diff --git a/src/cultmesh-provider-client.mjs b/src/cultmesh-provider-client.mjs
index 11e3380..92fc655 100644
--- a/src/cultmesh-provider-client.mjs
+++ b/src/cultmesh-provider-client.mjs
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ function normalizeTarget(value) {
   return { providerId: String(value.providerId || ""), advertisementRecordRef: String(value.advertisementRecordRef), peerId: String(value.peerId || "provider"), verseId: String(value.verseId || "provider"), role: String(value.role || "provider"), endpoints: Array.isArray(value.endpoints) ? value.endpoints.map(String) : [] };
 }
 
-function childRecordRef(parent, child) { return `${String(parent).replace(/\/$/u, "")}/${encodeURIComponent(child)}`; }
+function childRecordRef(parent, child) { return `${String(parent).replace(/[:/]$/u, "")}:${String(child)}`; }
 function field(value, name, slot) { return value && typeof value === "object" ? (value[name] ?? value[slot]) : undefined; }
 function stringField(value, name, slot) { const result = field(value, name, slot); return typeof result === "string" ? result : ""; }
 function numberField(value, name, slot) { const result = field(value, name, slot); return typeof result === "number" && Number.isFinite(result) ? result : 0; }
diff --git a/test/cultmesh-provider-client.test.mjs b/test/cultmesh-provider-client.test.mjs
index 019fc4c..c120498 100644
--- a/test/cultmesh-provider-client.test.mjs
+++ b/test/cultmesh-provider-client.test.mjs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ const surface = ["surface-state", "gamecult.eve.surface.v1", "test-provider", "d
 
 function harness() {
   const sent = [];
-  const records = new Map([["records/provider", advertisement], ["records/world", surface], ["records/receipts/cmd-1", { state: "accepted" }]]);
+  const records = new Map([["records/provider", advertisement], ["records/world", surface], ["records/receipts:cmd-1", { state: "accepted" }]]);
   const peer = { send: message => sent.push(message), close() {}, on() {} };
   const mesh = {
     createPeerCatalog: () => ({ upsert() {} }), createAuthorityLeaseCatalog: () => ({ upsert() {} }),
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ test("follows provider-advertised record references", async () => {
 test("submits at the advertised command boundary and reads the advertised receipt", async () => {
   const { client, sent } = harness();
   const submission = await client.submitCommand({ surfaceId: "world", command: "move", commandId: "cmd-1", payload: { x: 1 } });
-  assert.equal(sent[0].document.recordKey, "records/commands/cmd-1");
+  assert.equal(sent[0].document.recordKey, "records/commands:cmd-1");
   assert.equal(sent[0].document.sourceRole, "eve-runtime");
-  assert.equal(submission.receiptRecordRef, "records/receipts/cmd-1");
+  assert.equal(submission.receiptRecordRef, "records/receipts:cmd-1");
   assert.deepEqual(await client.receipt(submission), { state: "accepted" });
 });