diff --git a/src/core/system.cpp b/src/core/system.cpp
index 208e657c5..0bf2ec654 100644
--- a/src/core/system.cpp
+++ b/src/core/system.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 #include <map>
 
 #include "firmwareVersion.h"
+#include "shuntingYard.h" // for compute() used by the message and sendmail commands
 
 #if defined(EMSESP_TEST)
 #include "../test/test.h"
@@ -194,15 +195,11 @@ bool System::command_sendmail(const char * value, const int8_t id) {
     // msg.headers.addCustom("Importance", PRIORITY);
     // msg.headers.addCustom("X-MSMail-Priority", PRIORITY);
     // msg.headers.addCustom("X-Priority", PRIORITY_NUM);
-    EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.clear();
-    EMSESP::webSchedulerService.raw_value = body.c_str();
-    for (uint16_t wait = 0; wait < 2000 && !EMSESP::webSchedulerService.raw_value.empty(); wait++) {
-        delay(1);
-    }
-    if (!EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.empty()) {
-        body = EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.c_str();
-        EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.clear();
-        EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.shrink_to_fit(); // free allocated memory
+    // run the body through the Shunting Yard calculator (entity substitution, expressions, optional {url} fetch)
+    // keep the original body if the calculator returns nothing
+    std::string computed_body = compute(body.c_str());
+    if (!computed_body.empty()) {
+        body = computed_body.c_str();
     }
     msg.text.body(body);
 
@@ -344,22 +341,16 @@ bool System::command_message(const char * value, const int8_t id, JsonObject out
         return false; // must have a string value
     }
 
-    EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.clear();
-    EMSESP::webSchedulerService.raw_value = value;
-    for (uint16_t wait = 0; wait < 2000 && !EMSESP::webSchedulerService.raw_value.empty(); wait++) {
-        delay(1);
-    }
-
-    if (EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.empty()) {
+    // process the message via the Shunting Yard calculator (entity substitution, expressions, optional {url} fetch)
+    std::string computed_value = compute(value);
+    if (computed_value.empty()) {
         LOG_WARNING("Message result is empty");
         return false;
     }
 
-    LOG_INFO("Message: %s", EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.c_str());  // send to log
-    Mqtt::queue_publish(F_(message), EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value); // send to MQTT if enabled
-    output["api_data"] = EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value;              // send to API
-    EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.clear();
-    EMSESP::webSchedulerService.computed_value.shrink_to_fit();
+    LOG_INFO("Message: %s", computed_value.c_str());  // send to log
+    Mqtt::queue_publish(F_(message), computed_value); // send to MQTT if enabled
+    output["api_data"] = computed_value;              // send to API
     return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/web/WebCommandService.cpp b/src/web/WebCommandService.cpp
index 8da74bb35..6f073d2cf 100644
--- a/src/web/WebCommandService.cpp
+++ b/src/web/WebCommandService.cpp
@@ -141,14 +141,12 @@ bool WebCommandService::dispatchCommand(const char * name, const char * value) {
             if (isUrlCommand(ci->cmd.c_str())) {
                 return queueCommand(name, value);
             }
-            // system/message defers evaluation of its value (via the scheduler's raw_value),
-            // so executing it never blocks - keep it synchronous even if the value has a {url}
-            if (Helpers::toLower(ci->cmd.c_str()) != "system/message") {
-                // the effective value is the override if given, else the command's stored default
-                const std::string effective_value = value ? value : std::string(ci->value.c_str());
-                if (valueContainsUrl(effective_value)) {
-                    return queueCommand(name, value);
-                }
+            // internal command whose value embeds a {url} fetch (e.g. system/message) - the value is
+            // resolved by compute() at execution time and would block, so offload it to the worker task
+            // the effective value is the override if given, else the command's stored default
+            const std::string effective_value = value ? value : std::string(ci->value.c_str());
+            if (valueContainsUrl(effective_value)) {
+                return queueCommand(name, value);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -240,8 +238,8 @@ bool WebCommandService::executeCommand(const char * name, const std::string & co
     // run the value through the shunting-yard calculator so expressions like "custom/heatcnt + 1"
     // are resolved (entity references replaced by their values, then computed). Plain values pass
     // through unchanged. Applies to both URL and internal commands, like the old scheduler code
-    // which computed the value before executing. system/message evaluates its own argument later
-    // (deferred via the scheduler's raw_value), so pre-computing it would run it twice - pass raw.
+    // which computed the value before executing. system/message runs the shunting-yard on its own
+    // argument, so pre-computing it here would run it twice - pass it through raw.
     std::string computed_data = data;
     if (!data.empty() && cmd != "system/message") {
         computed_data = compute(data);
diff --git a/src/web/WebSchedulerService.cpp b/src/web/WebSchedulerService.cpp
index 79c3fe097..d788e0768 100644
--- a/src/web/WebSchedulerService.cpp
+++ b/src/web/WebSchedulerService.cpp
@@ -367,11 +367,6 @@ void WebSchedulerService::loop() {
     static uint32_t last_uptime_min = 0;
     static uint32_t last_uptime_sec = 0;
 
-    if (!raw_value.empty()) {
-        computed_value = compute(raw_value);
-        raw_value.clear();
-    }
-
     if (scheduleItems_->empty()) {
         return;
     }
diff --git a/src/web/WebSchedulerService.h b/src/web/WebSchedulerService.h
index db21f38cf..299ddd2fa 100644
--- a/src/web/WebSchedulerService.h
+++ b/src/web/WebSchedulerService.h
@@ -75,9 +75,6 @@ class WebSchedulerService : public StatefulService<WebScheduler> {
 
     std::string get_metrics_prometheus();
 
-    std::string raw_value;
-    std::string computed_value;
-
 #if defined(EMSESP_TEST)
     void load_test_data();
 #endif