diff --git a/e2e/playwright/fixtures/cmdBarFixture.ts b/e2e/playwright/fixtures/cmdBarFixture.ts
index d21ed6908..0b88f4e68 100644
--- a/e2e/playwright/fixtures/cmdBarFixture.ts
+++ b/e2e/playwright/fixtures/cmdBarFixture.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ export class CmdBarFixture {
   private _serialiseCmdBar = async (): Promise<CmdBarSerialised> => {
     if (!(await this.page.getByTestId('command-bar-wrapper').isVisible())) {
       return { stage: 'commandBarClosed' }
+    } else if (await this.page.getByTestId('cmd-bar-search').isVisible()) {
+      return { stage: 'pickCommand' }
     }
     const reviewForm = this.page.locator('#review-form')
     const getHeaderArgs = async () => {
diff --git a/e2e/playwright/point-click.spec.ts b/e2e/playwright/point-click.spec.ts
index 5f67b20de..1e0afb78a 100644
--- a/e2e/playwright/point-click.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/playwright/point-click.spec.ts
@@ -2877,23 +2877,41 @@ extrude001 = extrude(profile001, length = 100)
       shapeColor: [number, number, number]
     ) {
       await toolbar.openPane('feature-tree')
-      const operationButton = await toolbar.getFeatureTreeOperation(
-        'Extrude',
-        0
-      )
-      await operationButton.click({ button: 'right' })
-      const menuButton = page.getByTestId('context-menu-set-appearance')
-      await menuButton.click()
-      await cmdBar.expectState({
-        commandName: 'Appearance',
-        currentArgKey: 'color',
-        currentArgValue: '',
-        headerArguments: {
-          Color: '',
-        },
-        highlightedHeaderArg: 'color',
-        stage: 'arguments',
+      const enterAppearanceFlow = async (stepName: string) =>
+        test.step(stepName, async () => {
+          const operationButton = await toolbar.getFeatureTreeOperation(
+            'Extrude',
+            0
+          )
+          await operationButton.click({ button: 'right' })
+          const menuButton = page.getByTestId('context-menu-set-appearance')
+          await menuButton.click()
+          await cmdBar.expectState({
+            commandName: 'Appearance',
+            currentArgKey: 'color',
+            currentArgValue: '',
+            headerArguments: {
+              Color: '',
+            },
+            highlightedHeaderArg: 'color',
+            stage: 'arguments',
+          })
+        })
+
+      await enterAppearanceFlow(`Open Set Appearance flow`)
+
+      await test.step(`Validate hidden argument "nodeToEdit" can't be reached with Backspace`, async () => {
+        await page.keyboard.press('Backspace')
+        await cmdBar.expectState({
+          stage: 'pickCommand',
+        })
+        await page.keyboard.press('Escape')
+        await cmdBar.expectState({
+          stage: 'commandBarClosed',
+        })
       })
+
+      await enterAppearanceFlow(`Restart Appearance flow`)
       const item = page.getByText(option, { exact: true })
       await item.click()
       await cmdBar.expectState({
diff --git a/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBar.tsx b/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBar.tsx
index 93fd576d4..23589c46e 100644
--- a/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBar.tsx
+++ b/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBar.tsx
@@ -43,9 +43,10 @@ export const CommandBar = () => {
       if (commandBarState.matches('Review')) {
         const entries = Object.entries(selectedCommand?.args || {}).filter(
           ([_, argConfig]) =>
-            typeof argConfig.required === 'function'
+            !argConfig.hidden &&
+            (typeof argConfig.required === 'function'
               ? argConfig.required(commandBarState.context)
-              : argConfig.required
+              : argConfig.required)
         )
 
         const currentArgName = entries[entries.length - 1][0]
@@ -64,7 +65,9 @@ export const CommandBar = () => {
         commandBarActor.send({ type: 'Deselect command' })
       }
     } else {
-      const entries = Object.entries(selectedCommand?.args || {})
+      const entries = Object.entries(selectedCommand?.args || {}).filter(
+        (a) => !a[1].hidden
+      )
       const index = entries.findIndex(
         ([key, _]) => key === currentArgument.name
       )
diff --git a/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBarHeader.tsx b/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBarHeader.tsx
index 1fe4ebb8a..f02f82a25 100644
--- a/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBarHeader.tsx
+++ b/src/components/CommandBar/CommandBarHeader.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { CustomIcon } from '../CustomIcon'
-import React, { useState } from 'react'
+import React, { useMemo, useState } from 'react'
 import { ActionButton } from '../ActionButton'
 import { Selections, getSelectionTypeDisplayText } from 'lib/selections'
 import { useHotkeys } from 'react-hotkeys-hook'
@@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ function CommandBarHeader({ children }: React.PropsWithChildren<{}>) {
   const {
     context: { selectedCommand, currentArgument, argumentsToSubmit },
   } = commandBarState
+  const nonHiddenArgs = useMemo(() => {
+    if (!selectedCommand?.args) return undefined
+    const s = { ...selectedCommand.args }
+    for (const [name, arg] of Object.entries(s)) {
+      if (arg.hidden) delete s[name]
+    }
+    return s
+  }, [selectedCommand])
   const isReviewing = commandBarState.matches('Review')
   const [showShortcuts, setShowShortcuts] = useState(false)
 
