diff --git a/src/cmdforge/gui/dialogs/step_dialog.py b/src/cmdforge/gui/dialogs/step_dialog.py
index 7e453ad..c50e70a 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/gui/dialogs/step_dialog.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/gui/dialogs/step_dialog.py
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ class CodeStepDialog(QDialog):
     def __init__(self, parent, step: CodeStep = None, available_vars: list = None):
         super().__init__(parent)
         self.setWindowTitle("Edit Code Step" if step else "Add Code Step")
-        self.setMinimumSize(900, 600)
+        self.setMinimumSize(900, 750)
         self._step = step
         self._available_vars = available_vars or ["input"]
         self._worker = None
@@ -254,16 +254,30 @@ class CodeStepDialog(QDialog):
         provider_layout.addStretch()
         ai_layout.addLayout(provider_layout)
 
-        # Prompt editor
-        prompt_label = QLabel("Describe what you want the code to do:")
-        ai_layout.addWidget(prompt_label)
+        # User instruction input (always visible)
+        instruction_label = QLabel("Describe what you want the code to do:")
+        ai_layout.addWidget(instruction_label)
 
-        self.ai_prompt_input = QPlainTextEdit()
-        self.ai_prompt_input.setPlaceholderText(
+        self.user_instruction_input = QPlainTextEdit()
+        self.user_instruction_input.setPlaceholderText(
             "Example: Parse the input as JSON and extract the 'name' field"
         )
-        # Set default prompt template
+        self.user_instruction_input.setMaximumHeight(100)
+        ai_layout.addWidget(self.user_instruction_input, 1)
+
+        # Collapsible prompt wrapper section
+        self.wrapper_toggle = QPushButton("Edit prompt wrapper ▶")
+        self.wrapper_toggle.setFlat(True)
+        self.wrapper_toggle.setStyleSheet(
+            "QPushButton { color: #4a5568; font-size: 12px; text-align: left; "
+            "padding: 2px 0; } QPushButton:hover { color: #2d3748; }"
+        )
+        self.wrapper_toggle.clicked.connect(self._toggle_wrapper)
+        ai_layout.addWidget(self.wrapper_toggle)
+
+        self.ai_prompt_input = QPlainTextEdit()
         self._set_default_prompt()
+        self.ai_prompt_input.hide()
         ai_layout.addWidget(self.ai_prompt_input, 2)
 
         # Generate button
@@ -306,6 +320,15 @@ class CodeStepDialog(QDialog):
 
         layout.addLayout(buttons)
 
+    def _toggle_wrapper(self):
+        """Toggle visibility of the prompt wrapper editor."""
+        if self.ai_prompt_input.isVisible():
+            self.ai_prompt_input.hide()
+            self.wrapper_toggle.setText("Edit prompt wrapper ▶")
+        else:
+            self.ai_prompt_input.show()
+            self.wrapper_toggle.setText("Edit prompt wrapper ▼")
+
     def _set_default_prompt(self):
         """Set the default AI prompt template."""
         vars_formatted = ', '.join(f'"{{{v}}}"' for v in self._available_vars)
@@ -317,7 +340,7 @@ Example:
 my_var = \"\"\"{{input}}\"\"\"
 result = my_var.upper()
 
-INSTRUCTION: [Describe what you want the code to do]
+INSTRUCTION: {{user_instruction}}
 
 CURRENT CODE:
 {{code}}
@@ -329,14 +352,20 @@ IMPORTANT: Return ONLY executable inline Python code. No function definitions, n
 
     def _generate_code(self):
         """Generate code using AI."""
-        prompt_template = self.ai_prompt_input.toPlainText().strip()
-        if not prompt_template:
-            self.ai_output.setHtml("<span style='color: #e53e3e;'>Please enter a prompt</span>")
+        user_instruction = self.user_instruction_input.toPlainText().strip()
+        if not user_instruction:
+            self.ai_output.setHtml("<span style='color: #e53e3e;'>Please describe what you want the code to do</span>")
             return
 
