diff --git a/src/derp/cli.py b/src/derp/cli.py
index c1f0d4c..f9ad621 100644
--- a/src/derp/cli.py
+++ b/src/derp/cli.py
@@ -148,6 +148,13 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
         tg_bot = TelegramBot("telegram", config, registry)
         bots.append(tg_bot)
 
+    # Mumble adapter (optional)
+    if config.get("mumble", {}).get("enabled"):
+        from derp.mumble import MumbleBot
+
+        mumble_bot = MumbleBot("mumble", config, registry)
+        bots.append(mumble_bot)
+
     names = ", ".join(b.name for b in bots)
     log.info("servers: %s", names)
 
diff --git a/src/derp/config.py b/src/derp/config.py
index c4d40a0..55aa019 100644
--- a/src/derp/config.py
+++ b/src/derp/config.py
@@ -58,6 +58,17 @@ DEFAULTS: dict = {
         "operators": [],
         "trusted": [],
     },
+    "mumble": {
+        "enabled": False,
+        "host": "127.0.0.1",
+        "port": 64738,
+        "username": "derp",
+        "password": "",
+        "tls_verify": False,
+        "admins": [],
+        "operators": [],
+        "trusted": [],
+    },
     "logging": {
         "level": "info",
         "format": "text",
diff --git a/src/derp/mumble.py b/src/derp/mumble.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..123d978
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/derp/mumble.py
@@ -0,0 +1,728 @@
+"""Mumble adapter: TLS/TCP over SOCKS5, protobuf control channel (text only)."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import html
+import logging
+import random
+import re
+import ssl
+import struct
+import time
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from derp import http
+from derp.bot import _TokenBucket
+from derp.plugin import TIERS, PluginRegistry
+from derp.state import StateStore
+
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+_AMBIGUOUS = object()  # sentinel for ambiguous prefix matches
+
+# -- Mumble message types ----------------------------------------------------
+
+MSG_VERSION = 0
+MSG_AUTHENTICATE = 2
+MSG_PING = 3
+MSG_SERVER_SYNC = 5
+MSG_CHANNEL_REMOVE = 6
+MSG_CHANNEL_STATE = 7
+MSG_USER_REMOVE = 8
+MSG_USER_STATE = 9
+MSG_TEXT_MESSAGE = 11
+
+# -- Protobuf wire helpers (minimal, no external dep) ------------------------
+
+_WIRE_VARINT = 0
+_WIRE_LEN = 2
+
+
+def _encode_varint(value: int) -> bytes:
+    """Encode an unsigned integer as a protobuf varint."""
+    buf = bytearray()
+    while value > 0x7F:
+        buf.append((value & 0x7F) | 0x80)
+        value >>= 7
+    buf.append(value & 0x7F)
+    return bytes(buf)
+
+
+def _decode_varint(data: bytes, offset: int) -> tuple[int, int]:
+    """Decode a protobuf varint, returning (value, new_offset)."""
+    result = 0
+    shift = 0
+    while offset < len(data):
+        byte = data[offset]
+        offset += 1
+        result |= (byte & 0x7F) << shift
+        if not (byte & 0x80):
+            return result, offset
+        shift += 7
+    return result, offset
+
+
+def _encode_field(field_num: int, wire_type: int, value: int | bytes) -> bytes:
+    """Encode a single protobuf field."""
+    tag = _encode_varint((field_num << 3) | wire_type)
+    if wire_type == _WIRE_VARINT:
+        return tag + _encode_varint(value)
+    # wire_type == _WIRE_LEN
+    if isinstance(value, str):
+        value = value.encode("utf-8")
+    return tag + _encode_varint(len(value)) + value
+
+
+def _decode_fields(data: bytes) -> dict[int, list]:
+    """Decode protobuf fields, returning field_num -> list of values."""
+    fields: dict[int, list] = {}
+    offset = 0
+    while offset < len(data):
+        tag, offset = _decode_varint(data, offset)
+        field_num = tag >> 3
+        wire_type = tag & 0x07
+        if wire_type == _WIRE_VARINT:
+            value, offset = _decode_varint(data, offset)
+        elif wire_type == _WIRE_LEN:
+            length, offset = _decode_varint(data, offset)
+            value = data[offset:offset + length]
+            offset += length
+        elif wire_type == 5:  # 32-bit fixed
+            value = data[offset:offset + 4]
+            offset += 4
+        elif wire_type == 1:  # 64-bit fixed
+            value = data[offset:offset + 8]
+            offset += 8
+        else:
+            break  # unknown wire type, stop parsing
+        fields.setdefault(field_num, []).append(value)
+    return fields
+
+
+def _pack_msg(msg_type: int, payload: bytes = b"") -> bytes:
+    """Wrap a protobuf payload in a Mumble 6-byte header."""
+    return struct.pack("!HI", msg_type, len(payload)) + payload
+
+
+def _unpack_header(data: bytes) -> tuple[int, int]:
+    """Unpack a 6-byte Mumble header into (msg_type, payload_length)."""
+    return struct.unpack("!HI", data)
+
+
+def _field_str(fields: dict[int, list], num: int) -> str | None:
+    """Extract a string field."""
+    vals = fields.get(num)
+    if vals and isinstance(vals[0], bytes):
+        return vals[0].decode("utf-8", errors="replace")
+    return None
+
+
+def _field_int(fields: dict[int, list], num: int) -> int | None:
+    """Extract an integer field."""
+    vals = fields.get(num)
+    if vals and isinstance(vals[0], int):
+        return vals[0]
+    return None
+
+
+def _field_ints(fields: dict[int, list], num: int) -> list[int]:
+    """Extract repeated integer fields."""
+    vals = fields.get(num, [])
+    return [v for v in vals if isinstance(v, int)]
+
+
+# -- HTML helpers ------------------------------------------------------------
+
+_TAG_RE = re.compile(r"<[^>]+>")
+
+
+def _strip_html(text: str) -> str:
+    """Strip HTML tags and unescape entities."""
+    return html.unescape(_TAG_RE.sub("", text))
+
+
+def _escape_html(text: str) -> str:
+    """Escape text for Mumble HTML messages."""
+    return html.escape(text, quote=False)
+
+
+# -- MumbleMessage -----------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@dataclass(slots=True)
+class MumbleMessage:
+    """Parsed Mumble TextMessage, duck-typed with IRC Message.
