diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index da515ed..9daf9b1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ bird replies 1234567890123456789
 # Search + mentions
 bird search "from:steipete" -n 5
 bird mentions -n 5
+bird mentions --user @steipete -n 5
 ```
 
 ## Commands
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ bird mentions -n 5
 - `bird replies <tweet-id-or-url> [--json]` — list replies to a tweet.
 - `bird thread <tweet-id-or-url> [--json]` — show the full conversation thread.
 - `bird search "<query>" [-n count] [--json]` — search for tweets matching a query.
-- `bird mentions [-n count] [--json]` — find tweets mentioning @clawdbot.
+- `bird mentions [-n count] [--user @handle] [--json]` — find tweets mentioning a user (defaults to the authenticated user).
 - `bird whoami` — print which Twitter account your cookies belong to.
 - `bird check` — show which credentials are available and where they were sourced from.
 
@@ -92,6 +93,10 @@ Environment shortcuts:
 - `--json` prints raw tweet objects for read/replies/thread/search/mentions.
 - `read` returns full text for Notes and Articles when present.
 
+## Version
+
+`bird --version` prints `package.json` version plus current git sha when available, e.g. `0.1.1 (3df7969b)`.
+
 ## Media uploads (Sweetistics only)
 
 - Attach media with `--media` (repeatable) and optional `--alt` per item.
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index bec5c41..dec6ef4 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { resolveCliInvocation } from './lib/cli-args.js';
 import { resolveCredentials } from './lib/cookies.js';
 import { type EngineMode, resolveEngineMode, shouldUseSweetistics } from './lib/engine.js';
 import { extractTweetId } from './lib/extract-tweet-id.js';
-import { normalizeHandle } from './lib/normalize-handle.js';
+import { mentionsQueryFromUserOption, normalizeHandle } from './lib/normalize-handle.js';
 import { SweetisticsClient } from './lib/sweetistics-client.js';
 import { type TweetData, TwitterClient } from './lib/twitter-client.js';
 import { getCliVersion } from './lib/version.js';
@@ -817,8 +817,13 @@ program
     const engine = resolveEngineMode(opts.engine);
     const useSweetistics = shouldUseSweetistics(engine, Boolean(sweetistics.apiKey));
 
-    const explicitHandle = normalizeHandle(cmdOpts.user);
-    let query: string | null = explicitHandle ? `@${explicitHandle}` : null;
+    const fromUserOpt = mentionsQueryFromUserOption(cmdOpts.user);
+    if (fromUserOpt.error) {
+      console.error(`❌ ${fromUserOpt.error}`);
+      process.exit(2);
+    }
+
+    let query: string | null = fromUserOpt.query;
 
     if (useSweetistics) {
       if (!sweetistics.apiKey) {
diff --git a/src/lib/normalize-handle.ts b/src/lib/normalize-handle.ts
index f093399..2d6572e 100644
--- a/src/lib/normalize-handle.ts
+++ b/src/lib/normalize-handle.ts
@@ -11,3 +11,20 @@ export function normalizeHandle(input?: string | null): string | null {
 
   return handle;
 }
+
+export function mentionsQueryFromUserOption(userOption?: string | null): {
+  query: string | null;
+  error: string | null;
+} {
+  if (typeof userOption === 'undefined') return { query: null, error: null };
+
+  const handle = normalizeHandle(userOption);
+  if (!handle) {
+    return {
+      query: null,
+      error: 'Invalid --user handle. Expected something like @steipete (letters, digits, underscore; max 15).',
+    };
+  }
+
+  return { query: `@${handle}`, error: null };
+}
diff --git a/tests/normalize-handle.test.ts b/tests/normalize-handle.test.ts
index 31d48b4..89de4a6 100644
--- a/tests/normalize-handle.test.ts
+++ b/tests/normalize-handle.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { normalizeHandle } from '../src/lib/normalize-handle.js';
+import { mentionsQueryFromUserOption, normalizeHandle } from '../src/lib/normalize-handle.js';
 
 describe('normalizeHandle', () => {
   it('accepts bare handle', () => {
@@ -22,3 +22,20 @@ describe('normalizeHandle', () => {
     expect(normalizeHandle('a'.repeat(16))).toBeNull();
   });
 });
+
+describe('mentionsQueryFromUserOption', () => {
+  it('returns null query when option omitted', () => {
+    expect(mentionsQueryFromUserOption(undefined)).toEqual({ query: null, error: null });
+  });
+
+  it('returns normalized @query for valid handle', () => {
+    expect(mentionsQueryFromUserOption('@steipete')).toEqual({ query: '@steipete', error: null });
+    expect(mentionsQueryFromUserOption(' steipete ')).toEqual({ query: '@steipete', error: null });
+  });
+
+  it('returns error for invalid handle', () => {
+    const result = mentionsQueryFromUserOption('@stei-pete');
+    expect(result.query).toBeNull();
+    expect(result.error).toMatch(/Invalid --user handle/);
+  });
+});