diff --git a/node-tools/internal/bus/state.go b/node-tools/internal/bus/state.go
index d4dee76..a673168 100644
--- a/node-tools/internal/bus/state.go
+++ b/node-tools/internal/bus/state.go
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ func credentialField(value json.RawMessage) string {
 	return walk(v)
 }
 
-// providerReference says whether v is exactly {"node": <string>, "module": <string>}.
+// providerReference says whether v is exactly {"node": <name>, "module": <name>}, each a name as mesh-sdk names them.
 func providerReference(v any) bool {
 	m, ok := v.(map[string]any)
 	if !ok || len(m) != 2 {
@@ -440,5 +440,8 @@ func providerReference(v any) bool {
 	}
 	node, okN := m["node"].(string)
 	module, okM := m["module"].(string)
-	return okN && okM && node != "" && module != ""
+	return okN && okM && referenceName.MatchString(node) && referenceName.MatchString(module)
 }
+
+// referenceName is a node's or a module's name as mesh-sdk names them: lower case, digits and dashes.
+var referenceName = regexp.MustCompile(`^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$`)
diff --git a/node-tools/internal/bus/state_test.go b/node-tools/internal/bus/state_test.go
index cc85f48..6ce8393 100644
--- a/node-tools/internal/bus/state_test.go
+++ b/node-tools/internal/bus/state_test.go
@@ -20,8 +20,9 @@ func TestACredentialNamedFieldIsFoundAnywhereInAValue(t *testing.T) {
 		`{"secret":{"value":"s"}}`:                                       "secret",
 		`{"secret":{"node":"anchor","module":"mesh-vault","value":"s"}}`: "secret",
 		`{"secret":{"node":"anchor","module":7}}`:                        "secret",
-		`{"secret":["s"]}`:                                               "secret",
-		`{"bindings":{"secret":{"token":"s"}}}`:                          "secret",
+		`{"secret":{"node":"anchor","module":"hunter2 Bearer s3cr3t"}}`:  "secret",
+		`{"secret":["s"]}`:                      "secret",
+		`{"bindings":{"secret":{"token":"s"}}}`: "secret",
 	} {
 		if got := credentialField(json.RawMessage(value)); got != want {
 			t.Errorf("%s: found %q, want %q", value, got, want)