diff --git a/proto/holo.proto b/proto/holo.proto
index 4af9a94..de334ca 100644
--- a/proto/holo.proto
+++ b/proto/holo.proto
@@ -132,6 +132,13 @@ message GetRequest {
 
   // Target YANG path.
   Path path = 4;
+
+  // YANG paths to exclude from the response (matched at any depth).
+  // A single-element path with just a name (optionally module-qualified
+  // as "module:name") matches any node with that name. Multi-element
+  // paths match a specific subtree wherever it occurs.
+  // Applies only to state data.
+  repeated Path exclude = 5;
 }
 
 message GetResponse {
@@ -313,6 +320,11 @@ enum SchemaFormat {
 message Path {
   // Ordered list of elements forming the path.
   repeated PathElem elem = 1;
+
+  // Maximum depth of the YANG tree traversal beyond the requested path
+  // (0 = unlimited). A value of 1 returns only immediate children of
+  // the target. Applies only to state data.
+  uint32 max_depth = 2;
 }
 
 // A single element within a YANG data path.
diff --git a/src/grpc.rs b/src/grpc.rs
index e77f8a7..9649160 100644
--- a/src/grpc.rs
+++ b/src/grpc.rs
@@ -101,14 +101,30 @@ impl GrpcClient {
         format: DataFormat,
         with_defaults: bool,
         xpath: Option<String>,
+        max_depth: u32,
+        exclude: &[String],
     ) -> Result<proto::data_tree::Data, Error> {
-        let path = xpath.map(|x| proto::Path::from_xpath(&x));
+        let path = match xpath {
+            Some(x) => {
+                let mut p = proto::Path::from_xpath(&x);
+                p.max_depth = max_depth;
+                Some(p)
+            }
+            None if max_depth > 0 => Some(proto::Path {
+                elem: Vec::new(),
+                max_depth,
+            }),
+            None => None,
+        };
+        let exclude =
+            exclude.iter().map(|s| proto::Path::from_xpath(s)).collect();
         let data = self
             .rpc_sync_get(proto::GetRequest {
                 r#type: data_type as i32,
                 encoding: proto::Encoding::from(format) as i32,
                 with_defaults,
                 path,
+                exclude,
             })
             .map_err(Error::Backend)?
             .into_inner()
@@ -266,7 +282,8 @@ impl proto::Path {
                     Some(pos) => {
                         let name = &segment[..pos];
                         let mut keys = HashMap::new();
-                        for kv in segment[pos..].split('[').filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+                        for kv in
+                            segment[pos..].split('[').filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
                         {
                             let kv = kv.trim_end_matches(']');
                             if let Some(eq_pos) = kv.find('=') {
@@ -287,7 +304,10 @@ impl proto::Path {
                 }
             })
             .collect();
-        proto::Path { elem: elems }
+        proto::Path {
+            elem: elems,
+            max_depth: 0,
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/internal_commands.rs b/src/internal_commands.rs
index 7be2056..853f314 100644
--- a/src/internal_commands.rs
+++ b/src/internal_commands.rs
@@ -28,10 +28,16 @@ const XPATH_PROTOCOL: &str =
     "/ietf-routing:routing/control-plane-protocols/control-plane-protocol";
 const XPATH_RIB: &str = "/ietf-routing:routing/ribs/rib";
 
+/// Excluded from all YangTableBuilder queries by default for performance —
+/// BGP RIBs are large sub-trees that slow down unrelated show commands.
+const DEFAULT_EXCLUDES: &[&str] = &["ietf-bgp:rib"];
+
 struct YangTableBuilder<'a> {
     session: &'a mut Session,
     data_type: proto::get_request::DataType,
     paths: Vec<(String, Vec<YangTableColumn>)>,
+    max_depth: u32,
+    exclude: Vec<String>,
 }
 
 struct YangTableColumn {
@@ -62,6 +68,8 @@ impl<'a> YangTableBuilder<'a> {
             session,
             data_type,
             paths: Vec::new(),
+            max_depth: 0,
+            exclude: DEFAULT_EXCLUDES.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()).collect(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -71,6 +79,20 @@ impl<'a> YangTableBuilder<'a> {
         self
     }
 
+    // Sets the maximum depth for the fetch operation.
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub fn max_depth(mut self, depth: u32) -> Self {
+        self.max_depth = depth;
+        self
+    }
+
+    // Adds a YANG node name to the exclude list.
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub fn exclude(mut self, name: &str) -> Self {
+        self.exclude.push(name.to_string());
+        self
+    }
+
     // Adds a YANG list key filter to the last added XPath in the builder.
     pub fn filter_list_key<S>(mut self, key: &str, value: Option<S>) -> Self
     where
@@ -202,7 +224,13 @@ impl<'a> YangTableBuilder<'a> {
         let xpath_req = "/ietf-routing:routing/control-plane-protocols";
 
         // Fetch data.
-        let data = fetch_data(self.session, self.data_type, xpath_req)?;
+        let data = fetch_data_filtered(
+            self.session,
+            self.data_type,
+            xpath_req,
+            self.max_depth,
+            &self.exclude,
+        )?;
         let Some(dnode) = data.reference() else {
             return Ok(());
         };
@@ -258,15 +286,24 @@ fn write_output(
     Ok(())
 }
 
