uint8List decodedPath = rawPath;
+
+    if (rawPathLength == 0xFF || rawPathLength < 0) {
+      decodedPathLength = -1;
+      decodedPath = Uint8List(0);
+    } else if (rawPathLength >= 64) {
+      final mode = (rawPathLength & 0xC0) >> 6;
+      final hopCount = rawPathLength & 0x3F;
+      final width = mode + 1;
+      final byteLen = hopCount * width;
+      decodedPathLength = hopCount;
+      if (byteLen <= rawPath.length) {
+        decodedPath = rawPath.sublist(0, byteLen);
+      } else {
+        decodedPath = Uint8List(0);
+      }
+    } else if (rawPathLength == 0) {
+      decodedPath = Uint8List(0);
+    }
+
     return Contact(
       publicKey: Uint8List.fromList(base64Decode(json['publicKey'] as String)),
       name: json['name'] as String? ?? 'Unknown',
       type: json['type'] as int? ?? 0,
       flags: json['flags'] as int? ?? 0,
-      pathLength: json['pathLength'] as int? ?? -1,
-      path: json['path'] != null
-          ? Uint8List.fromList(base64Decode(json['path'] as String))
-          : Uint8List(0),
+      pathLength: decodedPathLength,
+      path: decodedPath,
       pathOverride: json['pathOverride'] as int?,
       pathOverrideBytes: json['pathOverrideBytes'] != null
           ? Uint8List.fromList(
diff --git a/lib/storage/message_store.dart b/lib/storage/message_store.dart
index 3d237681..96aaba9c 100644
--- a/lib/storage/message_store.dart
+++ b/lib/storage/message_store.dart
@@ -113,6 +113,35 @@ class MessageStore {
     final decodedText = isCli
         ? rawText
         : (Smaz.tryDecodePrefixed(rawText) ?? rawText);
+
+    final rawPathLength = json['pathLength'] as int?;
+    final rawPathBytes = json['pathBytes'] != null
+        ? Uint8List.fromList(base64Decode(json['pathBytes'] as String))
+        : Uint8List(0);
+
+    int? decodedPathLength = rawPathLength;
+    Uint8List decodedPathBytes = rawPathBytes;
+
+    if (rawPathLength != null) {
+      if (rawPathLength == 0xFF || rawPathLength < 0) {
+        decodedPathLength = -1;
+        decodedPathBytes = Uint8List(0);
+      } else if (rawPathLength >= 64) {
+        final mode = (rawPathLength & 0xC0) >> 6;
+        final hopCount = rawPathLength & 0x3F;
+        final width = mode + 1;
+        final byteLen = hopCount * width;
+        decodedPathLength = hopCount;
+        if (byteLen <= rawPathBytes.length) {
+          decodedPathBytes = rawPathBytes.sublist(0, byteLen);
+        } else {
+          decodedPathBytes = Uint8List(0);
+        }
+      } else if (rawPathLength == 0) {
+        decodedPathBytes = Uint8List(0);
+      }
+    }
+
     return Message(
       senderKey: Uint8List.fromList(base64Decode(json['senderKey'] as String)),
       text: decodedText,
@@ -138,10 +167,8 @@ class MessageStore {
           ? DateTime.fromMillisecondsSinceEpoch(json['deliveredAt'] as int)
           : null,
       tripTimeMs: json['tripTimeMs'] as int?,
-      pathLength: json['pathLength'] as int?,
-      pathBytes: json['pathBytes'] != null
-          ? Uint8List.fromList(base64Decode(json['pathBytes'] as String))
-          : Uint8List(0),
+      pathLength: decodedPathLength,
+      pathBytes: decodedPathBytes,
       reactions:
           (json['reactions'] as Map<String, dynamic>?)?.map(
             (key, value) => MapEntry(key, value as int),
diff --git a/test/models/model_changes_test.dart b/test/models/model_changes_test.dart
index a7d1a659..cc14187a 100644
--- a/test/models/model_changes_test.dart
+++ b/test/models/model_changes_test.dart
@@ -2,11 +2,16 @@ import 'dart:convert';
 import 'dart:typed_data';
 
 import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:shared_preferences/shared_preferences.dart';
 import 'package:meshcore_open/connector/meshcore_protocol.dart';
 import 'package:meshcore_open/models/channel_message.dart';
 import 'package:meshcore_open/models/contact.dart';
+import 'package:meshcore_open/models/message.dart';
 import 'package:meshcore_open/models/path_history.dart';
 import 'package:meshcore_open/models/app_settings.dart';
+import 'package:meshcore_open/storage/prefs_manager.dart';
+import 'package:meshcore_open/storage/contact_store.dart';
+import 'package:meshcore_open/storage/message_store.dart';
 
 // Builds a valid contact frame with the given pathLen and optional overrides.
 // Frame layout: [respCode(1)][pubKey(32)][type(1)][flags(1)][pathLen(1)][path(64)][name(32)][timestamp(4)][lat(4)][lon(4)]
@@ -147,11 +152,11 @@ void main() {
       expect(contact!.pathLength, equals(1));
     });
 
