diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index b85a219..4018e3d 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -5,9 +5,31 @@ Known issues:
 - `triton ssh ...` disables ssh ControlMaster to avoid issue #52.
 
 
-## 4.12.1 (not yet released)
+## 4.13.0 (not yet released)
 
-(nothing yet)
+- [#113] *Usage* errors now some "error help", including option or command
+  synopses. Some examples (the new thing is marked with `>`):
+
+  - Command synopses when argument errors:
+
+            $ triton create
+            triton instance create: error (Usage): incorrect number of args
+        >   usage: triton instance create [OPTIONS] IMAGE PACKAGE
+
+  - Option synopsis with option errors:
+
+            $ triton image ls --bogus
+            triton image ls: error (Option): unknown option: "--bogus"
+        >   usage: triton image ls [ --help | -h ] [ --all | -a ] [ -H ] [ -o field1,... ]
+        >       [ --long | -l ] [ -s field1,... ] [ --json | -j ] ...
+
+  - Suggested command name misspellings:
+
+            $ triton in
+            triton: error (UnknownCommand): unknown command: "in"
+        >   Did you mean this?
+        >       info
+        >       inst
 
 
 ## 4.12.0
diff --git a/lib/cli.js b/lib/cli.js
index d5533b8..2dcf50a 100644
--- a/lib/cli.js
+++ b/lib/cli.js
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ CLI.prototype.fini = function fini(subcmd, err, cb) {
         this._tritonapi.close();
         delete this._tritonapi;
     }
-    cb(err, subcmd);
+    cb();
 };
 
 
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@ function main(argv) {
     }
 
     var cli = new CLI();
-    cli.main(argv, function (err, subcmd) {
+    cli.main(argv, function (err) {
         var exitStatus = (err ? err.exitStatus || 1 : 0);
         var showErr = (cli.showErr !== undefined ? cli.showErr : true);
 
@@ -677,7 +677,7 @@ function main(argv) {
                 /* jsl:pass */
             } else if (err.message !== undefined) {
                 /*
-                 * If the err has `body.errors` (as some Triton/SDC APIs do per
+                 * If the err has `body.errors`, as some Triton/SDC APIs do per
                  *      // JSSTYLED
                  *      https://github.com/joyent/eng/blob/master/docs/index.md#error-handling
                  * then append a one-line summary for each error object.
@@ -692,27 +692,14 @@ function main(argv) {
                     });
                 }
 
-                console.error('%s%s: error%s: %s%s',
-                    cli.name,
-                    (subcmd ? ' ' + subcmd : ''),
+                console.error('%s: error%s: %s%s',
+                    cmdln.nameFromErr(err),
                     (code ? format(' (%s)', code) : ''),
                     (cli.showErrStack ? err.stack : err.message),
                     bodyErrors);
-
-                // If this is a usage error, attempt to show some usage info.
-                if (['Usage', 'Option'].indexOf(code) !== -1 && subcmd) {
-                    var help = cli.helpFromSubcmd(subcmd);
-                    if (help && typeof (help) === 'string') {
-                        // Would like a shorter synopsis. Attempt to
-                        // parse it down, somewhat generally. Unfortunately this
-                        // doesn't work for multi-level subcmds, like
-                        // `triton rbac subcmd ...`.
-                        var usageIdx = help.indexOf('\nUsage:');
-                        if (usageIdx !== -1) {
-                            help = help.slice(usageIdx);
-                        }
-                        console.error(help);
-                    }
+                var errHelp = cmdln.errHelpFromErr(err);
+                if (errHelp) {
+                    console.error(errHelp);
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -728,6 +715,7 @@ function main(argv) {
     });
 }
 