-        # Replace {code} placeholder with current code
+        prompt_template = self.ai_prompt_input.toPlainText().strip()
+        if not prompt_template:
+            self.ai_output.setHtml("<span style='color: #e53e3e;'>Prompt wrapper is empty</span>")
+            return
+
+        # Inject user instruction and current code into the wrapper
         current_code = self.code_input.toPlainText().strip() or "# No code yet"
-        prompt = prompt_template.replace("{code}", current_code)
+        prompt = prompt_template.replace("{user_instruction}", user_instruction)
+        prompt = prompt.replace("{code}", current_code)
 
         provider = self.ai_provider_combo.currentText()
 
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/gui/pages/registry_page.py b/src/cmdforge/gui/pages/registry_page.py
index 574039f..1c3f68b 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/gui/pages/registry_page.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/gui/pages/registry_page.py
@@ -14,17 +14,24 @@ from ...config import load_config
 from ...tool import list_tools, load_tool, get_all_categories
 
 
+# Sort fields that should default to ascending order
+ASC_SORTS = {"name", "owner"}
+
+
 class SearchWorker(QThread):
     """Background worker for registry search."""
     finished = Signal(object)  # PaginatedResponse
     error = Signal(str)
 
     def __init__(self, query: str = "", category: str = None, sort: str = "downloads",
+                 order: str = "desc", prefix: str = None,
                  tags: list = None, page: int = 1, per_page: int = 20):
         super().__init__()
         self.query = query
         self.category = category
         self.sort = sort
+        self.order = order
+        self.prefix = prefix
         self.tags = tags
         self.page = page
         self.per_page = per_page
@@ -40,7 +47,9 @@ class SearchWorker(QThread):
                     category=category,
                     page=self.page,
                     per_page=self.per_page,
-                    sort=self.sort
+                    sort=self.sort,
+                    order=self.order,
+                    prefix=self.prefix
                 )
             else:
                 result = client.search_tools(
@@ -50,6 +59,8 @@ class SearchWorker(QThread):
                     page=self.page,
                     per_page=self.per_page,
                     sort=self.sort,
+                    order=self.order,
+                    prefix=self.prefix,
                     include_facets=True
                 )
             self.finished.emit(result)
@@ -111,6 +122,7 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
         self._current_page = 1
         self._total_pages = 1
         self._current_tags = []
+        self._current_prefix = None  # Active letter filter (None = no filter)
         self._installed_tools = {}  # name -> version
         self._setup_ui()
 
@@ -152,8 +164,11 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
         cat_label = QLabel("Category:")
         filters_layout.addWidget(cat_label)
         self.category_combo = QComboBox()
+        self.category_combo.setEditable(True)
+        self.category_combo.lineEdit().setReadOnly(True)
         self.category_combo.addItems(["All"] + get_all_categories())
         self.category_combo.setMinimumWidth(100)
+        self.category_combo.setMinimumHeight(28)
         self.category_combo.setToolTip("Filter by tool category")
         self.category_combo.currentTextChanged.connect(self._on_filter_changed)
         filters_layout.addWidget(self.category_combo)
@@ -162,12 +177,17 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
         sort_label = QLabel("Sort:")
         filters_layout.addWidget(sort_label)
         self.sort_combo = QComboBox()
+        self.sort_combo.setEditable(True)
+        self.sort_combo.lineEdit().setReadOnly(True)
         self.sort_combo.addItem("Most Popular", "downloads")
         self.sort_combo.addItem("Newest", "published_at")
         self.sort_combo.addItem("Name (A-Z)", "name")
+        self.sort_combo.addItem("Owner", "owner")
+        self.sort_combo.addItem("Rating", "average_rating")
         self.sort_combo.setMinimumWidth(120)
+        self.sort_combo.setMinimumHeight(28)
         self.sort_combo.setToolTip("Change sort order of results")
-        self.sort_combo.currentIndexChanged.connect(self._on_filter_changed)
+        self.sort_combo.currentIndexChanged.connect(self._on_sort_changed)
         filters_layout.addWidget(self.sort_combo)
 
