diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 389b0c9..0cf4967 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [tool.poetry]
 name = "vban-cmd"
-version = "2.4.5"
+version = "2.4.6"
 description = "Python interface for the VBAN RT Packet Service (Sendtext)"
 authors = ["onyx-and-iris <code@onyxandiris.online>"]
 license = "MIT"
diff --git a/tests/banana.svg b/tests/banana.svg
index 9b71f92..08a8acd 100644
--- a/tests/banana.svg
+++ b/tests/banana.svg
@@ -1 +1 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="60" height="20" role="img" aria-label="tests: 48"><title>tests: 48</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="60" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="37" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="37" width="23" height="20" fill="#4c1"/><rect width="60" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="195" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="270">tests</text><text x="195" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="270">tests</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="475" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="130">48</text><text x="475" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="130">48</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="60" height="20" role="img" aria-label="tests: 49"><title>tests: 49</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="60" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="37" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="37" width="23" height="20" fill="#4c1"/><rect width="60" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="195" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="270">tests</text><text x="195" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="270">tests</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="475" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="130">49</text><text x="475" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="130">49</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/basic.svg b/tests/basic.svg
index 093e718..9ecc2fa 100644
--- a/tests/basic.svg
+++ b/tests/basic.svg
@@ -1 +1 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="60" height="20" role="img" aria-label="tests: 50"><title>tests: 50</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="60" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="37" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="37" width="23" height="20" fill="#4c1"/><rect width="60" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="195" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="270">tests</text><text x="195" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="270">tests</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="475" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="130">50</text><text x="475" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="130">50</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="60" height="20" role="img" aria-label="tests: 51"><title>tests: 51</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="60" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="37" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="37" width="23" height="20" fill="#4c1"/><rect width="60" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="195" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="270">tests</text><text x="195" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="270">tests</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="475" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="130">51</text><text x="475" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="130">51</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/potato.svg b/tests/potato.svg
index 0eebed9..7300e06 100644
--- a/tests/potato.svg
+++ b/tests/potato.svg
@@ -1 +1 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="60" height="20" role="img" aria-label="tests: 58"><title>tests: 58</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="60" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="37" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="37" width="23" height="20" fill="#4c1"/><rect width="60" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="195" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="270">tests</text><text x="195" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="270">tests</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="475" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="130">58</text><text x="475" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="130">58</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="60" height="20" role="img" aria-label="tests: 59"><title>tests: 59</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="60" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="37" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="37" width="23" height="20" fill="#4c1"/><rect width="60" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="195" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="270">tests</text><text x="195" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="270">tests</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="475" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="130">59</text><text x="475" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="130">59</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_errors.py b/tests/test_errors.py
index 90e6643..4090f36 100644
--- a/tests/test_errors.py
+++ b/tests/test_errors.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ class TestErrors:
         ):
             vban_cmd.api("unknown_kind")
 
-    def test_it_tests_an_invalid_config(self):
+    def test_it_tests_an_unknown_config_name(self):
         EXPECTED_MSG = (
             f"No config with name 'unknown' is loaded into memory",
             f"Known configs: {list(vban.configs.keys())}",
@@ -24,3 +24,13 @@ class TestErrors:
 
         e = exc_info.value
         assert e.message == "\n".join(EXPECTED_MSG)
+
+    def test_it_tests_an_invalid_config_key(self):
+        CONFIG = {
+            "strip-0": {"A1": True, "B1": True, "gain": -6.0},
+            "bus-0": {"mute": True, "eq": {"on": True}},
+            "unknown-0": {"state": True},
+            "vban-out-1": {"name": "streamname"},
+        }
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="invalid config key 'unknown'"):
+            vban.apply(CONFIG)
diff --git a/vban_cmd/vbancmd.py b/vban_cmd/vbancmd.py
index 9f26d52..73e9fbd 100644
--- a/vban_cmd/vbancmd.py
+++ b/vban_cmd/vbancmd.py
@@ -182,16 +182,23 @@ class VbanCmd(metaclass=ABCMeta):
         minor delay between each recursion
         """
 
-        def param(key):
-            obj, m2, *rem = key.split("-")
-            index = int(m2) if m2.isnumeric() else int(*rem)
-            if obj in ("strip", "bus", "button"):
-                return getattr(self, obj)[index]
-            elif obj == "vban":
-                return getattr(getattr(self, obj), f"{m2}stream")[index]
-            raise ValueError(obj)
+        def target(key):
+            kls, m2, *rem = key.split("-")
+            match kls:
+                case "strip" | "bus" | "button":
+                    index = m2
+                    target = getattr(self, kls)
+                case "vban":
+                    dir = f"{m2.rstrip('stream')}stream"
+                    index = rem[0]
+                    target = getattr(self.vban, dir)
+                case _:
+                    ERR_MSG = f"invalid config key '{kls}'"
+                    self.logger.error(ERR_MSG)
+                    raise ValueError(ERR_MSG)
+            return target[int(index)]
 
-        [param(key).apply(datum).then_wait() for key, datum in data.items()]
+        [target(key).apply(di).then_wait() for key, di in data.items()]
 
     def apply_config(self, name):
         """applies a config from memory"""