+
 //---- exports
 
 module.exports = {
diff --git a/lib/common.js b/lib/common.js
index 54a53fc..ba192cd 100644
--- a/lib/common.js
+++ b/lib/common.js
@@ -129,6 +129,8 @@ function jsonStream(arr, stream) {
  *
  * @param {Array} kvs - an array of key=value pairs
  * @param {Array} valid (optional) - an array to validate pairs
+ *
+ * TODO: merge this with objFromKeyValueArgs !
  */
 function kvToObj(kvs, valid) {
     assert.arrayOfString(kvs, 'kvs');
diff --git a/lib/do_account/do_get.js b/lib/do_account/do_get.js
index d9079d5..5901db1 100644
--- a/lib/do_account/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_account/do_get.js
@@ -58,13 +58,15 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON output.'
     }
 ];
-do_get.help = (
-    'Show account information\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} get\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-);
+
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}}'];
+
+do_get.help = [
+    'Show account information',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}'
+].join('\n');
 
 module.exports = do_get;
diff --git a/lib/do_account/do_update.js b/lib/do_account/do_update.js
index ea0c0c4..fa0f62f 100644
--- a/lib/do_account/do_update.js
+++ b/lib/do_account/do_update.js
@@ -148,13 +148,17 @@ do_update.options = [
             'JSON from stdin.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_update.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} [FIELD=VALUE ...]',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -f JSON-FILE'
+];
+
 do_update.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Update account information',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} update [FIELD=VALUE ...]',
-    '     {{name}} update -f JSON-FILE',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
 
diff --git a/lib/do_cloudapi.js b/lib/do_cloudapi.js
index 7f21c4c..e0ed906 100644
--- a/lib/do_cloudapi.js
+++ b/lib/do_cloudapi.js
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ function do_cloudapi(subcmd, opts, args, callback) {
             reqOpts.data = JSON.parse(opts.data);
         } catch (parseErr) {
             callback(new errors.TritonError(parseErr,
-                'given <data> is not valid JSON: ' + parseErr.message));
+                'given DATA is not valid JSON: ' + parseErr.message));
             return;
         }
     }
@@ -94,13 +94,13 @@ do_cloudapi.options = [
     {
         names: ['method', 'X'],
         type: 'string',
-        helpArg: '<method>',
+        helpArg: 'METHOD',
         help: 'Request method to use. Default is "GET".'
     },
     {
         names: ['header', 'H'],
         type: 'arrayOfString',
-        helpArg: '<header>',
+        helpArg: 'HEADER',
         help: 'Headers to send with request.'
     },
     {
@@ -111,19 +111,25 @@ do_cloudapi.options = [
     {
         names: ['data', 'd'],
         type: 'string',
-        helpArg: '<data>',
+        helpArg: 'DATA',
         help: 'Add POST data. This must be valid JSON.'
     }
 ];
-do_cloudapi.help = (
-    'Raw cloudapi request.\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} cloudapi [-X <method>] [-H <header=value>] \\\n'
-    + '         [-d <data>] <endpoint>\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-);
+
+do_cloudapi.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} [-X METHOD] [-H HEADER=VAL] [-d DATA] ENDPOINT'
+];
+
+do_cloudapi.help = [
+    'Raw cloudapi request.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Examples:',
+    '    {{name}} {{cmd}} /--ping',
+    '    {{name}} {{cmd}} /my/machines'
+].join('\n');
 
 do_cloudapi.hidden = true;
 
diff --git a/lib/do_datacenters.js b/lib/do_datacenters.js
index 310957d..afb45b2 100644
--- a/lib/do_datacenters.js
+++ b/lib/do_datacenters.js
@@ -75,15 +75,16 @@ do_datacenters.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
-do_datacenters.help = (
-    'Show datacenters in this cloud.\n'
-    + 'A "cloud" is a set of related datacenters that share account\n'
-    + 'information.\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} datacenters\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-);
+do_datacenters.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}}'];
+
+do_datacenters.help = [
+    'Show datacenters in this cloud.',
+    'A "cloud" is a set of related datacenters that share account',
+    'information.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}'
+].join('\n');
 
 module.exports = do_datacenters;
diff --git a/lib/do_env.js b/lib/do_env.js
index 4a44646..9653879 100644
--- a/lib/do_env.js
+++ b/lib/do_env.js
@@ -198,7 +198,8 @@ do_env.options = [
     }
 ];
 
