diff --git a/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers.go b/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers.go
index 08008232..7cd2f509 100644
--- a/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers.go
+++ b/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers.go
@@ -362,12 +362,20 @@ func (c *ContainerCollector) container(ctx context.Context, ps map[string]interf
 		"status":   asString(ps["Status"]),
 	}
 
-	cmd := strings.Join(asStringSlice(ps["Command"]), " ")
-	if cmd != "" {
-		out["command"] = cmd
+	inspect := c.podmanInspect(ctx, name)
+
+	// Report the actual running command line as the config-false
+	// "cmdline" leaf (an unrestricted string), built from inspect's
+	// Path + Args like the legacy yanger collector.  Do NOT report it
+	// into the config-true "command" leaf: that leaf has a restrictive
+	// pattern and a real command line (e.g. one containing "&&" or
+	// quotes) fails YANG validation, which rejects the entire
+	// containers subtree on read.
+	if path := asString(inspect["Path"]); path != "" {
+		parts := append([]string{path}, asStringSlice(inspect["Args"])...)
+		out["cmdline"] = strings.Join(parts, " ")
 	}
 
-	inspect := c.podmanInspect(ctx, name)
 	if net := c.network(ps, inspect); len(net) > 0 {
 		out["network"] = net
 	}
diff --git a/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers_test.go b/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers_test.go
index 2ee3abc5..fced4437 100644
--- a/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers_test.go
+++ b/src/yangerd/internal/collector/containers_test.go
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func TestContainerBasicInfo(t *testing.T) {
 					"Ports": []
 				}
 			]`),
-			"podman inspect web": []byte(`[{}]`),
+			"podman inspect web": []byte(`[{"Path":"nginx","Args":["-g","daemon off;"]}]`),
 			"podman stats --no-stream --format json --no-reset web": []byte(`[]`),
 		},
 		Errors: map[string]error{},
@@ -87,8 +87,8 @@ func TestContainerBasicInfo(t *testing.T) {
 	if c["status"] != "Up 2 hours" {
 		t.Fatalf("status mismatch: %v", c["status"])
 	}
-	if c["command"] != "nginx -g daemon off;" {
-		t.Fatalf("command mismatch: %v", c["command"])
+	if c["cmdline"] != "nginx -g daemon off;" {
+		t.Fatalf("cmdline mismatch: %v", c["cmdline"])
 	}
 	if c["running"] != true {
 		t.Fatalf("running expected true, got %v", c["running"])