+
+    Plugins that use only ``msg.nick``, ``msg.text``, ``msg.target``,
+    ``msg.is_channel``, ``msg.prefix``, ``msg.command``, ``msg.params``,
+    and ``msg.tags`` work without modification.
+    """
+
+    raw: dict                   # decoded protobuf fields
+    nick: str | None            # sender username (from session lookup)
+    prefix: str | None          # sender username (for ACL)
+    text: str | None            # message text (HTML stripped)
+    target: str | None          # channel_id as string (or "dm" for DMs)
+    is_channel: bool = True     # True for channel msgs, False for DMs
+    command: str = "PRIVMSG"    # compat shim
+    params: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    tags: dict[str, str] = field(default_factory=dict)
+
+
+# -- Message builders --------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _build_version_payload() -> bytes:
+    """Build a Version message payload."""
+    payload = b""
+    # field 1: version_v1 (uint32) -- legacy: 1.5.0
+    payload += _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, (1 << 16) | (5 << 8))
+    # field 2: release (string)
+    payload += _encode_field(2, _WIRE_LEN, "derp 1.5.0")
+    # field 3: os (string)
+    payload += _encode_field(3, _WIRE_LEN, "Linux")
+    # field 4: os_version (string)
+    payload += _encode_field(4, _WIRE_LEN, "")
+    # field 5: version_v2 (uint64) -- semantic: 1.5.0
+    payload += _encode_field(5, _WIRE_VARINT, (1 << 48) | (5 << 32))
+    return payload
+
+
+def _build_authenticate_payload(username: str, password: str) -> bytes:
+    """Build an Authenticate message payload."""
+    payload = b""
+    # field 1: username (string)
+    payload += _encode_field(1, _WIRE_LEN, username)
+    # field 2: password (string)
+    if password:
+        payload += _encode_field(2, _WIRE_LEN, password)
+    # field 5: opus (bool/varint) -- True
+    payload += _encode_field(5, _WIRE_VARINT, 1)
+    return payload
+
+
+def _build_ping_payload(timestamp: int) -> bytes:
+    """Build a Ping message payload."""
+    return _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, timestamp)
+
+
+def _build_text_message_payload(
+    channel_ids: list[int] | None = None,
+    session_ids: list[int] | None = None,
+    tree_ids: list[int] | None = None,
+    message: str = "",
+) -> bytes:
+    """Build a TextMessage payload."""
+    payload = b""
+    for sid in (session_ids or []):
+        payload += _encode_field(2, _WIRE_VARINT, sid)
+    for cid in (channel_ids or []):
+        payload += _encode_field(3, _WIRE_VARINT, cid)
+    for tid in (tree_ids or []):
+        payload += _encode_field(4, _WIRE_VARINT, tid)
+    # field 5: message (string)
+    payload += _encode_field(5, _WIRE_LEN, message)
+    return payload
+
+
+def _build_mumble_message(
+    fields: dict[int, list],
+    users: dict[int, str],
+    our_session: int,
+) -> MumbleMessage | None:
+    """Build a MumbleMessage from decoded TextMessage fields."""
+    # field 5: message text
+    raw_text = _field_str(fields, 5)
+    if raw_text is None:
+        return None
+
+    text = _strip_html(raw_text)
+
+    # field 1: actor (sender session)
+    actor = _field_int(fields, 1)
+    nick = users.get(actor) if actor is not None else None
+    prefix = nick  # use username for ACL
+
+    # Determine target: channel_id (field 3) or DM (field 2)
+    channel_ids = _field_ints(fields, 3)
+    session_ids = _field_ints(fields, 2)
+
+    if channel_ids:
+        target = str(channel_ids[0])
+        is_channel = True
+    elif session_ids:
+        target = "dm"
+        is_channel = False
+    else:
+        target = None
+        is_channel = True
+
+    return MumbleMessage(
+        raw=dict(fields),
+        nick=nick,
+        prefix=prefix,
+        text=text,
+        target=target,
+        is_channel=is_channel,
+        params=[target or "", text],
+    )
+
+
+# -- MumbleBot --------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class MumbleBot:
+    """Mumble bot adapter via TCP/TLS protobuf control channel (text only).
+
+    Exposes the same public API as :class:`derp.bot.Bot` so that
+    protocol-agnostic plugins work without modification.
+    All TCP goes through ``derp.http.create_connection`` (SOCKS5 proxy).
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, name: str, config: dict, registry: PluginRegistry) -> None:
+        self.name = name
+        self.config = config
+        self.registry = registry
+        self._pstate: dict = {}
+
+        mu_cfg = config.get("mumble", {})
+        self._host: str = mu_cfg.get("host", "127.0.0.1")
+        self._port: int = mu_cfg.get("port", 64738)
+        self._username: str = mu_cfg.get("username", "derp")
+        self._password: str = mu_cfg.get("password", "")
+        self._tls_verify: bool = mu_cfg.get("tls_verify", False)
+        self.nick: str = self._username
+        self.prefix: str = (
+            mu_cfg.get("prefix")
+            or config.get("bot", {}).get("prefix", "!")
+        )
+        self._running = False
+        self._started: float = time.monotonic()
+        self._tasks: set[asyncio.Task] = set()
+        self._reconnect_delay: float = 5.0
+        self._admins: list[str] = [str(x) for x in mu_cfg.get("admins", [])]
+        self._operators: list[str] = [str(x) for x in mu_cfg.get("operators", [])]
+        self._trusted: list[str] = [str(x) for x in mu_cfg.get("trusted", [])]
+        self.state = StateStore(f"data/state-{name}.db")
+
+        # Protocol state
+        self._session: int = 0  # our session ID (from ServerSync)
+        self._channels: dict[int, str] = {}  # channel_id -> name
+        self._users: dict[int, str] = {}  # session_id -> username
+        self._user_channels: dict[int, int] = {}  # session_id -> channel_id
+        self._reader: asyncio.StreamReader | None = None
+        self._writer: asyncio.StreamWriter | None = None
+
+        rate_cfg = config.get("bot", {})
+        self._bucket = _TokenBucket(
+            rate=rate_cfg.get("rate_limit", 2.0),
+            burst=rate_cfg.get("rate_burst", 5),
+        )
+
+    # -- Connection ----------------------------------------------------------
+
+    def _create_ssl_context(self) -> ssl.SSLContext:
+        """Build an SSL context for Mumble TLS."""
