diff --git a/nodes/core/core/75-exec.html b/nodes/core/core/75-exec.html
index 2336c021b..8123163c2 100644
--- a/nodes/core/core/75-exec.html
+++ b/nodes/core/core/75-exec.html
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
         <label for="node-input-name"><i class="icon-tag"></i> Name</label>
         <input type="text" id="node-input-name" placeholder="Name">
     </div>
+    <div class="form-tips">Tip: <i>spawn</i> expects only one command word - and appended args to be comma separated.</div>
 </script>
 
 <script type="text/x-red" data-help-name="exec">
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@
     <p>Provides 3 outputs... stdout, stderr, and return code.</p>
     <p>By default uses exec() which calls the command, blocks while waiting for completion, and then returns the complete result in one go, along with any errors.</p>
     <p>Optionally can use spawn() instead, which returns output from stdout and stderr as the command runs (ie one line at a time). On completion it then returns a return code (on the 3rd output).</p>
+    <p>Spawn only expect one command word, with all extra parameters to be comma separated and passed as the append.</p>
     <p>The optional append gets added to the command after the <b>msg.payload</b> - so you can do things like pipe the result to another command.</p>
 </script>
 
diff --git a/nodes/core/core/75-exec.js b/nodes/core/core/75-exec.js
index dd806df6a..eb6834e49 100644
--- a/nodes/core/core/75-exec.js
+++ b/nodes/core/core/75-exec.js
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ var exec = require('child_process').exec;
 
 function ExecNode(n) {
     RED.nodes.createNode(this,n);
-    this.cmd = n.command;
-    this.append = n.append || "";
+    this.cmd = n.command.trim();
+    this.append = n.append.trim() || "";
     this.useSpawn = n.useSpawn;
 
     var node = this;
@@ -32,25 +32,30 @@ function ExecNode(n) {
             if (this.useSpawn == true) {
                 // make the extra args into an array
                 // then prepend with the msg.payload
-                var arg = node.append.split(",");
-                if (msg.payload != " ") { arg.unshift(msg.payload); }
-                node.log(node.cmd+" "+arg);
-                var ex = spawn(node.cmd,arg);
-                ex.stdout.on('data', function (data) {
-                    //console.log('[exec] stdout: ' + data);
-                    msg.payload = data;
-                    node.send([msg,null,null]);
-                });
-                ex.stderr.on('data', function (data) {
-                    //console.log('[exec] stderr: ' + data);
-                    msg.payload = data;
-                    node.send([null,msg,null]);
-                });
-                ex.on('close', function (code) {
-                    //console.log('[exec] result: ' + code);
-                    msg.payload = code;
-                    node.send([null,null,msg]);
-                });
+                if (typeof(msg.payload !== "string")) { msg.payload = msg.payload.toString(); }
+                var arg = [];
+                if (node.append.length > 0) { arg = node.append.split(","); }
+                if (msg.payload.trim() != "") { arg.unshift(msg.payload); }
+                node.log(node.cmd+" ["+arg+"]");
+                if (node.cmd.indexOf(" ") == -1) {
+                    var ex = spawn(node.cmd,arg);
+                    ex.stdout.on('data', function (data) {
+                        //console.log('[exec] stdout: ' + data);
+                        msg.payload = data.toString();
+                        node.send([msg,null,null]);
+                    });
+                    ex.stderr.on('data', function (data) {
+                        //console.log('[exec] stderr: ' + data);
+                        msg.payload = data.toString();
+                        node.send([null,msg,null]);
+                    });
+                    ex.on('close', function (code) {
+                        //console.log('[exec] result: ' + code);
+                        msg.payload = code;
+                        node.send([null,null,msg]);
+                    });
+                }
+                else { node.error("Spawn command must be just the command - no spaces or extra parameters"); }
             }
 
             else {