-// TODO: support env for docker usage.
+do_env.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [PROFILE]'];
+
 do_env.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Emit shell commands to setup environment.',
@@ -207,8 +208,7 @@ do_env.help = [
     'and node-triton itself. By default this emits the environment for all',
     'supported tools. Use options to be specific.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} env [PROFILE]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'If no options are given, environment variables are emitted for all clients.',
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_create.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_create.js
index cc24858..d1ec831 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_create.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_create.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ function do_create(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
         return;
     }
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <fwrule> argument'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing FWRULE argument'));
         return;
     } else if (args.length > 1) {
         cb(new errors.UsageError('incorrect number of arguments'));
@@ -79,17 +79,31 @@ do_create.options = [
     {
         names: ['description', 'D'],
         type: 'string',
-        helpArg: '<desc>',
+        helpArg: 'DESC',
         help: 'Description of the firewall rule.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_create.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] RULE-TEXT'];
+
 do_create.help = [
+    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Create a firewall rule.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} create [<options>] <fwrule>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Examples:',
+    '    # Allow SSH access from any IP to all instances in a datacenter.',
+    '    triton fwrule create -D "ssh" "FROM any TO all vms ALLOW tcp PORT 22"',
+    '',
+    '    # Allow SSH access to a specific instance.',
+    '    triton fwrule create \\',
+    '        "FROM any TO vm ba2c95e9-1cdf-4295-8253-3fee371374d9 ALLOW tcp PORT 22"'
+    // TODO: link to
+    // https://github.com/joyent/sdc-fwrule/blob/master/docs/examples.md
+    // or docs.jo Cloud Firewall examples? What link? Ditto in parent.
+    /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_create.helpOpts = {
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_delete.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_delete.js
index 62f1a89..b4369d8 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_delete.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_delete.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ function do_delete(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length < 1) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <fwrule-id> argument(s)'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing FWRULE argument(s)'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -96,13 +96,16 @@ do_delete.options = [
         help: 'Skip confirmation of delete.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_delete.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} FWRULE [FWRULE ...]'];
+
 do_delete.help = [
     'Remove a firewall rule.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} delete [<options>] <fwrule-id> [<fwrule-id>...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where FWRULE is a firewall rule id (full UUID) or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_delete.aliases = ['rm'];
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_disable.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_disable.js
index 0be5104..7ea887b 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_disable.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_disable.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ function do_disable(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('Missing <fwrule-id> argument(s)'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing FWRULE argument(s)'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -56,13 +56,16 @@ do_disable.options = [
         help: 'Show this help.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_disable.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} FWRULE [FWRULE ...]'];
+
 do_disable.help = [
     'Disable a specific firewall rule.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} disable <fwrule-id> [<fwrule-id>...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where FWRULE is a firewall rule id (full UUID) or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_disable.completionArgtypes = ['tritonfwrule'];
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_enable.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_enable.js
index 32ae1ef..4f22747 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_enable.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_enable.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ function do_enable(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('Missing <fwrule-id> argument(s)'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing FWRULE argument(s)'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -56,13 +56,16 @@ do_enable.options = [
         help: 'Show this help.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_enable.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} FWRULE [FWRULE ...]'];
+
 do_enable.help = [
     'Enable a specific firewall rule.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} enable <fwrule-id> [<fwrule-id>...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where FWRULE is a firewall rule id (full UUID) or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_enable.completionArgtypes = ['tritonfwrule'];
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_get.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_get.js
index 88244bd..b919036 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_get.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ function do_get(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <fwrule-id> argument'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing FWRULE argument'));
         return;
     } else if (args.length > 1) {
         cb(new errors.UsageError('incorrect number of arguments'));
@@ -64,13 +64,16 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON stream output.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} FWRULE'];
+
 do_get.help = [
     'Show a specific firewall rule.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} get <fwrule-id>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where FWRULE is a firewall rule id (full UUID) or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_get.completionArgtypes = ['tritonfwrule', 'none'];
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_instances.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_instances.js
index 2931a09..34911a0 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_instances.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_instances.js
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ function do_instances(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <fwrule-id> argument'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing FWRULE argument'));
         return;
     } else if (args.length > 1) {
         cb(new errors.UsageError('incorrect number of arguments'));
@@ -135,14 +135,16 @@ do_instances.options = [
     sortDefault: SORT_DEFAULT
 }));
 