+        ctx = ssl.SSLContext(ssl.PROTOCOL_TLS_CLIENT)
+        if not self._tls_verify:
+            ctx.check_hostname = False
+            ctx.verify_mode = ssl.CERT_NONE
+        return ctx
+
+    async def _connect(self) -> None:
+        """Establish TLS connection over SOCKS5 proxy."""
+        loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+        sock = await loop.run_in_executor(
+            None, http.create_connection,
+            (self._host, self._port),
+        )
+        ssl_ctx = self._create_ssl_context()
+        hostname = self._host if self._tls_verify else None
+        self._reader, self._writer = await asyncio.open_connection(
+            sock=sock, ssl=ssl_ctx, server_hostname=hostname,
+        )
+
+    async def _send_msg(self, msg_type: int, payload: bytes = b"") -> None:
+        """Send a framed Mumble message."""
+        if self._writer is None:
+            return
+        data = _pack_msg(msg_type, payload)
+        self._writer.write(data)
+        await self._writer.drain()
+
+    async def _read_msg(self) -> tuple[int, bytes] | None:
+        """Read one framed Mumble message. Returns (msg_type, payload)."""
+        if self._reader is None:
+            return None
+        header = await self._reader.readexactly(6)
+        msg_type, length = _unpack_header(header)
+        payload = await self._reader.readexactly(length) if length else b""
+        return msg_type, payload
+
+    async def _close(self) -> None:
+        """Close the connection."""
+        if self._writer:
+            try:
+                self._writer.close()
+                await self._writer.wait_closed()
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+        self._reader = None
+        self._writer = None
+
+    # -- Lifecycle -----------------------------------------------------------
+
+    async def start(self) -> None:
+        """Connect and enter the message loop with reconnect backoff."""
+        self._running = True
+        while self._running:
+            try:
+                await self._connect_and_run()
+                self._reconnect_delay = 5.0
+            except (OSError, ConnectionError, asyncio.IncompleteReadError) as exc:
+                log.error("mumble: connection lost: %s", exc)
+            if self._running:
+                jitter = self._reconnect_delay * 0.25 * (2 * random.random() - 1)
+                delay = self._reconnect_delay + jitter
+                log.info("mumble: reconnecting in %.0fs...", delay)
+                await asyncio.sleep(delay)
+                self._reconnect_delay = min(self._reconnect_delay * 2, 300.0)
+
+    async def _connect_and_run(self) -> None:
+        """Single connection lifecycle."""
+        await self._connect()
+        try:
+            await self._handshake()
+            await self._loop()
+        finally:
+            await self._close()
+
+    async def _handshake(self) -> None:
+        """Send Version and Authenticate messages."""
+        # Version
+        await self._send_msg(MSG_VERSION, _build_version_payload())
+        # Authenticate
+        await self._send_msg(
+            MSG_AUTHENTICATE,
+            _build_authenticate_payload(self._username, self._password),
+        )
+        log.info("mumble: authenticating as %s on %s:%d",
+                 self._username, self._host, self._port)
+
+    async def _loop(self) -> None:
+        """Read and dispatch messages until disconnect."""
+        while self._running:
+            result = await self._read_msg()
+            if result is None:
+                log.warning("mumble: server closed connection")
+                return
+            msg_type, payload = result
+            await self._handle(msg_type, payload)
+
+    async def _handle(self, msg_type: int, payload: bytes) -> None:
+        """Dispatch a received Mumble message by type."""
+        if msg_type == MSG_PING:
+            fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+            ts = _field_int(fields, 1) or 0
+            await self._send_msg(MSG_PING, _build_ping_payload(ts))
+            return
+
+        if msg_type == MSG_SERVER_SYNC:
+            fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+            session = _field_int(fields, 1)
+            if session is not None:
+                self._session = session
+            welcome = _field_str(fields, 3) or ""
+            log.info("mumble: connected, session=%d, welcome=%s",
+                     self._session, _strip_html(welcome)[:80])
+            return
+
+        if msg_type == MSG_CHANNEL_STATE:
+            fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+            cid = _field_int(fields, 1)
+            name = _field_str(fields, 3)
+            if cid is not None and name is not None:
+                self._channels[cid] = name
+            return
+
+        if msg_type == MSG_CHANNEL_REMOVE:
+            fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+            cid = _field_int(fields, 1)
+            if cid is not None:
+                self._channels.pop(cid, None)
+            return
+
+        if msg_type == MSG_USER_STATE:
+            fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+            session = _field_int(fields, 1)
+            name = _field_str(fields, 3)
+            channel_id = _field_int(fields, 5)
+            if session is not None:
+                if name is not None:
+                    self._users[session] = name
+                if channel_id is not None:
+                    self._user_channels[session] = channel_id
+            return
+
+        if msg_type == MSG_USER_REMOVE:
+            fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+            session = _field_int(fields, 1)
+            if session is not None:
+                self._users.pop(session, None)
+                self._user_channels.pop(session, None)
+            return
+
+        if msg_type == MSG_TEXT_MESSAGE:
+            fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+            msg = _build_mumble_message(fields, self._users, self._session)
+            if msg is not None:
+                await self._dispatch_command(msg)
+            return
+
+    # -- Command dispatch ----------------------------------------------------
+
+    async def _dispatch_command(self, msg: MumbleMessage) -> None:
+        """Parse and dispatch a command from a Mumble text message."""
+        text = msg.text
+        if not text or not text.startswith(self.prefix):
+            return
+
+        parts = text[len(self.prefix):].split(None, 1)
+        cmd_name = parts[0].lower() if parts else ""
+        handler = self._resolve_command(cmd_name)
+        if handler is None:
+            return
+        if handler is _AMBIGUOUS:
+            matches = [k for k in self.registry.commands
+                       if k.startswith(cmd_name)]
+            names = ", ".join(self.prefix + m for m in sorted(matches))
+            await self.reply(
+                msg,
+                f"Ambiguous command '{self.prefix}{cmd_name}': {names}",
+            )
+            return
+
+        if not self._plugin_allowed(handler.plugin, msg.target):
+            return
+
+        required = handler.tier
+        if required != "user":
+            sender = self._get_tier(msg)
+            if TIERS.index(sender) < TIERS.index(required):
+                await self.reply(
+                    msg,
+                    f"Permission denied: {self.prefix}{cmd_name} "
+                    f"requires {required}",
+                )
+                return
+
+        try:
+            await handler.callback(self, msg)
+        except Exception:
+            log.exception("mumble: error in command handler '%s'", cmd_name)
+
+    def _resolve_command(self, name: str):
+        """Resolve command name with unambiguous prefix matching.
