diff --git a/make/generate-flex-bison.mk b/make/generate-flex-bison.mk
index d32abce..c8f8361 100644
--- a/make/generate-flex-bison.mk
+++ b/make/generate-flex-bison.mk
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ NAMESPACE_IN_GENERATED ?= $(FB_NAME)
 
 # These types are meant to be cut off the tree and turned into hand coded flex
 # regexes
-#TRIM_SYMBOLS          = blah
-TRIM_SYMBOLS         ?= 
+TRIM_SYMBOLS         ?=
+CUT_SYMBOLS          ?=
+IRRELEVANT_SYMBOLS   ?=
 GENERATE_LOG_LEVEL   ?= notice
 FIX_EXTENSIONS       ?= discard
 CHECK_SYMBOLS        ?= all
@@ -24,6 +25,8 @@ GENERATE              = python ./$(GENERATE_PY) --log-level $(GENERATE_LOG_LEVEL
 				--replace-whitespace \
 				$(OPT_CHECK_SYMBOLS) \
 				--trim-symbols=$(shell echo $(TRIM_SYMBOLS) | sed 's/  */,/g') \
+				--cut-symbols=$(shell echo $(CUT_SYMBOLS) | sed 's/  */,/g') \
+				--irrelevant-symbols=$(shell echo $(IRRELEVANT_SYMBOLS) | sed 's/  */,/g') \
 				--namespace=$(NAMESPACE_IN_GENERATED) \
 				--includes=$(shell echo $(INCLUDED_BY_GENERATED) | sed 's/  */,/g') \
 				$(CREATE_EXTRA_ARGS)
diff --git a/tools/python/jwutils/grammar.py b/tools/python/jwutils/grammar.py
index f29eede..1218092 100644
--- a/tools/python/jwutils/grammar.py
+++ b/tools/python/jwutils/grammar.py
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ def tok2sym(tok):
     if term is not None:
         if term in special_terminals.keys():
            return "T_" + special_terminals[term].upper()
-        return "T_" + term.upper()
+        return "T_" + re.sub('[^a-zA-Z0-9]', '_', term).upper()
     return tok
 
 def tok2regex(tok):
@@ -319,6 +319,7 @@ class Symbol:
 
     def __init__(self, token, tp = None, rules = None):
         self.reset(token, tp, rules)
+        self.set_is_payload(True)
 
     def reset(self, token, tp = None, rules = None):
         if tp == None:
@@ -339,6 +340,9 @@ class Symbol:
             self.rules = rules
         self.set_type(tp)
 
+    def set_is_payload(self, onoff):
+        self.is_payload = onoff
+
     def set_type(self, tp):
         if tp == p_ruleset:
             self.term = None
@@ -551,6 +555,8 @@ def grammar_get_types(grammar):
                 pp = grammar[c.token]
                 if pp.tp is p_terminal:
                     continue
+                if not pp.is_payload:
+                    continue
                 members.append(tok2sym(c.token))
             if True or len(members):
                 rules.append(members)
@@ -1035,6 +1041,12 @@ def grammar_trim_symbols(grammar, symbols):
 
     return grammar
 
+# flag symbols as non-payload
+def grammar_irrelevant_symbols(grammar, symbols):
+    for s in symbols:
+        grammar[s].set_is_payload(False)
+
+    return grammar
 def grammar_create_ebnf(grammar, opts):
     indent = 40
     slog(INFO, "creating ebnf from grammar of size", len(grammar))
@@ -1050,6 +1062,9 @@ def grammar_create_ebnf(grammar, opts):
 	out += ' ' * indent + ' ;\n'
     return out
 
+def format_token(sym, tp):
+    return misc.pad('%token <' + sym + '>', 27) + misc.pad(sym, 20) + '/* ' + tp + ' */'
+
 def grammar_create_y(grammar, opts):
     indent = ' ' * 40
     width = 0
@@ -1134,7 +1149,7 @@ def grammar_create_y(grammar, opts):
     out += '\n'
     for t, p in grammar.iteritems():
         if p.tp == p_terminal:
-            out += '%token <' + p.sym + '> ' + p.sym + (20 - len(p.sym)) * ' ' + '/* ' + t + ' */' +'\n'
+            out += format_token(p.sym, t) +'\n'
 
     # special tokens
     out += '\n'
@@ -1142,19 +1157,19 @@ def grammar_create_y(grammar, opts):
         if p.tp == p_special:
             if p.token == '?': # TODO: why is this among the symbols anyway?
                 continue
-            out += '%token <' + p.sym + '> ' + p.sym + (20 - len(p.sym)) * ' ' + '/* ' + t + ' */' +'\n'
+            out += format_token(p.sym, t) +'\n'
 
