diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index e9bbf3da9..e9e5980dc 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ require (
 	codeberg.org/gruf/go-debug v1.3.0
 	codeberg.org/gruf/go-errors/v2 v2.1.1
 	codeberg.org/gruf/go-fastcopy v1.1.2
-	codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.0
+	codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.1
 	codeberg.org/gruf/go-logger/v2 v2.2.1
 	codeberg.org/gruf/go-mutexes v1.1.5
 	codeberg.org/gruf/go-runners v1.6.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index b3bac00a6..02977f1e8 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ codeberg.org/gruf/go-hashenc v1.0.2 h1:U3jH6zMXZiL96czD/qaJd8OR2h7LlBzGv/2WxnMHI
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-hashenc v1.0.2/go.mod h1:eK+A8clLcEN/m1nftNsRId0kfYDQnETnuIfBGZ8Gvsg=
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-iotools v0.0.0-20221224124424-3386841cb225 h1:tP9YvEBfADGG3mXkfrALLadlcbrZsFsWKZvFtUZtrt8=
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-iotools v0.0.0-20221224124424-3386841cb225/go.mod h1:B8uq4yHtIcKXhBZT9C/SYisz25lldLHMVpwZPz4ADLQ=
-codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.0 h1:mCsERVt1Izsb0ZB7r7y/I6J/5sQhuL2Gmh/SqHWBJUY=
-codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.0/go.mod h1:O/YkSvKiS9XsRolM3rqCd9YJmND7dAXu9z+PrlYO4bc=
+codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.1 h1:HsCZEy0zfGq1oFGOEOO2qnpooiGefCZBbcUpa3KdXn8=
+codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.1/go.mod h1:O/YkSvKiS9XsRolM3rqCd9YJmND7dAXu9z+PrlYO4bc=
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-logger/v2 v2.2.1 h1:RP2u059EQKTBFV3cN8X6xDxNk2RkzqdgXGKflKqB7Oc=
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-logger/v2 v2.2.1/go.mod h1:m/vBfG5jNUmYXI8Hg9aVSk7Pn8YgEBITQB/B/CzdRss=
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-mangler v1.2.3 h1:sj0dey2lF5GRQL7fXmCY0wPNaI5JrROiThb0VDbzF8A=
diff --git a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field.go b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field.go
index 79c43822a..06c2b2573 100644
--- a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field.go
+++ b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field.go
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ type Field struct {
 // Key returns the formatted key string of this Field.
 func (f Field) Key() string {
 	buf := byteutil.Buffer{B: make([]byte, 0, bufsize/2)}
-	AppendQuote(&buf, f.K)
+	AppendQuoteString(&buf, f.K)
 	return buf.String()
 }
 
diff --git a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_fmt.go b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_fmt.go
index 33cec482b..5d6e77f4b 100644
--- a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_fmt.go
+++ b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_fmt.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func (f Field) AppendFormat(buf *byteutil.Buffer, vbose bool) {
 	} else /* regular */ {
 		fmtstr = `%+v`
 	}
-	AppendQuote(buf, f.K)
+	AppendQuoteString(buf, f.K)
 	buf.WriteByte('=')
 	appendValuef(buf, fmtstr, f.V)
 }
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func appendValuef(buf *byteutil.Buffer, format string, args ...interface{}) {
 	fmtbuf.B = fmt.Appendf(fmtbuf.B, format, args...)
 
 	// Append quoted value to dst buffer
-	AppendQuote(buf, fmtbuf.String())
+	AppendQuoteValue(buf, fmtbuf.String())
 
 	// Drop overly large capacity buffers
 	if fmtbuf.Cap() > int(^uint16(0)) {
diff --git a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_format.go b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_format.go
index 18f35a6b9..f27c28ebd 100644
--- a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_format.go
+++ b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/field_format.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ func (f Field) AppendFormat(buf *byteutil.Buffer, vbose bool) {
 	} else /* regular */ {
 		fmtstr = "{:v}"
 	}
-	AppendQuote(buf, f.K)
+	AppendQuoteString(buf, f.K)
 	buf.WriteByte('=')
 	format.Appendf(buf, fmtstr, f.V)
 }
diff --git a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/util.go b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/util.go
index dfd91ad9d..ebcd3e304 100644
--- a/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/util.go
+++ b/vendor/codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/util.go
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ import (
 	"codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/format"
 )
 
-// AppendQuote will append (and escape/quote where necessary) a formatted field string.
-func AppendQuote(buf *byteutil.Buffer, str string) {
+// AppendQuoteString will append (and escape/quote where necessary) a field string.
+func AppendQuoteString(buf *byteutil.Buffer, str string) {
 	switch {
 	case len(str) == 0:
 		// Append empty quotes.
@@ -27,7 +27,52 @@ func AppendQuote(buf *byteutil.Buffer, str string) {
 		return
 
 	case !isQuoted(str):
-		// Single/double quoted already.
+		// Not single/double quoted already.
+
+		if format.ContainsSpaceOrTab(str) {
+			// Quote un-enclosed spaces.
+			buf.B = append(buf.B, '"')
+			buf.B = append(buf.B, str...)
+			buf.B = append(buf.B, '"')
+			return
+		}
+
+		if format.ContainsDoubleQuote(str) {
+			// Contains double quote, double quote
+			// and append escaped existing.
+			buf.B = append(buf.B, '"')
+			buf.B = format.AppendEscape(buf.B, str)
+			buf.B = append(buf.B, '"')
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Double quoted, enclosed in braces, or
+	// literally anything else: append as-is.
+	buf.B = append(buf.B, str...)
+	return
+}
+
+// AppendQuoteValue will append (and escape/quote where necessary) a formatted value string.
+func AppendQuoteValue(buf *byteutil.Buffer, str string) {
+	switch {
+	case len(str) == 0:
+		// Append empty quotes.
+		buf.B = append(buf.B, `""`...)
+		return
+
+	case len(str) == 1:
+		// Append quote single byte.
+		appendQuoteByte(buf, str[0])
+		return
+
+	case len(str) > format.SingleTermLine || !format.IsSafeASCII(str):
+		// Long line or contains non-ascii chars.
+		buf.B = strconv.AppendQuote(buf.B, str)
+		return
+
+	case !isQuoted(str):
+		// Not single/double quoted already.
 
 		// Get space / tab indices (if any).
 		s := strings.IndexByte(str, ' ')
diff --git a/vendor/modules.txt b/vendor/modules.txt
index 63047cbbc..7aa4b6a46 100644
--- a/vendor/modules.txt
+++ b/vendor/modules.txt
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ codeberg.org/gruf/go-hashenc
 # codeberg.org/gruf/go-iotools v0.0.0-20221224124424-3386841cb225
 ## explicit; go 1.19
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-iotools
-# codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.0
+# codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv v1.6.1
 ## explicit; go 1.19
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv
 codeberg.org/gruf/go-kv/format