         # Search button
@@ -190,6 +210,42 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
         self.tags_widget.hide()
         layout.addWidget(self.tags_widget)
 
+        # Letter bar (shown only when sorting by name)
+        self.letter_bar_widget = QWidget()
+        self.letter_bar_widget.setMinimumHeight(40)
+        letter_bar_layout = QHBoxLayout(self.letter_bar_widget)
+        letter_bar_layout.setContentsMargins(0, 4, 0, 4)
+        letter_bar_layout.setSpacing(2)
+        self._letter_buttons = {}
+        letters = ["#"] + [chr(c) for c in range(ord("A"), ord("Z") + 1)]
+        for letter in letters:
+            btn = QPushButton(letter)
+            btn.setMinimumSize(26, 26)
+            btn.setMaximumSize(30, 30)
+            btn.setStyleSheet(
+                "QPushButton { border: 1px solid #a0aec0; border-radius: 4px; "
+                "font-size: 12px; padding: 2px 0; background: #edf2f7; color: #1a202c; }"
+                "QPushButton:hover { background: #cbd5e0; }"
+            )
+            btn.clicked.connect(lambda checked, l=letter: self._on_letter_clicked(l))
+            letter_bar_layout.addWidget(btn)
+            self._letter_buttons[letter] = btn
+        letter_bar_layout.addStretch()
+        # "All" button to clear letter filter
+        btn_all = QPushButton("All")
+        btn_all.setMinimumHeight(26)
+        btn_all.setMaximumHeight(30)
+        btn_all.setStyleSheet(
+            "QPushButton { border: 1px solid #a0aec0; border-radius: 4px; "
+            "font-size: 12px; padding: 2px 8px; background: #edf2f7; color: #1a202c; }"
+            "QPushButton:hover { background: #cbd5e0; }"
+        )
+        btn_all.clicked.connect(self._clear_letter_filter)
+        letter_bar_layout.addWidget(btn_all)
+        self._letter_buttons["All"] = btn_all
+        self.letter_bar_widget.hide()
+        layout.addWidget(self.letter_bar_widget)
+
         # Content splitter
         splitter = QSplitter(Qt.Horizontal)
 
@@ -209,6 +265,7 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
         self.results_table.horizontalHeader().setSectionResizeMode(3, QHeaderView.ResizeToContents)
         self.results_table.horizontalHeader().setSectionResizeMode(4, QHeaderView.ResizeToContents)
         self.results_table.horizontalHeader().setSectionResizeMode(5, QHeaderView.ResizeToContents)
+        self.results_table.setEditTriggers(QTableWidget.NoEditTriggers)
         self.results_table.setSelectionBehavior(QTableWidget.SelectRows)
         self.results_table.setSelectionMode(QTableWidget.SingleSelection)
         self.results_table.verticalHeader().setVisible(False)
@@ -217,10 +274,11 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
 
         # Pagination controls
         pagination = QWidget()
+        pagination.setMinimumHeight(44)
         pag_layout = QHBoxLayout(pagination)
-        pag_layout.setContentsMargins(0, 8, 0, 0)
+        pag_layout.setContentsMargins(0, 6, 0, 6)
 
-        self.btn_prev = QPushButton("← Previous")
+        self.btn_prev = QPushButton("← Prev")
         self.btn_prev.setToolTip("Go to previous page of results")
         self.btn_prev.clicked.connect(self._prev_page)
         self.btn_prev.setEnabled(False)
@@ -228,9 +286,13 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
 
         pag_layout.addStretch()
 
-        self.page_label = QLabel("Page 1 of 1")
-        self.page_label.setStyleSheet("color: #718096;")
-        pag_layout.addWidget(self.page_label)
+        # Page buttons container (replaces static label)
+        self.page_buttons_widget = QWidget()
+        self.page_buttons_widget.setMinimumHeight(32)
+        self.page_buttons_layout = QHBoxLayout(self.page_buttons_widget)
+        self.page_buttons_layout.setContentsMargins(0, 0, 0, 0)
+        self.page_buttons_layout.setSpacing(4)
+        pag_layout.addWidget(self.page_buttons_widget)
 
         pag_layout.addStretch()
 