     # regex tokens
     out += '\n'
     for t, p in grammar.iteritems():
         if p.tp == p_literal:
-            out += '%token <' + p.sym + '> ' + p.sym + (20 - len(p.sym)) * ' ' + '/* ' + t + ' */' +'\n'
+            out += format_token(p.sym, t) +'\n'
 
     # types
     out += '\n'
     for t, p in grammar.iteritems():
         if p.tp == p_ruleset:
-            out += '%type <' + tok2sym(p.token) + '> ' + t + (40 - len(t)) * ' ' + '/* ' + t + ' */' +'\n'
+            out += misc.pad('%type <' + tok2sym(p.token) + '>', 40) + misc.pad(t, 35) + '/* ' + t + ' */' +'\n'
 
     out += textwrap.dedent("""\
 
@@ -1207,6 +1222,8 @@ def grammar_create_y(grammar, opts):
                 #    continue
                 if p.tp not in [ p_ruleset ]:
                     continue
+                if not p.is_payload:
+                    continue
                 tp = tok2name(c.token)
                 suffix = ''
                 if tokens.count(c.token) > 1:
@@ -1499,6 +1516,7 @@ class GrammarCmd(jwutils.Cmd):
         p.add_argument('-w', '--replace-whitespace', help='replace white space in tokens by underscore characters', action='store_true', default=False)
         p.add_argument('--check-symbols', help='check symbols, comma-separated or "all"', nargs='?', default='')
         p.add_argument('-t', '--trim-symbols', help='trim grammar tree at symbol', nargs='?', default='')
+        p.add_argument('-r', '--irrelevant-symbols', help='exclude symbol from output payload', nargs='?', default='')
         p.add_argument('-c', '--cut-symbols', help='cut grammar tree at symbol', nargs='?', default='')
         return p
 
@@ -1518,12 +1536,14 @@ class GrammarCmd(jwutils.Cmd):
                 args.check_symbols = ''
             check_symbols = args.check_symbols.split()
             grammar_check(grammar, check_symbols)
+        if args.replace_whitespace:
+            grammar = grammar_replace_whitespace(grammar)
         if len(args.trim_symbols):
             grammar = grammar_trim_symbols(grammar, args.trim_symbols.split(','))
         if len(args.cut_symbols):
             grammar = grammar_cut_symbols(grammar, args.cut_symbols.split(','))
-        if args.replace_whitespace:
-            grammar = grammar_replace_whitespace(grammar)
+        if len(args.irrelevant_symbols):
+            grammar = grammar_irrelevant_symbols(grammar, args.irrelevant_symbols.split(','))
         return grammar
 
 # ------------------------------------------------- TODO: clean this up >
diff --git a/tools/python/jwutils/log.py b/tools/python/jwutils/log.py
index 9790689..9d5e967 100644
--- a/tools/python/jwutils/log.py
+++ b/tools/python/jwutils/log.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import syslog
 import sys
 import inspect
 from os.path import basename
+import misc
 
 EMERG = syslog.LOG_EMERG
 ALERT = syslog.LOG_ALERT
@@ -63,15 +64,6 @@ prio_colors = {
     EMERG   : [ CONSOLE_FONT_BOLD + CONSOLE_FONT_MAGENTA, CONSOLE_FONT_OFF ],
 }
 
-def __pad(token, total_size, right_align = False):
-    add = total_size - len(token)
-    if add <= 0:
-        return token
-    space = ' ' * add
-    if right_align:
-        return space + token
-    return token + space
-
 def get_caller_pos(up = 1):
     assert(up == 1) # TODO: implement this
     caller_frame = inspect.currentframe().f_back.f_back
@@ -95,7 +87,7 @@ def slog(prio, *args, **kwargs): # export
             name, line = kwargs['caller']
         else:
             name, line = get_caller_pos(1)
-        msg += __pad(name, 20) + '[' + __pad(str(line), 4, True) + ']'
+        msg += misc.pad(name, 20) + '[' + misc.pad(str(line), 4, True) + ']'
 
     if f_color in flags:
         color_on, color_off = prio_colors[prio]
diff --git a/tools/python/jwutils/misc.py b/tools/python/jwutils/misc.py
index 848629b..f70d146 100644
--- a/tools/python/jwutils/misc.py
+++ b/tools/python/jwutils/misc.py
@@ -6,3 +6,12 @@ def silentremove(filename): #export
     except OSError as e:
         if e.errno != errno.ENOENT:
             raise # re-raise exception if a different error occurred
+
+def pad(token, total_size, right_align = False):
+    add = total_size - len(token)
+    if add <= 0:
+        return token
+    space = ' ' * add
+    if right_align:
+        return space + token
+    return token + space