+do_instances.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] FWRULE'];
+
 do_instances.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'List instances a firewall rule is applied to.',
+    'List instances to which a firewall rule applies',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} instances [<options>] <fwrule-id>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
+    'Where FWRULE is a firewall rule id (full UUID) or short id.',
     '',
     'Fields (most are self explanatory, "*" indicates a field added client-side',
     'for convenience):',
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_list.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_list.js
index daec3e4..108d4f0 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_list.js
@@ -84,11 +84,12 @@ do_list.options = [
     sortDefault: SORT_DEFAULT
 }));
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
+
 do_list.help = [
     'Show all firewall rules.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '   {{name}} list [<options>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}'
 ].join('\n');
diff --git a/lib/do_fwrule/do_update.js b/lib/do_fwrule/do_update.js
index e9c62e0..8238c61 100644
--- a/lib/do_fwrule/do_update.js
+++ b/lib/do_fwrule/do_update.js
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ function do_update(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     var tritonapi = this.top.tritonapi;
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <fwrule-id> argument'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing FWRULE argument'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -164,17 +164,20 @@ do_update.options = [
     {
         names: ['file', 'f'],
         type: 'string',
-        helpArg: '<json-file>',
+        helpArg: 'JSON-FILE',
         help: 'A file holding a JSON file of updates, or "-" to read ' +
             'JSON from stdin.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_update.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} FWRULE [FIELD=VALUE ...]',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -f JSON-FILE FWRULE'
+];
 do_update.help = [
     'Update a firewall rule',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} update <fwrule-id> [FIELD=VALUE ...]',
-    '     {{name}} update -f <json-file> <fwrule-id>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
 
@@ -182,7 +185,8 @@ do_update.help = [
     '    ' + Object.keys(UPDATE_FWRULE_FIELDS).sort().map(function (f) {
         return f + ' (' + UPDATE_FWRULE_FIELDS[f] + ')';
     }).join('\n    '),
-    ''
+    '',
+    'Where FWRULE is a firewall rule id (full UUID) or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_update.completionArgtypes = ['tritonfwrule', 'tritonupdatefwrulefield'];
diff --git a/lib/do_image/do_create.js b/lib/do_image/do_create.js
index e859857..c63634c 100644
--- a/lib/do_image/do_create.js
+++ b/lib/do_image/do_create.js
@@ -250,16 +250,20 @@ do_create.options = [
     }
 ];
 
-do_create.help = (
+do_create.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST IMAGE-NAME IMAGE-VERSION'
+];
+
+do_create.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'Create a new instance.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} create [<options>] INSTANCE IMAGE-NAME IMAGE-VERSION\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}'
+    'Create a new instance.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+].join('\n');
 
 do_create.helpOpts = {
     maxHelpCol: 20
diff --git a/lib/do_image/do_delete.js b/lib/do_image/do_delete.js
index 2a7e72b..a11501b 100644
--- a/lib/do_image/do_delete.js
+++ b/lib/do_image/do_delete.js
@@ -125,19 +125,21 @@ function do_delete(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     });
 }
 
+do_delete.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] IMAGE [IMAGE ...]'];
+
 do_delete.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Delete one or more images.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '       {{name}} delete IMAGE [IMAGE...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where "IMAGE" is an image ID (a full UUID), an image name (selects the',
+    'Where "IMAGE" is an image id (a full UUID), an image name (selects the',
     'latest, by "published_at", image with that name), an image "name@version"',
     '(selects latest match by "published_at"), or an image short ID (ID prefix).'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
+
 do_delete.options = [
     {
         names: ['help', 'h'],
diff --git a/lib/do_image/do_get.js b/lib/do_image/do_get.js
index 1eca39e..4e22268 100644
--- a/lib/do_image/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_image/do_get.js
@@ -50,22 +50,24 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON stream output.'
     }
 ];
-do_get.help = (
+
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] IMAGE'];
+
+do_get.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'Get an image.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} get [<options>] ID|NAME\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}' +
-    '\n' +
-    'If there is more than one image with the given "NAME", the latest\n' +
-    'image (by "published_at") is returned.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Note: Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change\n' +
-    'in the future. Use "-j" to explicitly get JSON output.\n'
+    'Get an image.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where "IMAGE" is an image id (a full UUID), an image name (selects the',
+    'latest, by "published_at", image with that name), an image "name@version"',
+    '(selects latest match by "published_at"), or an image short ID (ID prefix).',
+    '',
+    'Note: Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change',
+    'in the future. Use "-j" to explicitly get JSON output.'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+].join('\n');
 