+
+        Returns the Handler on exact or unique prefix match, the sentinel
+        ``_AMBIGUOUS`` if multiple commands match, or None if nothing matches.
+        """
+        handler = self.registry.commands.get(name)
+        if handler is not None:
+            return handler
+        matches = [v for k, v in self.registry.commands.items()
+                   if k.startswith(name)]
+        if len(matches) == 1:
+            return matches[0]
+        if len(matches) > 1:
+            return _AMBIGUOUS
+        return None
+
+    def _plugin_allowed(self, plugin_name: str, channel: str | None) -> bool:
+        """Channel filtering is IRC-only; all plugins are allowed on Mumble."""
+        return True
+
+    # -- Permission tiers ----------------------------------------------------
+
+    def _get_tier(self, msg: MumbleMessage) -> str:
+        """Determine permission tier from username.
+
+        Matches exact string comparison of username against config lists.
+        """
+        if not msg.prefix:
+            return "user"
+        for name in self._admins:
+            if msg.prefix == name:
+                return "admin"
+        for name in self._operators:
+            if msg.prefix == name:
+                return "oper"
+        for name in self._trusted:
+            if msg.prefix == name:
+                return "trusted"
+        return "user"
+
+    def _is_admin(self, msg: MumbleMessage) -> bool:
+        """Check if the message sender is a bot admin."""
+        return self._get_tier(msg) == "admin"
+
+    # -- Public API for plugins ----------------------------------------------
+
+    async def _send_html(self, target: str, html_text: str) -> None:
+        """Send a TextMessage with pre-formatted HTML (no escaping)."""
+        await self._bucket.acquire()
+        try:
+            channel_id = int(target)
+        except (ValueError, TypeError):
+            channel_id = 0  # root channel fallback
+        payload = _build_text_message_payload(
+            channel_ids=[channel_id], message=html_text,
+        )
+        await self._send_msg(MSG_TEXT_MESSAGE, payload)
+
+    async def send(self, target: str, text: str) -> None:
+        """Send a TextMessage to a channel (HTML-escaped, rate-limited).
+
+        ``target`` is a channel_id as string. For DMs, sends to the
+        current channel instead (Mumble DMs require session IDs which
+        are not stable).
+        """
+        await self._send_html(target, _escape_html(text))
+
+    async def reply(self, msg, text: str) -> None:
+        """Reply to the source channel."""
+        if msg.target and msg.target != "dm":
+            await self.send(msg.target, text)
+        elif msg.target == "dm":
+            # Best-effort: send to root channel
+            await self.send("0", text)
+
+    async def long_reply(
+        self, msg, lines: list[str], *,
+        label: str = "",
+    ) -> None:
+        """Reply with a list of lines; paste overflow to FlaskPaste.
+
+        Same overflow logic as :meth:`derp.bot.Bot.long_reply`.
+        """
+        threshold = self.config.get("bot", {}).get("paste_threshold", 4)
+        if not lines or not msg.target:
+            return
+
+        if len(lines) <= threshold:
+            for line in lines:
+                await self.send(msg.target, line)
+            return
+
+        # Attempt paste overflow
+        fp = self.registry._modules.get("flaskpaste")
+        paste_url = None
+        if fp:
+            full_text = "\n".join(lines)
+            loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+            paste_url = await loop.run_in_executor(
+                None, fp.create_paste, self, full_text,
+            )
+
+        if paste_url:
+            preview_count = min(2, threshold - 1)
+            for line in lines[:preview_count]:
+                await self.send(msg.target, line)
+            remaining = len(lines) - preview_count
+            suffix = f" ({label})" if label else ""
+            await self.send(
+                msg.target,
+                f"... {remaining} more lines{suffix}: {paste_url}",
+            )
+        else:
+            for line in lines:
+                await self.send(msg.target, line)
+
+    async def action(self, target: str, text: str) -> None:
+        """Send an action as italic HTML text."""
+        await self._send_html(target, f"<i>{_escape_html(text)}</i>")
+
+    async def shorten_url(self, url: str) -> str:
+        """Shorten a URL via FlaskPaste. Returns original on failure."""
+        fp = self.registry._modules.get("flaskpaste")
+        if not fp:
+            return url
+        loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+        try:
+            return await loop.run_in_executor(None, fp.shorten_url, self, url)
+        except Exception:
+            return url
+
+    # -- IRC no-ops ----------------------------------------------------------
+
+    async def join(self, channel: str) -> None:
+        """No-op: IRC-only concept."""
+        log.debug("mumble: join() is a no-op")
+
+    async def part(self, channel: str, reason: str = "") -> None:
+        """No-op: IRC-only concept."""
+        log.debug("mumble: part() is a no-op")
+
+    async def quit(self, reason: str = "bye") -> None:
+        """Stop the Mumble adapter."""
+        self._running = False
+
+    async def kick(self, channel: str, nick: str, reason: str = "") -> None:
+        """No-op: IRC-only concept."""
+        log.debug("mumble: kick() is a no-op")
+
+    async def mode(self, target: str, mode_str: str, *args: str) -> None:
+        """No-op: IRC-only concept."""
+        log.debug("mumble: mode() is a no-op")
+
+    async def set_topic(self, channel: str, topic: str) -> None:
+        """No-op: IRC-only concept."""
+        log.debug("mumble: set_topic() is a no-op")
+
+    # -- Plugin management (delegated to registry) ---------------------------
+
+    def load_plugins(self, plugins_dir: str | Path | None = None) -> None:
+        """Load plugins from the configured directory."""
+        if plugins_dir is None:
+            plugins_dir = self.config.get("bot", {}).get(
+                "plugins_dir", "plugins")
+        path = Path(plugins_dir)
+        self.registry.load_directory(path)
+
+    @property
+    def plugins_dir(self) -> Path:
+        """Resolved path to the plugins directory."""
+        return Path(self.config.get("bot", {}).get("plugins_dir", "plugins"))
+
+    def load_plugin(self, name: str) -> tuple[bool, str]:
+        """Hot-load a new plugin by name from the plugins directory."""