-fn fetch_data(
+fn fetch_data_filtered(
     session: &mut Session,
     data_type: proto::get_request::DataType,
     xpath: &str,
+    max_depth: u32,
+    exclude: &[String],
 ) -> Result<DataTree<'static>, String> {
     let yang_ctx = YANG_CTX.get().unwrap();
     let data_format = DataFormat::LYB;
     let data = session
-        .get(data_type, data_format, true, Some(xpath.to_owned()))
+        .get(
+            data_type,
+            data_format,
+            true,
+            Some(xpath.to_owned()),
+            max_depth,
+            exclude,
+        )
         .map_err(|error| format!("% failed to fetch state data: {}", error))?;
     DataTree::parse_string(
         yang_ctx,
@@ -278,6 +315,15 @@ fn fetch_data(
     .map_err(|error| format!("% failed to parse data: {}", error))
 }
 
+#[inline]
+fn fetch_data(
+    session: &mut Session,
+    data_type: proto::get_request::DataType,
+    xpath: &str,
+) -> Result<DataTree<'static>, String> {
+    fetch_data_filtered(session, data_type, xpath, 0, &[])
+}
+
 // ===== impl DataNodeRef =====
 
 /// Extension methods for DataNodeRef.
@@ -638,6 +684,12 @@ pub fn cmd_show_state(
 ) -> Result<bool, CallbackError> {
     let xpath = get_opt_arg(&mut args, "xpath");
     let format = get_opt_arg(&mut args, "format");
+    let max_depth = get_opt_arg(&mut args, "depth")
+        .and_then(|d| d.parse::<u32>().ok())
+        .unwrap_or_default();
+    let exclude: Vec<String> = get_opt_arg(&mut args, "exclude")
+        .map(|s| s.split(',').map(str::to_string).collect())
+        .unwrap_or_default();
     let format = match format.as_deref() {
         Some("json") => DataFormat::JSON,
         Some("xml") => DataFormat::XML,
@@ -645,8 +697,14 @@ pub fn cmd_show_state(
         None => DataFormat::JSON,
     };
 
-    match session.get(proto::get_request::DataType::State, format, false, xpath)
-    {
+    match session.get(
+        proto::get_request::DataType::State,
+        format,
+        false,
+        xpath,
+        max_depth,
+        &exclude,
+    ) {
         Ok(proto::data_tree::Data::DataString(data)) => {
             write_output(session, &data)?;
         }
diff --git a/src/internal_commands.xml b/src/internal_commands.xml
index 7b58935..6193860 100644
--- a/src/internal_commands.xml
+++ b/src/internal_commands.xml
@@ -18,10 +18,16 @@
       </token>
       <token name="state" help="Show operational state." cmd="cmd_show_state">
         <token name="xpath" help="XPath expression.">
-  	  <token name="xpath" argument="xpath" kind="string" help="XPath expression." cmd="cmd_show_state">
+  	      <token name="xpath" argument="xpath" kind="string" help="XPath expression." cmd="cmd_show_state">
             <token name="format" help="Data format.">
               <token name="json" argument="format" help="JSON output format." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
-	      <token name="xml" argument="format" help="XML output format." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
+	          <token name="xml" argument="format" help="XML output format." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
+            </token>
+            <token name="depth" help="Max depth YANG tree traversal.">
+              <token name="N" argument="depth" kind="string" help="Max depth (positive integer)." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
+            </token>
+            <token name="exclude" help="YANG node names to exclude from response.">
+              <token name="LIST" argument="exclude" kind="string" help="Comma-separated names (name1,name2,...)." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
             </token>
           </token>
         </token>
@@ -29,6 +35,12 @@
           <token name="json" argument="format" help="JSON output format." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
           <token name="xml" argument="format" help="XML output format." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
         </token>
+        <token name="depth" help="Max depth YANG tree traversal.">
+          <token name="N" argument="depth" kind="string" help="Max depth (positive integer)." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
+        </token>
+        <token name="exclude" help="YANG node names to exclude from response.">
+          <token name="LIST" argument="exclude" kind="string" help="Comma-separated names (name1,name2,...)." cmd="cmd_show_state"/>
+        </token>
       </token>
       <token name="yang" help="YANG information.">
         <token name="modules" help="Show loaded YANG modules." cmd="cmd_show_yang_modules"/>
diff --git a/src/session.rs b/src/session.rs
index a45f6a6..4825bd3 100644
--- a/src/session.rs
+++ b/src/session.rs
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ impl Session {
                 data_format,
                 false,
                 None,
+                0,
+                &[],
             )
             .unwrap();
         let running = DataTree::parse_string(
@@ -314,9 +316,17 @@ impl Session {
         format: DataFormat,
         with_defaults: bool,
         xpath: Option<String>,
+        max_depth: u32,
+        exclude: &[String],
     ) -> Result<proto::data_tree::Data, Error> {
-        self.grpc_client
-            .get(data_type, format, with_defaults, xpath)
+        self.grpc_client.get(
+            data_type,
+            format,
+            with_defaults,
+            xpath,
+            max_depth,
+            exclude,
+        )
     }
 
     pub fn execute(