 do_get.completionArgtypes = ['tritonimage', 'none'];
 
diff --git a/lib/do_image/do_list.js b/lib/do_image/do_list.js
index 0889d3f..d9b917c 100644
--- a/lib/do_image/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_image/do_list.js
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ do_list.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] [FILTERS]'];
+
 do_list.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'List images.',
@@ -130,8 +132,7 @@ do_list.help = [
     'You must use `docker images` against the Docker service for this data center.',
     'See <https://apidocs.joyent.com/docker>.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} list [<options>] [<filters>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Filters:',
diff --git a/lib/do_image/do_wait.js b/lib/do_image/do_wait.js
index f7cec9f..c887cec 100644
--- a/lib/do_image/do_wait.js
+++ b/lib/do_image/do_wait.js
@@ -112,11 +112,12 @@ function do_wait(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     });
 }
 
+do_wait.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [-s STATES] IMAGE [IMAGE ...]'];
+
 do_wait.help = [
     'Wait for images to change to a particular state.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} wait [-s STATES] IMAGE [IMAGE ...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Where "states" is a comma-separated list of target instance states,',
diff --git a/lib/do_info.js b/lib/do_info.js
index c67d9e4..af0f94c 100644
--- a/lib/do_info.js
+++ b/lib/do_info.js
@@ -105,13 +105,15 @@ do_info.options = [
         help: 'JSON output.'
     }
 ];
-do_info.help = (
-    'Print an account summary.\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} info\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-);
+
+do_info.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}}'];
+
+do_info.help = [
+    'Print an account summary.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}'
+].join('\n');
 
 module.exports = do_info;
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_audit.js b/lib/do_instance/do_audit.js
index 04e8496..82b09f8 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_audit.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_audit.js
@@ -28,13 +28,15 @@ var sortDefault = 'id,time';
 
 function do_audit(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     var self = this;
-
     if (opts.help) {
         this.do_help('help', {}, [subcmd], cb);
         return;
-    } else if (args.length !== 1) {
-        //XXX Support multiple machines.
-        return cb(new Error('incorrect args: ' + args));
+    } else if (args.length === 0) {
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST argument'));
+        return;
+    } else if (args.length > 1) {
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('too many arguments: ' + args));
+        return;
     }
 
     var columns = columnsDefault;
@@ -102,14 +104,15 @@ do_audit.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
-do_audit.help = (
-    'List instance actions.\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} audit <alias|id>\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-);
+do_audit.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST'];
+do_audit.help = [
+    'List instance actions.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.'
+].join('\n');
 
 do_audit.completionArgtypes = ['tritoninstance', 'none'];
 
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_create.js b/lib/do_instance/do_create.js
index 7bc6867..0562dc1 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_create.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_create.js
@@ -498,16 +498,20 @@ do_create.options = [
     }
 ];
 
-do_create.help = (
+do_create.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] IMAGE PACKAGE'];
+
+do_create.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'Create a new instance.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} create [<options>] IMAGE PACKAGE\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}'
+    'Create a new instance.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where IMAGE is an image name, name@version, id, or short id (from ',
+    '`triton image list`) and PACKAGE is a package name, id, or short id',
+    '(from `triton package list`).'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+].join('\n');
 
 do_create.helpOpts = {
     maxHelpCol: 16
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_disable_firewall.js b/lib/do_instance/do_disable_firewall.js
index 9cf7d8b..370c542 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_disable_firewall.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_disable_firewall.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ function do_disable_firewall(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('Missing <inst> argument(s)'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST argument(s)'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -88,13 +88,16 @@ do_disable_firewall.options = [
         help: 'Wait for the firewall to be disabled.'
     }
 ];
+do_disable_firewall.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} disable-firewall [OPTIONS] INST [INST ...]'
+];
 do_disable_firewall.help = [
     'Disable the firewall of one or more instances.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} disable-firewall [<options>] <inst> [<inst>...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_disable_firewall.completionArgtypes = ['tritoninstance'];
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_enable_firewall.js b/lib/do_instance/do_enable_firewall.js
index 2d64025..ea15610 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_enable_firewall.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_enable_firewall.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ function do_enable_firewall(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('Missing <inst> argument(s)'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST argument(s)'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -88,13 +88,16 @@ do_enable_firewall.options = [
         help: 'Wait for the firewall to be enabled.'
     }
 ];
+do_enable_firewall.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} enable-firewall [OPTIONS] INST [INST ...]'
+];
 do_enable_firewall.help = [
     'Enable the firewall of one or more instances.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} enable-firewall [<options>] <inst> [<inst>...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_enable_firewall.completionArgtypes = ['tritoninstance'];
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_fwrules.js b/lib/do_instance/do_fwrules.js
index 32da3c7..bf06fad 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_fwrules.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_fwrules.js
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ function do_fwrules(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <inst> argument'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST argument'));
         return;
     } else if (args.length > 1) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('incorrect number of arguments'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('too many arguments: ' + args.join(' ')));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -91,13 +91,15 @@ do_fwrules.options = [
     sortDefault: SORT_DEFAULT
 }));
 