@@ -43,11 +51,9 @@ function CommandBarHeader({ children }: React.PropsWithChildren<{}>) {
     ],
     (_, b) => {
       if (b.keys && !Number.isNaN(parseInt(b.keys[0], 10))) {
-        if (!selectedCommand?.args) return
-        const argName = Object.keys(selectedCommand.args)[
-          parseInt(b.keys[0], 10) - 1
-        ]
-        const arg = selectedCommand?.args[argName]
+        if (!nonHiddenArgs) return
+        const argName = Object.keys(nonHiddenArgs)[parseInt(b.keys[0], 10) - 1]
+        const arg = nonHiddenArgs[argName]
         if (!argName || !arg) return
         commandBarActor.send({
           type: 'Change current argument',
@@ -78,7 +84,7 @@ function CommandBarHeader({ children }: React.PropsWithChildren<{}>) {
                 {selectedCommand.displayName || selectedCommand.name}
               </span>
             </p>
-            {Object.entries(selectedCommand?.args || {})
+            {Object.entries(nonHiddenArgs || {})
               .filter(([_, argConfig]) =>
                 typeof argConfig.required === 'function'
                   ? argConfig.required(commandBarState.context)
diff --git a/src/lib/commandBarConfigs/modelingCommandConfig.ts b/src/lib/commandBarConfigs/modelingCommandConfig.ts
index a9f0d54e3..191ea0b41 100644
--- a/src/lib/commandBarConfigs/modelingCommandConfig.ts
+++ b/src/lib/commandBarConfigs/modelingCommandConfig.ts
@@ -311,6 +311,7 @@ export const modelingMachineCommandConfig: StateMachineCommandSetConfig<
         skip: true,
         inputType: 'text',
         required: false,
+        hidden: true,
       },
       selection: {
         inputType: 'selection',
@@ -454,6 +455,7 @@ export const modelingMachineCommandConfig: StateMachineCommandSetConfig<
         skip: true,
         inputType: 'text',
         required: false,
+        hidden: true,
       },
       plane: {
         inputType: 'selection',
@@ -481,6 +483,7 @@ export const modelingMachineCommandConfig: StateMachineCommandSetConfig<
         skip: true,
         inputType: 'text',
         required: false,
+        hidden: true,
       },
       revolutions: {
         inputType: 'kcl',
@@ -702,6 +705,7 @@ export const modelingMachineCommandConfig: StateMachineCommandSetConfig<
         skip: true,
         inputType: 'text',
         required: false,
+        hidden: true,
       },
       color: {
         inputType: 'options',
diff --git a/src/lib/commandTypes.ts b/src/lib/commandTypes.ts
index 0bb8ee579..791f78d23 100644
--- a/src/lib/commandTypes.ts
+++ b/src/lib/commandTypes.ts
@@ -119,6 +119,8 @@ export type CommandArgumentConfig<
         machineContext?: C
       ) => boolean)
   warningMessage?: string
+  /** If `true`, arg is used as passed-through data, never for user input */
+  hidden?: boolean
   skip?: boolean
   /** For showing a summary display of the current value, such as in
    *  the command bar's header
@@ -233,6 +235,8 @@ export type CommandArgument<
         commandBarContext: { argumentsToSubmit: Record<string, unknown> }, // Should be the commandbarMachine's context, but it creates a circular dependency
         machineContext?: ContextFrom<T>
       ) => boolean)
+  /** If `true`, arg is used as passed-through data, never for user input */
+  hidden?: boolean
   skip?: boolean
   machineActor?: Actor<T>
   warningMessage?: string
diff --git a/src/lib/createMachineCommand.ts b/src/lib/createMachineCommand.ts
index c89cdd448..2e3fdaa24 100644
--- a/src/lib/createMachineCommand.ts
+++ b/src/lib/createMachineCommand.ts
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ export function buildCommandArgument<
   const baseCommandArgument = {
     description: arg.description,
     required: arg.required,
+    hidden: arg.hidden,
     skip: arg.skip,
     machineActor,
     valueSummary: arg.valueSummary,
diff --git a/src/machines/commandBarMachine.ts b/src/machines/commandBarMachine.ts
index 95e91600b..aa6673ce8 100644
--- a/src/machines/commandBarMachine.ts
+++ b/src/machines/commandBarMachine.ts
@@ -132,14 +132,15 @@ export const commandBarMachine = setup({
 
         // Find the first argument that is not to be skipped:
         // that is, the first argument that is not already in the argumentsToSubmit
-        // or that is not undefined, or that is not marked as "skippable".
+        // or hidden, or that is not undefined, or that is not marked as "skippable".
         // TODO validate the type of the existing arguments
+        const nonHiddenArgs = Object.entries(selectedCommand.args).filter(
+          (a) => !a[1].hidden
+        )
         let argIndex = 0
 
-        while (argIndex < Object.keys(selectedCommand.args).length) {
-          const [argName, argConfig] = Object.entries(selectedCommand.args)[
-            argIndex
-          ]
+        while (argIndex < nonHiddenArgs.length) {
+          const [argName, argConfig] = nonHiddenArgs[argIndex]
           const argIsRequired =
             typeof argConfig.required === 'function'
               ? argConfig.required(context)
@@ -155,7 +156,7 @@ export const commandBarMachine = setup({
 
           if (
             mustNotSkipArg === true ||
-            argIndex + 1 === Object.keys(selectedCommand.args).length
+            argIndex + 1 === Object.keys(nonHiddenArgs).length
           ) {
             // If we have reached the end of the arguments and none are skippable,
             // return the last argument.
@@ -259,7 +260,7 @@ export const commandBarMachine = setup({
     },
     'All arguments are skippable': ({ context }) => {
       return Object.values(context.selectedCommand!.args!).every(
-        (argConfig) => argConfig.skip
+        (argConfig) => argConfig.skip || argConfig.hidden
       )
     },
     'Has selected command': ({ context }) => !!context.selectedCommand,