@@ -323,18 +385,79 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
         """Browse all tools (no search query)."""
         self.search_input.clear()
         self._current_page = 1
+        self._current_prefix = None
         self._do_search()
 
+    def _get_sort_order(self, sort_field: str) -> str:
+        """Get the appropriate sort order for a sort field."""
+        if sort_field in ASC_SORTS:
+            return "asc"
+        return "desc"
+
     def _on_filter_changed(self):
-        """Handle filter/sort change."""
+        """Handle category filter change."""
+        self._current_page = 1
+        self._current_prefix = None
+        self._do_search()
+
+    def _on_sort_changed(self):
+        """Handle sort change — show/hide letter bar, reset prefix."""
+        sort = self.sort_combo.itemData(self.sort_combo.currentIndex())
+        if sort == "name":
+            self.letter_bar_widget.show()
+        else:
+            self.letter_bar_widget.hide()
+            self._current_prefix = None
+        self._update_letter_bar_highlight()
         self._current_page = 1
         self._do_search()
 
+    def _on_letter_clicked(self, letter: str):
+        """Handle letter bar click."""
+        self._current_prefix = letter
+        self._current_page = 1
+        self._update_letter_bar_highlight()
+        self._do_search()
+
+    def _clear_letter_filter(self):
+        """Clear letter filter — show all."""
+        self._current_prefix = None
+        self._current_page = 1
+        self._update_letter_bar_highlight()
+        self._do_search()
+
+    def _update_letter_bar_highlight(self):
+        """Highlight the active letter button."""
+        active_style = (
+            "QPushButton { border: 1px solid #4299e1; border-radius: 4px; "
+            "font-size: 12px; padding: 2px 0; background: #4299e1; color: white; font-weight: bold; }"
+        )
+        normal_style = (
+            "QPushButton { border: 1px solid #a0aec0; border-radius: 4px; "
+            "font-size: 12px; padding: 2px 0; background: #edf2f7; color: #1a202c; }"
+            "QPushButton:hover { background: #cbd5e0; }"
+        )
+        normal_all_style = (
+            "QPushButton { border: 1px solid #a0aec0; border-radius: 4px; "
+            "font-size: 12px; padding: 2px 8px; background: #edf2f7; color: #1a202c; }"
+            "QPushButton:hover { background: #cbd5e0; }"
+        )
+        active_all_style = (
+            "QPushButton { border: 1px solid #4299e1; border-radius: 4px; "
+            "font-size: 12px; padding: 2px 8px; background: #4299e1; color: white; font-weight: bold; }"
+        )
+        for letter, btn in self._letter_buttons.items():
+            if letter == "All":
+                btn.setStyleSheet(active_all_style if self._current_prefix is None else normal_all_style)
+            else:
+                btn.setStyleSheet(active_style if letter == self._current_prefix else normal_style)
+
     def _do_search(self):
         """Perform search with current filters."""
         query = self.search_input.text().strip()
         category = self.category_combo.currentText()
-        sort = self.sort_combo.currentData()
+        sort = self.sort_combo.itemData(self.sort_combo.currentIndex())
+        order = self._get_sort_order(sort)
 
         self.btn_search.setEnabled(False)
         self.btn_browse.setEnabled(False)
@@ -345,6 +468,8 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
             query=query,
             category=category,
             sort=sort,
+            order=order,
+            prefix=self._current_prefix,
             tags=self._current_tags if self._current_tags else None,
             page=self._current_page,
             per_page=20
@@ -363,11 +488,11 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
         total = result.total or len(tools)
 
         self.status_label.setText(f"Found {total} tools")
-        self.page_label.setText(f"Page {self._current_page} of {self._total_pages}")
 