+do_fwrules.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST'];
+
 do_fwrules.help = [
     'Show firewall rules applied to an instance.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} fwrules [<options>] <inst>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_fwrules.completionArgtypes = ['tritoninstance', 'none'];
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_get.js b/lib/do_instance/do_get.js
index 05dd084..18afe2d 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_get.js
@@ -43,22 +43,24 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON output.'
     }
 ];
-do_get.help = (
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST'];
+do_get.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'Get an instance.\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} get <alias|id>\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'A *deleted* instance may still respond with the instance object. In that\n'
-    + 'case a the instance will be print *and* an error will be raised.\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change\n'
-    + 'in the future. Use "-j" to explicitly get JSON output.\n'
+    'Get an instance.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    '',
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.',
+    '',
+    'A *deleted* instance may still respond with the instance object. In that',
+    'case a the instance will be print *and* an error will be raised.',
+    '',
+    'Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change',
+    'in the future. Use "-j" to explicitly get JSON output.'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+].join('\n');
 
 do_get.completionArgtypes = ['tritoninstance', 'none'];
 
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_ip.js b/lib/do_instance/do_ip.js
index ff6ee39..9dd5af7 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_ip.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_ip.js
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ function do_ip(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
         this.do_help('help', {}, [subcmd], cb);
         return;
     } else if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <inst> argument'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST argument'));
         return;
     } else if (args.length > 1) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('too many arguments: ' + args));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('too many arguments: ' + args.join(' ')));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -54,14 +54,16 @@ do_ip.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_ip.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} INST'];
+
 do_ip.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'Print the primaryIp of the given instance.',
+    'Print the primary IP of the given instance.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} ip <inst>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.',
     'For example: ssh root@$(triton ip my-instance)'
 ].join('\n');
 
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_list.js b/lib/do_instance/do_list.js
index 418162b..64dfe14 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_list.js
@@ -159,12 +159,13 @@ do_list.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] [FILTERS...]'];
+
 do_list.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'List instances.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} list [<filters>...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Filters:',
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_create.js b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_create.js
index 6c42f61..d8aa522 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_create.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_create.js
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ do_create.options = [
     {
         names: ['name', 'n'],
         type: 'string',
-        helpArg: '<snapname>',
+        helpArg: 'SNAPNAME',
         help: 'An optional name for a snapshot.'
     },
     {
@@ -123,11 +123,13 @@ do_create.options = [
         help: 'Wait for the creation to complete.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_create.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST'];
+
 do_create.help = [
     'Create a snapshot of an instance.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} create [<options>] <inst>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Snapshot do not work for instances of type "kvm".'
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_delete.js b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_delete.js
index 681f8a9..99d6c9b 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_delete.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_delete.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ function do_delete(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length < 2) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <inst> and <snapname> argument(s)'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST and SNAPNAME argument(s)'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -139,11 +139,13 @@ do_delete.options = [
         help: 'Wait for the deletion to complete.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_delete.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST SNAPNAME [SNAPNAME...]'];
+
 do_delete.help = [
     'Remove a snapshot from an instance.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} delete [<options>] <inst> <snapname> [<snapname>...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}'
 ].join('\n');
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_get.js b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_get.js
index 79e442b..437a724 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_get.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ function do_get(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length < 2) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <inst> and/or <snapname> arguments'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST and/or SNAPNAME arguments'));
         return;
     } else if (args.length > 2) {
         cb(new errors.UsageError('incorrect number of arguments'));
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ function do_get(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     });
 }
 