+        if name in self.registry._modules:
+            return False, f"plugin already loaded: {name}"
+        path = self.plugins_dir / f"{name}.py"
+        if not path.is_file():
+            return False, f"{name}.py not found"
+        count = self.registry.load_plugin(path)
+        if count < 0:
+            return False, f"failed to load {name}"
+        return True, f"{count} handlers"
+
+    def reload_plugin(self, name: str) -> tuple[bool, str]:
+        """Reload a plugin, picking up any file changes."""
+        return self.registry.reload_plugin(name)
+
+    def unload_plugin(self, name: str) -> tuple[bool, str]:
+        """Unload a plugin, removing all its handlers."""
+        if self.registry.unload_plugin(name):
+            return True, ""
+        if name == "core":
+            return False, "cannot unload core"
+        return False, f"plugin not loaded: {name}"
+
+    def _spawn(self, coro, *, name: str | None = None) -> asyncio.Task:
+        """Spawn a background task and track it for cleanup."""
+        task = asyncio.create_task(coro, name=name)
+        self._tasks.add(task)
+        task.add_done_callback(self._tasks.discard)
+        return task
diff --git a/tests/test_mumble.py b/tests/test_mumble.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c81d31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_mumble.py
@@ -0,0 +1,891 @@
+"""Tests for the Mumble adapter."""
+
+import asyncio
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+from derp.mumble import (
+    _WIRE_LEN,
+    _WIRE_VARINT,
+    MSG_CHANNEL_REMOVE,
+    MSG_CHANNEL_STATE,
+    MSG_PING,
+    MSG_SERVER_SYNC,
+    MSG_TEXT_MESSAGE,
+    MSG_USER_REMOVE,
+    MSG_USER_STATE,
+    MumbleBot,
+    MumbleMessage,
+    _build_authenticate_payload,
+    _build_mumble_message,
+    _build_ping_payload,
+    _build_text_message_payload,
+    _build_version_payload,
+    _decode_fields,
+    _decode_varint,
+    _encode_field,
+    _encode_varint,
+    _escape_html,
+    _field_int,
+    _field_ints,
+    _field_str,
+    _pack_msg,
+    _strip_html,
+    _unpack_header,
+)
+from derp.plugin import PluginRegistry
+
+# -- Helpers -----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _make_bot(admins=None, operators=None, trusted=None, prefix=None):
+    """Create a MumbleBot with test config."""
+    config = {
+        "mumble": {
+            "enabled": True,
+            "host": "127.0.0.1",
+            "port": 64738,
+            "username": "derp",
+            "password": "",
+            "tls_verify": False,
+            "admins": admins or [],
+            "operators": operators or [],
+            "trusted": trusted or [],
+        },
+        "bot": {
+            "prefix": prefix or "!",
+            "paste_threshold": 4,
+            "plugins_dir": "plugins",
+            "rate_limit": 2.0,
+            "rate_burst": 5,
+        },
+    }
+    registry = PluginRegistry()
+    bot = MumbleBot("mu-test", config, registry)
+    return bot
+
+
+def _mu_msg(text="!ping", nick="Alice", prefix="Alice",
+            target="0", is_channel=True):
+    """Create a MumbleMessage for command testing."""
+    return MumbleMessage(
+        raw={}, nick=nick, prefix=prefix, text=text, target=target,
+        is_channel=is_channel,
+        params=[target, text],
+    )
+
+
+# -- Test helpers for registering commands -----------------------------------
+
+
+async def _echo_handler(bot, msg):
+    """Simple command handler that echoes text."""
+    args = msg.text.split(None, 1)
+    reply = args[1] if len(args) > 1 else "no args"
+    await bot.reply(msg, reply)
+
+
+async def _admin_handler(bot, msg):
+    """Admin-only command handler."""
+    await bot.reply(msg, "admin action done")
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestProtobufCodec
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestProtobufCodec:
+    def test_encode_varint_zero(self):
+        assert _encode_varint(0) == b"\x00"
+
+    def test_encode_varint_small(self):
+        assert _encode_varint(1) == b"\x01"
+        assert _encode_varint(127) == b"\x7f"
+
+    def test_encode_varint_two_byte(self):
+        assert _encode_varint(128) == b"\x80\x01"
+        assert _encode_varint(300) == b"\xac\x02"
+
+    def test_encode_varint_large(self):
+        # 16384 = 0x4000
+        encoded = _encode_varint(16384)
+        val, _ = _decode_varint(encoded, 0)
+        assert val == 16384
+
+    def test_decode_varint_zero(self):
+        val, off = _decode_varint(b"\x00", 0)
+        assert val == 0
+        assert off == 1
+
+    def test_decode_varint_small(self):
+        val, off = _decode_varint(b"\x01", 0)
+        assert val == 1
+        assert off == 1
+
+    def test_decode_varint_multi_byte(self):
+        val, off = _decode_varint(b"\xac\x02", 0)
+        assert val == 300
+        assert off == 2
+
+    def test_varint_roundtrip(self):
+        for n in [0, 1, 127, 128, 300, 16384, 2**21, 2**28]:
+            encoded = _encode_varint(n)
+            decoded, _ = _decode_varint(encoded, 0)
+            assert decoded == n, f"roundtrip failed for {n}"
+
+    def test_encode_field_varint(self):
+        # field 1, wire type 0, value 42
+        data = _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 42)
+        fields = _decode_fields(data)
+        assert fields[1] == [42]
+
+    def test_encode_field_string(self):
+        data = _encode_field(5, _WIRE_LEN, "hello")
+        fields = _decode_fields(data)
+        assert fields[5] == [b"hello"]
+
+    def test_encode_field_bytes(self):
+        data = _encode_field(3, _WIRE_LEN, b"\x00\x01\x02")
+        fields = _decode_fields(data)
+        assert fields[3] == [b"\x00\x01\x02"]
+
+    def test_decode_multiple_fields(self):
+        data = (
+            _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 10)
+            + _encode_field(2, _WIRE_LEN, "test")
+            + _encode_field(3, _WIRE_VARINT, 99)
+        )
+        fields = _decode_fields(data)
+        assert fields[1] == [10]
+        assert fields[2] == [b"test"]
+        assert fields[3] == [99]
+
+    def test_decode_repeated_fields(self):
+        data = (
+            _encode_field(3, _WIRE_VARINT, 1)
+            + _encode_field(3, _WIRE_VARINT, 2)
+            + _encode_field(3, _WIRE_VARINT, 3)
+        )
+        fields = _decode_fields(data)
+        assert fields[3] == [1, 2, 3]
+
+    def test_pack_unpack_header(self):
+        packed = _pack_msg(11, b"hello")
+        msg_type, length = _unpack_header(packed[:6])
+        assert msg_type == 11
+        assert length == 5
+        assert packed[6:] == b"hello"
+
+    def test_pack_empty_payload(self):
+        packed = _pack_msg(3)
+        assert len(packed) == 6
+        msg_type, length = _unpack_header(packed)
