diff --git a/apps/cli/cli_show.c b/apps/cli/cli_show.c
index e9ee5edb..4799c7ac 100644
--- a/apps/cli/cli_show.c
+++ b/apps/cli/cli_show.c
@@ -582,10 +582,11 @@ cli_show_config_state(clicon_handle h,
     return cli_show_config1(h, 1, cvv, argv);
 }
 
-/*! Show configuration as text given an xpath
+/*! Show configuration as text given an xpath using canonical namespace
+ *
  * Utility function used by cligen spec file
  * @param[in]  h     CLICON handle
- * @param[in]  cvv   Vector of variables from CLIgen command-line must contain xpath and ns variables
+ * @param[in]  cvv   Vector of variables from CLIgen command-line must contain xpath and default namespace (if any)
  * @param[in]  argv  A string: <dbname>
  * @note  Hardcoded that variable xpath and ns cvv must exist. (kludge)
  */
@@ -595,7 +596,7 @@ show_conf_xpath(clicon_handle h,
 		cvec         *argv)
 {
     int              retval = -1;
-    char            *str;
+    char            *dbname;
     char            *xpath;
     cg_var          *cv;
     cxobj           *xt = NULL;
@@ -603,42 +604,51 @@ show_conf_xpath(clicon_handle h,
     cxobj          **xv = NULL;
     size_t           xlen;
     int              i;
-    char            *namespace = NULL;
     cvec            *nsc = NULL;
+    yang_stmt       *yspec;
 
     if (cvec_len(argv) != 1){
 	clicon_err(OE_PLUGIN, EINVAL, "Requires one element to be <dbname>");
 	goto done;
     }
-    str = cv_string_get(cvec_i(argv, 0));
+    if ((yspec = clicon_dbspec_yang(h)) == NULL){
+	clicon_err(OE_FATAL, 0, "No DB_SPEC");
+	goto done;
+    }
+    dbname = cv_string_get(cvec_i(argv, 0));
     /* Dont get attr here, take it from arg instead */
-    if (strcmp(str, "running") != 0 && 
-	strcmp(str, "candidate") != 0 && 
-	strcmp(str, "startup") != 0){
-	clicon_err(OE_PLUGIN, 0, "No such db name: %s", str);	
+    if (strcmp(dbname, "running") != 0 && 
+	strcmp(dbname, "candidate") != 0 && 
+	strcmp(dbname, "startup") != 0){
+	clicon_err(OE_PLUGIN, 0, "No such db name: %s", dbname);	
 	goto done;
     }
     /* Look for xpath in command (kludge: cv must be called "xpath") */
-    cv = cvec_find(cvv, "xpath");
+    if ((cv = cvec_find(cvv, "xpath")) == NULL){
+	clicon_err(OE_PLUGIN, EINVAL, "Requires one variable to be <xpath>");
+	goto done;
+    }
     xpath = cv_string_get(cv);
 
-    /* Look for namespace in command (kludge: cv must be called "ns") */
-    cv = cvec_find(cvv, "ns");
-    namespace = cv_string_get(cv);
-    if ((nsc = xml_nsctx_init(NULL, namespace)) == NULL)
+    /* Create canonical namespace */
+    if (xml_nsctx_yangspec(yspec, &nsc) < 0)
 	goto done;
+    /* Look for and add default namespace variable in command */
+    if ((cv = cvec_find(cvv, "ns")) != NULL){
+	if (xml_nsctx_add(nsc, NULL, cv_string_get(cv)) < 0)
+	    goto done;
+    }
 #if 0 /* Use state get instead of config (XXX: better use this but test_cli.sh fails) */
     if (clicon_rpc_get(h, xpath, nsc, CONTENT_ALL, -1, &xt) < 0)
     	goto done;
 #else
-    if (clicon_rpc_get_config(h, NULL, str, xpath, nsc, &xt) < 0)
+    if (clicon_rpc_get_config(h, NULL, dbname, xpath, nsc, &xt) < 0)
     	goto done;
 #endif
     if ((xerr = xpath_first(xt, NULL, "/rpc-error")) != NULL){
 	clixon_netconf_error(xerr, "Get configuration", NULL);
 	goto done;
     }
-
     if (xpath_vec(xt, nsc, "%s", &xv, &xlen, xpath) < 0) 
 	goto done;
     for (i=0; i<xlen; i++)
diff --git a/example/main/example_cli.cli b/example/main/example_cli.cli
index bb0443c8..47b10817 100644
--- a/example/main/example_cli.cli
+++ b/example/main/example_cli.cli
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ discard("Discard edits (rollback 0)"), discard_changes();
 
 show("Show a particular state of the system"){
     auto("Show expand") @datamodel, cli_show_auto("candidate", "xml");  
-    xpath("Show configuration") <xpath:string>("XPATH expression") <ns:string>("Namespace"), show_conf_xpath("candidate");
+    xpath("Show configuration") <xpath:string>("XPATH expression")
+       [<ns:string>("Namespace")], show_conf_xpath("candidate");
     version("Show version"), cli_show_version("candidate", "text", "/");
     options("Show clixon options"), cli_show_options();
     compare("Compare candidate and running databases"), compare_dbs((int32)0);{
diff --git a/include/clixon_custom.h b/include/clixon_custom.h
index b7d09558..982ac984 100644
--- a/include/clixon_custom.h
+++ b/include/clixon_custom.h
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@
 /*! Optimize special list key searches in XPATH finds
  * Identify xpaths that search for exactly a list key, eg: "y[k=3]" and then call
  * binary search. This only works if "y" has proper yang binding and is sorted by system
+ * Dont optimize on "hierarchical" lists such as: a/b/y[k=3], where a or b is another list.
  */
 #define XPATH_LIST_OPTIMIZE
 
diff --git a/lib/src/clixon_xpath_optimize.c b/lib/src/clixon_xpath_optimize.c
index 08d88324..f07e4108 100644
--- a/lib/src/clixon_xpath_optimize.c
+++ b/lib/src/clixon_xpath_optimize.c
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ xpath_list_optimize_stats(int *hits)
 }
 
 /*! Enable xpath optimize
- * Cant replace this with optin since there is no handle in xpath functions,...
+ * Cant replace this with option since there is no handle in xpath functions,...
  */
 int
 xpath_list_optimize_set(int enable)
@@ -245,6 +245,7 @@ xpath_list_optimize_fn(xpath_tree  *xt,
     cvec        *cvk = NULL; /* vector of index keys */
     cg_var      *cvi;
     int          i;
+    yang_stmt   *ypp;
     
     /* revert to non-optimized if no yang */
     if ((yp = xml_spec(xv)) == NULL)
@@ -252,6 +253,12 @@ xpath_list_optimize_fn(xpath_tree  *xt,
     /* or if not config data (state data should not be ordered) */
     if (yang_config_ancestor(yp) == 0)
 	goto ok;
+    /* Check that there is no "outer" list. */
+    ypp = yp;
+    do {
+	if (yang_keyword_get(ypp) == Y_LIST)
+	    goto ok;
+    } while((ypp = yang_parent_get(ypp)) != NULL);
     /* Check yang and that only a list with key as index is a special case can do bin search 
      * That is, ONLY check optimize cases of this type:_x[_y='_z']
      * Should we extend this simple example and have more cases (all cases?)