diff --git a/packages/common/src/index.ts b/packages/common/src/index.ts
index dd4143b0fa..7a663b6d77 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/index.ts
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ export * from "./types/TestCaseFixture";
 export * from "./util/getEnvironmentVariableStrict";
 export * from "./util/CompositeKeyDefaultMap";
 export * from "./util/toPlainObject";
-export * from "./util/useFallback";
+export * from "./util/clientSupportsFallBack";
 export * from "./scopeSupportFacets/scopeSupportFacets.types";
 export * from "./scopeSupportFacets/scopeSupportFacetInfos";
 export * from "./scopeSupportFacets/textualScopeSupportFacetInfos";
diff --git a/packages/common/src/util/useFallback.ts b/packages/common/src/util/clientSupportsFallBack.ts
similarity index 58%
rename from packages/common/src/util/useFallback.ts
rename to packages/common/src/util/clientSupportsFallBack.ts
index a293e756df..beb07f13a9 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/util/useFallback.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/util/clientSupportsFallBack.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { Command } from "../types/command/command.types";
 
-export function useFallback(command: Command): boolean {
+export function clientSupportsFallback(command: Command): boolean {
   return command.version >= 7;
 }
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/api/CursorlessEngineApi.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/api/CursorlessEngineApi.ts
index 84743fbfe5..63e4b8d591 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/api/CursorlessEngineApi.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/api/CursorlessEngineApi.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export interface CommandApi {
    * Runs a command.  This is the core of the Cursorless engine.
    * @param command The command to run
    */
-  runCommand(command: Command): Promise<CommandResponse>;
+  runCommand(command: Command): Promise<CommandResponse | unknown>;
 
   /**
    * Designed to run commands that come directly from the user.  Ensures that
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/core/commandRunner/CommandRunnerImpl.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/core/commandRunner/CommandRunnerImpl.ts
index 672b7b8a4b..9e030348d1 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/core/commandRunner/CommandRunnerImpl.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/core/commandRunner/CommandRunnerImpl.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import {
   CommandServerApi,
   DestinationDescriptor,
   PartialTargetDescriptor,
-  useFallback,
+  clientSupportsFallback,
 } from "@cursorless/common";
 import { CommandRunner } from "../../CommandRunner";
 import { ActionRecord, ActionReturnValue } from "../../actions/actions.types";
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ export class CommandRunnerImpl implements CommandRunner {
    *    it has one.
    */
   async run(command: CommandComplete): Promise<CommandResponse> {
-    if (useFallback(command)) {
+    if (clientSupportsFallback(command)) {
       const fallback = await getCommandFallback(
         this.commandServerApi,
         this.runAction,
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts
index b16bea874d..71dd1b1d4e 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/cursorlessEngine.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 import {
   Command,
-  CommandResponse,
   CommandServerApi,
   FileSystem,
   Hats,
   IDE,
   ScopeProvider,
-  useFallback,
 } from "@cursorless/common";
 import {
   CommandRunnerDecorator,
@@ -89,8 +87,7 @@ export function createCursorlessEngine(
       },
 
       async runCommandSafe(...args: unknown[]) {
-        const command = ensureCommandShape(args);
-        const response = await runCommand(
+        return runCommand(
           treeSitter,
           commandServerApi,
           debug,
@@ -100,9 +97,8 @@ export function createCursorlessEngine(
           languageDefinitions,
           rangeUpdater,
           commandRunnerDecorators,
-          command,
+          ensureCommandShape(args),
         );
-        return unwrapCommandResponse(command, response);
       },
     },
     scopeProvider: createScopeProvider(
@@ -123,19 +119,6 @@ export function createCursorlessEngine(
   };
 }
 
-async function unwrapCommandResponse(
-  command: Command,
-  response: CommandResponse,
-): Promise<CommandResponse | unknown> {
-  if (useFallback(command)) {
-    return response;
-  }
-  if ("returnValue" in response) {
-    return response.returnValue;
-  }
-  return undefined;
-}
-
 function createScopeProvider(
   languageDefinitions: LanguageDefinitions,
   storedTargets: StoredTargetMap,
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/runCommand.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/runCommand.ts
index ee42c80c10..ac1bcdc22f 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/runCommand.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/runCommand.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   CommandServerApi,
   HatTokenMap,
   ReadOnlyHatMap,
+  clientSupportsFallback,
 } from "@cursorless/common";
 import { CommandRunner } from "./CommandRunner";
 import { Actions } from "./actions/Actions";
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ export async function runCommand(
   rangeUpdater: RangeUpdater,
   commandRunnerDecorators: CommandRunnerDecorator[],
   command: Command,
-): Promise<CommandResponse> {
+): Promise<CommandResponse | unknown> {
   if (debug.active) {
     debug.log(`command:`);
     debug.log(JSON.stringify(command, null, 2));
@@ -70,7 +71,22 @@ export async function runCommand(
     commandRunner = decorator.wrapCommandRunner(readableHatMap, commandRunner);
   }
 
-  return await commandRunner.run(commandComplete);
+  const response = await commandRunner.run(commandComplete);
+
+  return await unwrapCommandResponse(command, response);
+}
+
+async function unwrapCommandResponse(
+  command: Command,
+  response: CommandResponse,
+): Promise<CommandResponse | unknown> {
+  if (clientSupportsFallback(command)) {
+    return response;
+  }
+  if ("returnValue" in response) {
+    return response.returnValue;
+  }
+  return undefined;
 }
 
 function createCommandRunner(
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-vscode-e2e/src/suite/recorded.vscode.test.ts b/packages/cursorless-vscode-e2e/src/suite/recorded.vscode.test.ts
index 4ee0d8ff6a..9158290e80 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-vscode-e2e/src/suite/recorded.vscode.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-vscode-e2e/src/suite/recorded.vscode.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import {
   TestCaseFixtureLegacy,
   TextEditor,
   TokenHat,
-  useFallback,
+  clientSupportsFallback,
 } from "@cursorless/common";
 import {
   getCursorlessApi,
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ async function runTest(file: string, spyIde: SpyIDE) {
       ...fixture.command,
       usePrePhraseSnapshot,
     });
-    if (useFallback(fixture.command)) {
+    if (clientSupportsFallback(fixture.command)) {
       const commandResponse = returnValue as CommandResponse;
       returnValue =
         "returnValue" in commandResponse