+        assert msg_type == 3
+        assert length == 0
+
+    def test_field_str(self):
+        fields = {5: [b"hello"]}
+        assert _field_str(fields, 5) == "hello"
+        assert _field_str(fields, 1) is None
+
+    def test_field_int(self):
+        fields = {1: [42]}
+        assert _field_int(fields, 1) == 42
+        assert _field_int(fields, 2) is None
+
+    def test_field_ints(self):
+        fields = {3: [1, 2, 3]}
+        assert _field_ints(fields, 3) == [1, 2, 3]
+        assert _field_ints(fields, 9) == []
+
+    def test_decode_empty(self):
+        fields = _decode_fields(b"")
+        assert fields == {}
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestMumbleMessage
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMumbleMessage:
+    def test_defaults(self):
+        msg = MumbleMessage(raw={}, nick=None, prefix=None, text=None,
+                            target=None)
+        assert msg.is_channel is True
+        assert msg.command == "PRIVMSG"
+        assert msg.params == []
+        assert msg.tags == {}
+
+    def test_custom_values(self):
+        msg = MumbleMessage(
+            raw={"field": 1}, nick="Alice", prefix="Alice",
+            text="hello", target="0", is_channel=True,
+            command="PRIVMSG", params=["0", "hello"],
+            tags={"key": "val"},
+        )
+        assert msg.nick == "Alice"
+        assert msg.prefix == "Alice"
+        assert msg.text == "hello"
+        assert msg.target == "0"
+        assert msg.tags == {"key": "val"}
+
+    def test_duck_type_compat(self):
+        """MumbleMessage has the same attribute names as IRC Message."""
+        msg = _mu_msg()
+        attrs = ["raw", "nick", "prefix", "text", "target",
+                 "is_channel", "command", "params", "tags"]
+        for attr in attrs:
+            assert hasattr(msg, attr), f"missing attribute: {attr}"
+
+    def test_dm_message(self):
+        msg = _mu_msg(target="dm", is_channel=False)
+        assert msg.is_channel is False
+        assert msg.target == "dm"
+
+    def test_prefix_is_username(self):
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="admin_user")
+        assert msg.prefix == "admin_user"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestBuildMumbleMessage
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestBuildMumbleMessage:
+    def test_channel_message(self):
+        fields = {
+            1: [42],                    # actor session
+            3: [5],                     # channel_id
+            5: [b"<b>Hello</b>"],       # message HTML
+        }
+        users = {42: "Alice"}
+        msg = _build_mumble_message(fields, users, our_session=1)
+        assert msg is not None
+        assert msg.nick == "Alice"
+        assert msg.prefix == "Alice"
+        assert msg.text == "Hello"
+        assert msg.target == "5"
+        assert msg.is_channel is True
+
+    def test_dm_message(self):
+        fields = {
+            1: [42],                    # actor session
+            2: [1],                     # target session (DM)
+            5: [b"secret"],             # message
+        }
+        users = {42: "Bob"}
+        msg = _build_mumble_message(fields, users, our_session=1)
+        assert msg is not None
+        assert msg.target == "dm"
+        assert msg.is_channel is False
+
+    def test_missing_sender(self):
+        fields = {
+            3: [0],                     # channel_id
+            5: [b"anonymous"],          # message
+        }
+        msg = _build_mumble_message(fields, {}, our_session=1)
+        assert msg is not None
+        assert msg.nick is None
+        assert msg.prefix is None
+
+    def test_missing_message(self):
+        fields = {
+            1: [42],
+            3: [0],
+        }
+        msg = _build_mumble_message(fields, {42: "Alice"}, our_session=1)
+        assert msg is None
+
+    def test_html_stripped(self):
+        fields = {
+            1: [1],
+            3: [0],
+            5: [b"<a href='link'>click &amp; go</a>"],
+        }
+        msg = _build_mumble_message(fields, {1: "User"}, our_session=0)
+        assert msg is not None
+        assert msg.text == "click & go"
+
+    def test_no_target(self):
+        fields = {
+            1: [42],
+            5: [b"orphan message"],
+        }
+        msg = _build_mumble_message(fields, {42: "Alice"}, our_session=1)
+        assert msg is not None
+        assert msg.target is None
+        assert msg.is_channel is True
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestHtmlHelpers
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestHtmlHelpers:
+    def test_strip_html_simple(self):
+        assert _strip_html("<b>bold</b>") == "bold"
+
+    def test_strip_html_entities(self):
+        assert _strip_html("&amp; &lt; &gt; &quot;") == '& < > "'
+
+    def test_strip_html_nested(self):
+        assert _strip_html("<p><b>hello</b> <i>world</i></p>") == "hello world"
+
+    def test_strip_html_plain(self):
+        assert _strip_html("no tags here") == "no tags here"
+
+    def test_escape_html(self):
+        assert _escape_html("<script>alert('xss')") == "&lt;script&gt;alert('xss')"
+
+    def test_escape_html_ampersand(self):
+        assert _escape_html("a & b") == "a &amp; b"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestMumbleBotReply
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMumbleBotReply:
+    def test_send_builds_text_message(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        sent: list[tuple[int, bytes]] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send_msg(msg_type, payload=b""):
+            sent.append((msg_type, payload))
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "_send_msg", side_effect=_fake_send_msg):
+            asyncio.run(bot.send("5", "hello"))
+        assert len(sent) == 1
+        assert sent[0][0] == MSG_TEXT_MESSAGE
+        # Verify payload contains the message
+        fields = _decode_fields(sent[0][1])
+        text = _field_str(fields, 5)
+        assert text == "hello"
+        assert _field_ints(fields, 3) == [5]
+
+    def test_send_escapes_html(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        sent: list[tuple[int, bytes]] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send_msg(msg_type, payload=b""):
+            sent.append((msg_type, payload))
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "_send_msg", side_effect=_fake_send_msg):
+            asyncio.run(bot.send("0", "<script>alert('xss')"))
+        fields = _decode_fields(sent[0][1])
+        text = _field_str(fields, 5)
+        assert "<script>" not in text
+        assert "&lt;script&gt;" in text
+
+    def test_reply_sends_to_target(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg(target="5")