         # Update pagination buttons
         self.btn_prev.setEnabled(self._current_page > 1)
         self.btn_next.setEnabled(self._current_page < self._total_pages)
+        self._update_pagination()
 
         self.results_table.setRowCount(len(tools))
         for row, tool in enumerate(tools):
@@ -413,6 +538,83 @@ class RegistryPage(QWidget):
             # Version
             self.results_table.setItem(row, 5, QTableWidgetItem(tool.get("version", "1.0.0")))
 
+    def _update_pagination(self):
+        """Rebuild interactive page number buttons."""
+        # Clear existing buttons
+        while self.page_buttons_layout.count():
+            item = self.page_buttons_layout.takeAt(0)
+            if item.widget():
+                item.widget().deleteLater()
+
+        if self._total_pages <= 1:
+            lbl = QLabel("Page 1 of 1")
+            lbl.setStyleSheet("color: #718096;")
+            self.page_buttons_layout.addWidget(lbl)
+            return
+
+        current = self._current_page
+        total = self._total_pages
+
+        # Determine which page numbers to show
+        if total <= 7:
+            pages = list(range(1, total + 1))
+        else:
+            # Sliding window of 5 centered on current page
+            half = 2
+            start = max(1, current - half)
+            end = min(total, current + half)
+            # Adjust if near edges
+            if current - half < 1:
+                end = min(total, end + (1 - (current - half)))
+            if current + half > total:
+                start = max(1, start - (current + half - total))
+            pages = list(range(start, end + 1))
+
+        # Leading ellipsis
+        if pages and pages[0] > 1:
+            self._add_page_button(1)
+            if pages[0] > 2:
+                lbl = QLabel("...")
+                lbl.setStyleSheet("color: #718096; padding: 0 2px;")
+                self.page_buttons_layout.addWidget(lbl)
+
+        for p in pages:
+            self._add_page_button(p)
+
+        # Trailing ellipsis
+        if pages and pages[-1] < total:
+            if pages[-1] < total - 1:
+                lbl = QLabel("...")
+                lbl.setStyleSheet("color: #718096; padding: 0 2px;")
+                self.page_buttons_layout.addWidget(lbl)
+            self._add_page_button(total)
+
+    def _add_page_button(self, page_num: int):
+        """Add a single page number button."""
+        btn = QPushButton(str(page_num))
+        btn.setMinimumSize(32, 28)
+        btn.setMaximumHeight(30)
+        if page_num == self._current_page:
+            btn.setStyleSheet(
+                "QPushButton { background: #4299e1; color: white; border: none; "
+                "border-radius: 4px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12px; "
+                "padding: 2px 6px; }"
+            )
+        else:
+            btn.setStyleSheet(
+                "QPushButton { background: #edf2f7; border: 1px solid #a0aec0; "
+                "border-radius: 4px; color: #1a202c; font-size: 12px; "
+                "padding: 2px 6px; }"
+                "QPushButton:hover { background: #cbd5e0; }"
+            )
+        btn.clicked.connect(lambda checked, p=page_num: self._go_to_page(p))
+        self.page_buttons_layout.addWidget(btn)
+
+    def _go_to_page(self, page: int):
+        """Navigate to a specific page."""
+        self._current_page = page
+        self._do_search()
+
     def _rating_to_stars(self, rating: float) -> str:
         """Convert rating to star display."""
         if rating <= 0:
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/registry/app.py b/src/cmdforge/registry/app.py
index a77ef33..b1d967e 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/registry/app.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/registry/app.py
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ RATE_LIMITS = {
 }
 
 ALLOWED_SORT = {
-    "/tools": {"downloads", "published_at", "name"},
-    "/tools/search": {"relevance", "downloads", "published_at"},
+    "/tools": {"downloads", "published_at", "name", "owner", "average_rating"},
+    "/tools/search": {"relevance", "downloads", "published_at", "name", "owner", "average_rating"},
     "/categories": {"name", "tool_count"},
 }
 
@@ -602,8 +602,18 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
         if error:
             return error
         category = request.args.get("category")
+        prefix = request.args.get("prefix", "").strip()
         offset = (page - 1) * per_page
 