-
 do_get.options = [
     {
         names: ['help', 'h'],
@@ -68,11 +67,13 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON stream output.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST SNAPNAME'];
+
 do_get.help = [
     'Show a specific snapshot of an instance.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} get <inst> <snapname>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}'
 ].join('\n');
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_list.js b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_list.js
index 70686c0..622f576 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/do_list.js
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ function do_list(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     }
 
     if (args.length === 0) {
-        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing <inst> argument'));
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST argument'));
         return;
     } else if (args.length > 1) {
         cb(new errors.UsageError('incorrect number of arguments'));
@@ -84,11 +84,12 @@ do_list.options = [
     sortDefault: SORT_DEFAULT
 }));
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] INST'];
+
 do_list.help = [
     'Show all of an instance\'s snapshots.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} list [<options>] <inst>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}'
 ].join('\n');
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/index.js b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/index.js
index 471dc6f..ba65a97 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/index.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_snapshot/index.js
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ function SnapshotCLI(top) {
             'delete'
         ],
         helpBody: 'Instances can be rolled back to a snapshot using\n' +
-                  '`triton instance start --snapshot=<snapname>`.'
+                  '`triton instance start --snapshot=SNAPNAME`.'
     });
 }
 util.inherits(SnapshotCLI, Cmdln);
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_ssh.js b/lib/do_instance/do_ssh.js
index ee1d035..bdf8fed 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_ssh.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_ssh.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ var path = require('path');
 var spawn = require('child_process').spawn;
 
 var common = require('../common');
+var errors = require('../errors');
 
 
 function do_ssh(subcmd, opts, args, callback) {
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ function do_ssh(subcmd, opts, args, callback) {
         this.do_help('help', {}, [subcmd], callback);
         return;
     } else if (args.length === 0) {
-        callback(new Error('invalid args: ' + args));
+        callback(new errors.UsageError('missing INST arg'));
         return;
     }
 