+        sent: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append((target, text))
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot.reply(msg, "pong"))
+        assert sent == [("5", "pong")]
+
+    def test_reply_dm_fallback(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg(target="dm", is_channel=False)
+        sent: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append((target, text))
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot.reply(msg, "dm reply"))
+        # DM falls back to root channel "0"
+        assert sent == [("0", "dm reply")]
+
+    def test_long_reply_under_threshold(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg()
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot.long_reply(msg, ["a", "b", "c"]))
+        assert sent == ["a", "b", "c"]
+
+    def test_long_reply_over_threshold_no_paste(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg()
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot.long_reply(msg, ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"]))
+        assert sent == ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e"]
+
+    def test_long_reply_empty(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg()
+        with patch.object(bot, "send") as mock_send:
+            asyncio.run(bot.long_reply(msg, []))
+            mock_send.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_action_format(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        sent: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send_html(target, html_text):
+            sent.append((target, html_text))
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "_send_html", side_effect=_fake_send_html):
+            asyncio.run(bot.action("0", "does a thing"))
+        assert sent == [("0", "<i>does a thing</i>")]
+
+    def test_action_escapes_content(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        sent: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send_html(target, html_text):
+            sent.append((target, html_text))
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "_send_html", side_effect=_fake_send_html):
+            asyncio.run(bot.action("0", "<script>"))
+        assert sent == [("0", "<i>&lt;script&gt;</i>")]
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestMumbleBotDispatch
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMumbleBotDispatch:
+    def test_dispatch_known_command(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot.registry.register_command(
+            "echo", _echo_handler, help="echo", plugin="test")
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="!echo world")
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+        assert sent == ["world"]
+
+    def test_dispatch_unknown_command(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="!nonexistent")
+        with patch.object(bot, "send") as mock_send:
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+            mock_send.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_dispatch_no_prefix(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="just a message")
+        with patch.object(bot, "send") as mock_send:
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+            mock_send.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_dispatch_empty_text(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="")
+        with patch.object(bot, "send") as mock_send:
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+            mock_send.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_dispatch_none_text(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg()
+        msg.text = None
+        with patch.object(bot, "send") as mock_send:
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+            mock_send.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_dispatch_ambiguous(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot.registry.register_command("ping", _echo_handler, plugin="test")
+        bot.registry.register_command("plugins", _echo_handler, plugin="test")
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="!p")
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+        assert len(sent) == 1
+        assert "Ambiguous" in sent[0]
+
+    def test_dispatch_tier_denied(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot.registry.register_command(
+            "secret", _admin_handler, plugin="test", tier="admin")
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="!secret", prefix="nobody")
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+        assert len(sent) == 1
+        assert "Permission denied" in sent[0]
+
+    def test_dispatch_tier_allowed(self):
+        bot = _make_bot(admins=["Alice"])
+        bot.registry.register_command(
+            "secret", _admin_handler, plugin="test", tier="admin")
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="!secret", prefix="Alice")
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+        assert sent == ["admin action done"]
+
+    def test_dispatch_prefix_match(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot.registry.register_command("echo", _echo_handler, plugin="test")
+        msg = _mu_msg(text="!ec hello")
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot._dispatch_command(msg))
+        assert sent == ["hello"]
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestMumbleBotTier
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMumbleBotTier:
+    def test_admin_tier(self):
+        bot = _make_bot(admins=["AdminUser"])
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="AdminUser")
+        assert bot._get_tier(msg) == "admin"
+
+    def test_oper_tier(self):
+        bot = _make_bot(operators=["OperUser"])
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="OperUser")
+        assert bot._get_tier(msg) == "oper"
+
+    def test_trusted_tier(self):
+        bot = _make_bot(trusted=["TrustedUser"])
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="TrustedUser")
+        assert bot._get_tier(msg) == "trusted"
+
+    def test_user_tier_default(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="RandomUser")
+        assert bot._get_tier(msg) == "user"
+
+    def test_no_prefix(self):
+        bot = _make_bot(admins=["Admin"])
+        msg = _mu_msg()
+        msg.prefix = None
+        assert bot._get_tier(msg) == "user"
+
+    def test_is_admin_true(self):
+        bot = _make_bot(admins=["Admin"])
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="Admin")
+        assert bot._is_admin(msg) is True
+
+    def test_is_admin_false(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="Nobody")
+        assert bot._is_admin(msg) is False
+
+    def test_priority_order(self):
+        """Admin takes priority over oper and trusted."""