-    test('pathLen == 64 (maxPathSize) → pathLength == 64', () {
-      final frame = _buildContactFrame(pathLen: maxPathSize);
+    test('pathLen == 64 (mode 1, 0 hops) → pathLength == 0', () {
+      final frame = _buildContactFrame(pathLen: 64);
       final contact = Contact.fromFrame(frame);
       expect(contact, isNotNull);
-      expect(contact!.pathLength, equals(maxPathSize));
+      expect(contact!.pathLength, equals(0));
     });
 
     test('pathLen == 0xFF → pathLength == -1 (flood)', () {
@@ -161,11 +166,18 @@ void main() {
       expect(contact!.pathLength, equals(-1));
     });
 
-    test('pathLen == 65 (over maxPathSize) → pathLength == -1 (flood)', () {
+    test('pathLen == 65 (mode 1, 1 hop) → pathLength == 1', () {
       final frame = _buildContactFrame(pathLen: 65);
       final contact = Contact.fromFrame(frame);
       expect(contact, isNotNull);
-      expect(contact!.pathLength, equals(-1));
+      expect(contact!.pathLength, equals(1));
+    });
+
+    test('pathLen == 129 (mode 2, 1 hop) → pathLength == 1', () {
+      final frame = _buildContactFrame(pathLen: 129);
+      final contact = Contact.fromFrame(frame);
+      expect(contact, isNotNull);
+      expect(contact!.pathLength, equals(1));
     });
   });
 
@@ -452,4 +464,94 @@ void main() {
       expect(updated.maxRouteWeight, equals(settings.maxRouteWeight));
     });
   });
+
+  group('Storage migration — multi-byte paths compatibility', () {
+    setUp(() async {
+      SharedPreferences.setMockInitialValues({});
+      await PrefsManager.initialize();
+    });
+
+    test('ContactStore decodes and migrates legacy mode-encoded paths', () async {
+      final store = ContactStore()..publicKeyHex = '1234567890';
+      
+      // Let's create a contact with legacy 64 path length (mode 1, 0 hops)
+      final rawPath = Uint8List(64); // 64 bytes of zeroes
+      final contactJson = [
+        {
+          'publicKey': base64Encode(Uint8List(32)..[0] = 0xAA),
+          'name': 'LegacyNode',
+          'type': 2,
+          'flags': 0,
+          'pathLength': 64, // encoded pathLength (mode 1, 0 hops)
+          'path': base64Encode(rawPath),
+          'lastSeen': DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+          'lastMessageAt': DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+          'isActive': true,
+        }
+      ];
+      
+      final prefs = PrefsManager.instance;
+      await prefs.setString(store.keyFor, jsonEncode(contactJson));
+      
+      final contacts = await store.loadContacts();
+      expect(contacts, hasLength(1));
+      expect(contacts.first.pathLength, equals(0));
+      expect(contacts.first.path, isEmpty);
+    });
+
+    test('ContactStore decodes and migrates legacy mode-1 paths with hops', () async {
+      final store = ContactStore()..publicKeyHex = '1234567890';
+      
+      // Contact with legacy 65 path length (mode 1, 1 hop)
+      final rawPath = Uint8List(64)..[0] = 0xBB..[1] = 0xCC; 
+      final contactJson = [
+        {
+          'publicKey': base64Encode(Uint8List(32)..[0] = 0xAA),
+          'name': 'LegacyNode2',
+          'type': 2,
+          'flags': 0,
+          'pathLength': 65, // encoded pathLength (mode 1, 1 hop)
+          'path': base64Encode(rawPath),
+          'lastSeen': DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+          'lastMessageAt': DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+          'isActive': true,
+        }
+      ];
+      
+      final prefs = PrefsManager.instance;
+      await prefs.setString(store.keyFor, jsonEncode(contactJson));
+      
+      final contacts = await store.loadContacts();
+      expect(contacts, hasLength(1));
+      expect(contacts.first.pathLength, equals(1));
+      expect(contacts.first.path, equals(Uint8List.fromList([0xBB, 0xCC])));
+    });
+
+    test('MessageStore decodes and migrates legacy mode-encoded message paths', () async {
+      final store = MessageStore()..publicKeyHex = '1234567890';
+      final contactKeyHex = pubKeyToHex(Uint8List(32)..[0] = 0xAA);
+      
+      final rawPath = Uint8List(64);
+      final messageJson = [
+        {
+          'senderKey': base64Encode(Uint8List(32)..[0] = 0xAA),
+          'text': 'Hello',
+          'timestamp': DateTime.now().millisecondsSinceEpoch,
+          'isOutgoing': false,
+          'status': 2, // delivered
+          'messageId': 'msg_1',
+          'pathLength': 64, // encoded pathLength (mode 1, 0 hops)
+          'pathBytes': base64Encode(rawPath),
+        }
+      ];
+      
+      final prefs = PrefsManager.instance;
+      await prefs.setString('${store.keyFor}$contactKeyHex', jsonEncode(messageJson));
+      
+      final messages = await store.loadMessages(contactKeyHex);
+      expect(messages, hasLength(1));
+      expect(messages.first.pathLength, equals(0));
+      expect(messages.first.pathBytes, isEmpty);
+    });
+  });
 }