+        # Validate prefix: single letter A-Z or '#'
+        if prefix:
+            if prefix == "#":
+                pass  # valid
+            elif len(prefix) == 1 and prefix.isalpha():
+                prefix = prefix.upper()
+            else:
+                prefix = ""  # invalid, ignore
+
         # Build visibility filter
         vis_filter, vis_params = build_visibility_filter()
 
@@ -612,6 +622,11 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
         if category:
             base_where += " AND category = ?"
             params.append(category)
+        if prefix == "#":
+            base_where += " AND name NOT GLOB '[A-Za-z]*'"
+        elif prefix:
+            base_where += " AND LOWER(name) LIKE ?"
+            params.append(f"{prefix.lower()}%")
         # Add visibility filter
         base_where += vis_filter
         params.extend(vis_params)
@@ -624,7 +639,13 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
         total = int(count_row["total"]) if count_row else 0
 
         order_dir = "DESC" if order == "desc" else "ASC"
-        order_sql = f"{sort} {order_dir}, published_at DESC, id DESC"
+        if sort == "average_rating":
+            order_sql = f"COALESCE(ts.average_rating, 0) {order_dir}, published_at DESC, t.id DESC"
+        else:
+            order_sql = f"{sort} {order_dir}, published_at DESC, id DESC"
+
+        # LEFT JOIN tool_stats for rating data
+        stats_join = "LEFT JOIN tool_stats ts ON ts.tool_id = t.id"
 
         rows = query_all(
             g.db,
@@ -641,7 +662,10 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
                 {base_where} AND version NOT LIKE '%-%'
                 GROUP BY owner, name
             )
-            SELECT t.* FROM tools t
+            SELECT t.*, COALESCE(ts.average_rating, 0) AS average_rating,
+                   COALESCE(ts.rating_count, 0) AS rating_count
+            FROM tools t
+            {stats_join}
             JOIN (
                 SELECT a.owner, a.name, COALESCE(s.max_id, a.max_id) AS max_id
                 FROM latest_any a
@@ -665,6 +689,8 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
                 "tags": json.loads(row["tags"] or "[]"),
                 "downloads": row["downloads"],
                 "published_at": row["published_at"],
+                "average_rating": row["average_rating"],
+                "rating_count": row["rating_count"],
             })
 
         return jsonify({"data": data, "meta": paginate(page, per_page, total)})
@@ -693,6 +719,16 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
             return error
         offset = (page - 1) * per_page
 
+        # Prefix filter
+        prefix = request.args.get("prefix", "").strip()
+        if prefix:
+            if prefix == "#":
+                pass
+            elif len(prefix) == 1 and prefix.isalpha():
+                prefix = prefix.upper()
+            else:
+                prefix = ""
+
         # Parse filter parameters
         category = request.args.get("category")  # Single category (backward compat)
         categories_param = request.args.get("categories", "")  # Multi-category (OR logic)
@@ -743,6 +779,12 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
         if not include_deprecated:
             where_clauses.append("tools.deprecated = 0")
 
+        if prefix == "#":
+            where_clauses.append("tools.name NOT GLOB '[A-Za-z]*'")
+        elif prefix:
+            where_clauses.append("LOWER(tools.name) LIKE ?")
+            params.append(f"{prefix.lower()}%")
+
         # Add visibility filtering
         vis_filter, vis_params = build_visibility_filter("tools")
         if vis_filter:
@@ -772,9 +814,13 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
 
         order_dir = "DESC" if order == "desc" else "ASC"
         if sort == "relevance":
-            order_sql = f"rank {order_dir}, downloads DESC, published_at DESC, id DESC"
+            order_sql = "rank, downloads DESC, published_at DESC, f.id DESC"
+        elif sort == "average_rating":
+            order_sql = f"COALESCE(ts.average_rating, 0) {order_dir}, downloads DESC, published_at DESC, f.id DESC"
         else:
-            order_sql = f"{sort} {order_dir}, published_at DESC, id DESC"
+            order_sql = f"{sort} {order_dir}, published_at DESC, f.id DESC"
+
+        stats_join = "LEFT JOIN tool_stats ts ON ts.tool_id = f.id"
 
