diff --git a/apps/lightcraft-cli/src/main.rs b/apps/lightcraft-cli/src/main.rs
index 63a4deb7..b6cad57e 100644
--- a/apps/lightcraft-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/apps/lightcraft-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -303,10 +303,14 @@ fn mcp(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
     while i < args.len() {
         match args[i].as_str() {
             "--connect" => {
-                // Optional address argument.
-                match args.get(i + 1).filter(|a| !a.starts_with("--") && a.contains(':')) {
+                // Optional address argument. A bare port (all digits) is taken as a port on the
+                // loopback default — matches the help's `--connect [ADDR]` hint alongside the
+                // `--control 7980` example. A non-numeric, non-`--`-prefixed token (e.g. a
+                // command id like `ui.inspect`) leaves the address at its default so the
+                // command is still consumed next. (#1178)
+                match args.get(i + 1).filter(|a| a.contains(':') || a.chars().all(|c| c.is_ascii_digit())) {
                     Some(a) => {
-                        connect = Some(a.clone());
+                        connect = Some(if a.contains(':') { a.clone() } else { format!("127.0.0.1:{a}") });
                         i += 1;
                     }
                     None => connect = Some(DEFAULT_ADDR.to_string()),
@@ -525,9 +529,9 @@ fn run(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
                 i += 1;
                 break;
             }
-            "--connect" => match args.get(i + 1).filter(|a| a.contains(':') && !a.contains('=')) {
+            "--connect" => match args.get(i + 1).filter(|a| !a.contains('=') && (a.contains(':') || a.chars().all(|c| c.is_ascii_digit()))) {
                 Some(a) => {
-                    connect = Some(a.clone());
+                    connect = Some(if a.contains(':') { a.clone() } else { format!("127.0.0.1:{a}") });
                     i += 1;
                 }
                 None => connect = Some(DEFAULT_ADDR.to_string()),
diff --git a/apps/lightcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs b/apps/lightcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
index 9aafc931..bf56b02a 100644
--- a/apps/lightcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
+++ b/apps/lightcraft-cli/tests/cli.rs
@@ -476,6 +476,28 @@ fn connect_failure_hint_names_the_attempted_port() {
     assert!(!err.contains("--control 7980"), "{err}");
 }
 
+/// Issue #1178: `--connect 7980 ui.inspect` (after `lightcraft --control 7980`) was leaving
+/// `7980` unconsumed so it parsed as a command id and produced "unknown command `7980`".
+/// A bare port is now taken as `127.0.0.1:<port>`; the same address used with `:port` still
+/// works; non-numeric, non-`ADDR`-shaped tokens (e.g. a real command id) keep falling through.
+#[test]
+fn connect_bare_port_is_treated_as_loopback_port() {
+    // Bare port: the failure hint names that port.
+    let (ok, _lines, err) = run_cli(&["--connect", "18437", "ui.inspect"], None);
+    assert!(!ok);
+    assert!(err.contains("--control 18437"), "bare port must reach the hint: {err}");
+    assert!(!err.contains("--control 7980"), "{err}");
+    // `<host>:<port>` still works (issue #167 case).
+    let (ok, _lines, err) = run_cli(&["--connect", "127.0.0.1:18437", "ui.inspect"], None);
+    assert!(!ok);
+    assert!(err.contains("--control 18437"), "{err}");
+    // `--connect=<bare-port>` already worked (the `a.starts_with("--connect=")` arm); spot-check
+    // the hint matches its port too.
+    let (ok, _lines, err) = run_cli(&["--connect=18437", "ui.inspect"], None);
+    assert!(!ok);
+    assert!(err.contains("--control 18437"), "{err}");
+}
+
 /// The CLI logs warnings on stderr (#168): with `RUST_LOG=warn` an unknown GPU backend name is
 /// reported, and `RUST_LOG=off` silences it. Before, no logger was installed and nothing appeared.
 #[test]