+        bot = _make_bot(admins=["User"], operators=["User"], trusted=["User"])
+        msg = _mu_msg(prefix="User")
+        assert bot._get_tier(msg) == "admin"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestMumbleBotNoOps
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMumbleBotNoOps:
+    def test_join_noop(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        asyncio.run(bot.join("#channel"))
+
+    def test_part_noop(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        asyncio.run(bot.part("#channel", "reason"))
+
+    def test_kick_noop(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        asyncio.run(bot.kick("#channel", "nick", "reason"))
+
+    def test_mode_noop(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        asyncio.run(bot.mode("#channel", "+o", "nick"))
+
+    def test_set_topic_noop(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        asyncio.run(bot.set_topic("#channel", "new topic"))
+
+    def test_quit_stops(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot._running = True
+        asyncio.run(bot.quit())
+        assert bot._running is False
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestMumbleBotProtocol
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMumbleBotProtocol:
+    def test_version_payload_structure(self):
+        payload = _build_version_payload()
+        fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+        # field 1: version_v1 (uint32)
+        assert _field_int(fields, 1) == (1 << 16) | (5 << 8)
+        # field 2: release (string)
+        assert _field_str(fields, 2) == "derp 1.5.0"
+        # field 3: os (string)
+        assert _field_str(fields, 3) == "Linux"
+
+    def test_authenticate_payload_structure(self):
+        payload = _build_authenticate_payload("testuser", "testpass")
+        fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+        assert _field_str(fields, 1) == "testuser"
+        assert _field_str(fields, 2) == "testpass"
+        # field 5: opus (bool=1)
+        assert _field_int(fields, 5) == 1
+
+    def test_authenticate_no_password(self):
+        payload = _build_authenticate_payload("testuser", "")
+        fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+        assert _field_str(fields, 1) == "testuser"
+        assert 2 not in fields  # no password field
+
+    def test_ping_payload_roundtrip(self):
+        payload = _build_ping_payload(123456789)
+        fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+        assert _field_int(fields, 1) == 123456789
+
+    def test_text_message_payload(self):
+        payload = _build_text_message_payload(
+            channel_ids=[5], message="<b>hello</b>",
+        )
+        fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+        assert _field_str(fields, 5) == "<b>hello</b>"
+        assert _field_ints(fields, 3) == [5]
+
+    def test_text_message_multiple_channels(self):
+        payload = _build_text_message_payload(
+            channel_ids=[1, 2, 3], message="broadcast",
+        )
+        fields = _decode_fields(payload)
+        assert _field_ints(fields, 3) == [1, 2, 3]
+
+    def test_handle_ping_echoes(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        sent: list[tuple[int, bytes]] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send_msg(msg_type, payload=b""):
+            sent.append((msg_type, payload))
+
+        ping_payload = _build_ping_payload(42)
+        with patch.object(bot, "_send_msg", side_effect=_fake_send_msg):
+            asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_PING, ping_payload))
+        assert len(sent) == 1
+        assert sent[0][0] == MSG_PING
+        fields = _decode_fields(sent[0][1])
+        assert _field_int(fields, 1) == 42
+
+    def test_handle_server_sync(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        payload = (
+            _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 99)
+            + _encode_field(3, _WIRE_LEN, "Welcome!")
+        )
+        asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_SERVER_SYNC, payload))
+        assert bot._session == 99
+
+    def test_handle_channel_state(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        payload = (
+            _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 5)
+            + _encode_field(3, _WIRE_LEN, "General")
+        )
+        asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_CHANNEL_STATE, payload))
+        assert bot._channels[5] == "General"
+
+    def test_handle_channel_remove(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot._channels[5] = "General"
+        payload = _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 5)
+        asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_CHANNEL_REMOVE, payload))
+        assert 5 not in bot._channels
+
+    def test_handle_user_state(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        payload = (
+            _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 10)
+            + _encode_field(3, _WIRE_LEN, "Alice")
+            + _encode_field(5, _WIRE_VARINT, 0)
+        )
+        asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_USER_STATE, payload))
+        assert bot._users[10] == "Alice"
+        assert bot._user_channels[10] == 0
+
+    def test_handle_user_state_channel_change(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot._users[10] = "Alice"
+        bot._user_channels[10] = 0
+        # User moves to channel 5
+        payload = (
+            _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 10)
+            + _encode_field(5, _WIRE_VARINT, 5)
+        )
+        asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_USER_STATE, payload))
+        assert bot._users[10] == "Alice"  # name unchanged
+        assert bot._user_channels[10] == 5
+
+    def test_handle_user_remove(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot._users[10] = "Alice"
+        bot._user_channels[10] = 0
+        payload = _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 10)
+        asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_USER_REMOVE, payload))
+        assert 10 not in bot._users
+        assert 10 not in bot._user_channels
+
+    def test_handle_text_message_dispatch(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot._users[42] = "Alice"
+        bot.registry.register_command(
+            "echo", _echo_handler, help="echo", plugin="test")
+        payload = (
+            _encode_field(1, _WIRE_VARINT, 42)  # actor
+            + _encode_field(3, _WIRE_VARINT, 0)  # channel_id
+            + _encode_field(5, _WIRE_LEN, "!echo test")  # message
+        )
+        sent: list[str] = []
+
+        async def _fake_send(target, text):
+            sent.append(text)
+
+        with patch.object(bot, "send", side_effect=_fake_send):
+            asyncio.run(bot._handle(MSG_TEXT_MESSAGE, payload))
+        assert sent == ["test"]
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestPluginManagement
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestPluginManagement:
+    def test_load_plugin_not_found(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        ok, msg = bot.load_plugin("nonexistent_xyz")
+        assert ok is False
+        assert "not found" in msg
+
+    def test_load_plugin_already_loaded(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        bot.registry._modules["test"] = object()
+        ok, msg = bot.load_plugin("test")
+        assert ok is False
+        assert "already loaded" in msg
+
+    def test_unload_core_refused(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        ok, msg = bot.unload_plugin("core")
+        assert ok is False
+        assert "cannot unload core" in msg
+
+    def test_unload_not_loaded(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        ok, msg = bot.unload_plugin("nonexistent")
+        assert ok is False
+        assert "not loaded" in msg
+
+    def test_reload_delegates(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        ok, msg = bot.reload_plugin("nonexistent")
+        assert ok is False
+        assert "not loaded" in msg
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TestMumbleBotConfig
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMumbleBotConfig:
+    def test_prefix_from_mumble_section(self):
+        config = {
+            "mumble": {
+                "enabled": True,
+                "host": "127.0.0.1",
+                "port": 64738,
+                "username": "derp",
+                "password": "",
+                "tls_verify": False,
+                "prefix": "/",
+                "admins": [],
+                "operators": [],
+                "trusted": [],
+            },
+            "bot": {"prefix": "!", "rate_limit": 2.0, "rate_burst": 5},
+        }
+        bot = MumbleBot("test", config, PluginRegistry())
+        assert bot.prefix == "/"
+
+    def test_prefix_falls_back_to_bot(self):
+        config = {
+            "mumble": {
+                "enabled": True,
+                "host": "127.0.0.1",
+                "port": 64738,
+                "username": "derp",
+                "password": "",
+                "tls_verify": False,
+                "admins": [],
+                "operators": [],
+                "trusted": [],
+            },
+            "bot": {"prefix": "!", "rate_limit": 2.0, "rate_burst": 5},
+        }
+        bot = MumbleBot("test", config, PluginRegistry())
+        assert bot.prefix == "!"
+
+    def test_admins_coerced_to_str(self):
+        bot = _make_bot(admins=[111, 222])
+        assert bot._admins == ["111", "222"]
+
+    def test_default_port(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        assert bot._port == 64738
+
+    def test_tls_verify_default(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        assert bot._tls_verify is False
+
+    def test_nick_from_username(self):
+        bot = _make_bot()
+        assert bot.nick == "derp"