         rows = query_all(
             g.db,
@@ -801,7 +847,10 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
                 WHERE version NOT LIKE '%-%'
                 GROUP BY owner, name
             )
-            SELECT f.* FROM filtered f
+            SELECT f.*, COALESCE(ts.average_rating, 0) AS average_rating,
+                   COALESCE(ts.rating_count, 0) AS rating_count
+            FROM filtered f
+            {stats_join}
             JOIN (
                 SELECT a.owner, a.name, COALESCE(s.max_id, a.max_id) AS max_id
                 FROM latest_any a
@@ -847,6 +896,8 @@ def create_app() -> Flask:
                 "tags": json.loads(row["tags"] or "[]"),
                 "downloads": row["downloads"],
                 "published_at": row["published_at"],
+                "average_rating": row["average_rating"],
+                "rating_count": row["rating_count"],
                 "score": score,
             })
 
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py b/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py
index e85327e..44d8106 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py
@@ -290,7 +290,8 @@ class RegistryClient:
         page: int = 1,
         per_page: int = 20,
         sort: str = "downloads",
-        order: str = "desc"
+        order: str = "desc",
+        prefix: Optional[str] = None
     ) -> PaginatedResponse:
         """
         List tools from the registry.
@@ -299,8 +300,9 @@ class RegistryClient:
             category: Filter by category
             page: Page number (1-indexed)
             per_page: Items per page (max 100)
-            sort: Sort field (downloads, published_at, name)
+            sort: Sort field (downloads, published_at, name, owner, average_rating)
             order: Sort order (asc, desc)
+            prefix: Letter prefix filter (A-Z or '#' for non-alpha)
 
         Returns:
             PaginatedResponse with tool data
@@ -313,6 +315,8 @@ class RegistryClient:
         }
         if category:
             params["category"] = category
+        if prefix:
+            params["prefix"] = prefix
 
         response = self._request("GET", "/tools", params=params)
 
@@ -345,7 +349,9 @@ class RegistryClient:
         include_facets: bool = False,
         page: int = 1,
         per_page: int = 20,
-        sort: str = "relevance"
+        sort: str = "relevance",
+        order: str = "desc",
+        prefix: Optional[str] = None
     ) -> PaginatedResponse:
         """
         Search for tools in the registry.
@@ -364,7 +370,9 @@ class RegistryClient:
             include_facets: Include category/tag/owner counts in response
             page: Page number
             per_page: Items per page
-            sort: Sort field (relevance, downloads, published_at)
+            sort: Sort field (relevance, downloads, published_at, name, owner, average_rating)
+            order: Sort order (asc, desc)
+            prefix: Letter prefix filter (A-Z or '#' for non-alpha)
 
         Returns:
             PaginatedResponse with matching tools (and facets if requested)
@@ -373,7 +381,8 @@ class RegistryClient:
             "q": query,
             "page": page,
             "per_page": min(per_page, 100),
-            "sort": sort
+            "sort": sort,
+            "order": order
         }
         if category:
             params["category"] = category
@@ -395,6 +404,8 @@ class RegistryClient:
             params["deprecated"] = "true"
         if include_facets:
             params["include_facets"] = "true"
+        if prefix:
+            params["prefix"] = prefix
 
         response = self._request("GET", "/tools/search", params=params)
 
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/runner.py b/src/cmdforge/runner.py
index 58df4b6..b0aee71 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/runner.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/runner.py
@@ -209,8 +209,8 @@ def execute_prompt_step(
             # Prepend system prompt to user prompt
             prompt = f"{profile.system_prompt}\n\n---\n\n{prompt}"
 
-    # Call provider
-    provider = provider_override or step.provider
+    # Call provider (support variable substitution in provider name, e.g. {settings.provider})
+    provider = provider_override or substitute_variables(step.provider, variables, warn_non_scalar=verbose)
 
     if provider.lower() == "mock":
         result = mock_provider(prompt)