@@ -94,23 +95,23 @@ do_ssh.options = [
         help: 'Show this help.'
     }
 ];
+do_ssh.synopses = ['{{name}} ssh [-h] INST [SSH-ARGUMENTS]'];
 do_ssh.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'SSH to the primary IP of an instance',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} ssh [-h] [-M] <inst> [<ssh-arguments>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where <inst> is the name, short ID or ID of a given instance. Note that',
-    'the <inst> argument must come before any `ssh` options or arguments.',
+    'Where INST is the name, id, or short id of an instance. Note that',
+    'the INST argument must come before any `ssh` options or arguments.',
     '',
     'There is a known issue with SSH connection multiplexing (a.k.a. ',
     'ControlMaster, mux) where stdout/stderr is lost. As a workaround, `ssh`',
     'is spawned with options disabling ControlMaster. See ',
     '<https://github.com/joyent/node-triton/issues/52> for details. If you ',
     'want to use ControlMaster, an alternative is:',
-    '    ssh root@$(triton ip <inst>)'
+    '    ssh root@$(triton ip INST)'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_delete.js b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_delete.js
index 591468e..deeb518 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_delete.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_delete.js
@@ -91,20 +91,21 @@ do_delete.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_delete.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} INST [NAME ...]',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} --all INST       # delete all tags'
+];
+
 do_delete.help = [
-    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Delete one or more instance tags.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} delete <inst> [<name> ...]',
-    '     {{name}} delete --all <inst>          # delete all tags',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where <inst> is an instance id, name, or shortid and <name> is a tag name.',
+    'Where INST is an instance id, name, or shortid and NAME is a tag name.',
     '',
     'Changing instance tags is asynchronous. Use "--wait" to not return until',
     'the changes are completed.'
-    /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_delete.aliases = ['rm'];
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_get.js b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_get.js
index 776c656..9060300 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_get.js
@@ -53,16 +53,15 @@ do_get.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} INST NAME'];
+
 do_get.help = [
-    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Get an instance tag.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} get <inst> <name>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where <inst> is an instance id, name, or shortid and <name> is a tag name.'
-    /* END JSSTYLED */
+    'Where INST is an instance id, name, or shortid and NAME is a tag name.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 // TODO: When have 'tritoninstancetag' completion, add that in.
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_list.js b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_list.js
index cd2a3b8..60023ef 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_list.js
@@ -49,19 +49,18 @@ do_list.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} INST'];
+
 do_list.help = [
-    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'List instance tags.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} list <inst>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where <inst> is an instance id, name, or shortid.',
+    'Where INST is an instance id, name, or shortid.',
     '',
     'Note: Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change',
     'in the future. Use "-j" to explicitly get JSON output.'
-    /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_list.aliases = ['ls'];
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_replace_all.js b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_replace_all.js
index 384dc7c..fa6f643 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_replace_all.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_replace_all.js
@@ -108,17 +108,19 @@ do_replace_all.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_replace_all.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} INST [NAME=VALUE ...]',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} INST -f FILE          # tags from file'
+];
+
 do_replace_all.help = [
-    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Replace all tags on the given instance.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} replace-all <inst> [<name>=<value> ...]',
-    '     {{name}} replace-all <inst> -f <file>        # tags from file',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where <inst> is an instance id, name, or shortid; <name> is a tag name;',
-    'and <value> is a tag value (bool and numeric "value" are converted to ',
+    'Where INST is an instance id, name, or shortid; NAME is a tag name;',
+    'and VALUE is a tag value (bool and numeric "value" are converted to ',
     'that type).',
     '',
     'Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change in the',
@@ -126,7 +128,6 @@ do_replace_all.help = [
     '',
     'Changing instance tags is asynchronous. Use "--wait" to not return until',
     'the changes are completed.'
-    /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_replace_all.completionArgtypes = ['tritoninstance', 'file'];
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_set.js b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_set.js
index 77556aa..8040e63 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_set.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_tag/do_set.js
@@ -109,17 +109,20 @@ do_set.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_set.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} set INST [NAME=VALUE ...]',
+    '{{name}} set INST -f FILE            # tags from file'
+];
+
 do_set.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Set one or more instance tags.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} set <inst> [<name>=<value> ...]',
-    '     {{name}} set <inst> -f <file>             # tags from file',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where <inst> is an instance id, name, or shortid; <name> is a tag name;',
-    'and <value> is a tag value (bool and numeric "value" are converted to ',
+    'Where INST is an instance id, name, or shortid; NAME is a tag name;',
+    'and VALUE is a tag value (bool and numeric "value" are converted to ',
     'that type).',
     '',
     'Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change in the',
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/do_wait.js b/lib/do_instance/do_wait.js
index 3e220ad..529acb2 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/do_wait.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/do_wait.js
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ function do_wait(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     if (opts.help) {
         return this.do_help('help', {}, [subcmd], cb);
     } else if (args.length < 1) {
-        return cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INSTANCE arg(s)'));
+        return cb(new errors.UsageError('missing INST arg(s)'));
     }
     var ids = args;
     var states = [];
@@ -110,16 +110,19 @@ function do_wait(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     });
 }
 
+do_wait.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [-s STATES] INST [INST ...]'];
 do_wait.help = [
+    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Wait on instances changing state.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '       {{name}} wait [-s STATES] INSTANCE [INSTANCE ...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
-    'Where "states" is a comma-separated list of target instance states,',
-    'by default "running,failed". In other words, "triton inst wait foo0" will',
-    'wait for instance "foo0" to complete provisioning.'
+    'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id; and "STATES" is a',
+    'comma-separated list of target instance states, by default "running,failed".',
+    'In other words, "triton inst wait foo0" will wait for instance "foo0" to',
+    'complete provisioning.'
+    /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 do_wait.options = [
     {
diff --git a/lib/do_instance/gen_do_ACTION.js b/lib/do_instance/gen_do_ACTION.js
index 09489f5..1e86fc7 100644
--- a/lib/do_instance/gen_do_ACTION.js
+++ b/lib/do_instance/gen_do_ACTION.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 /*
- * Copyright 2015 Joyent, Inc.
+ * Copyright 2016 Joyent, Inc.
  *
  * Shared support for:
  * `triton instance start ...`
@@ -18,9 +18,7 @@ var assert = require('assert-plus');
 var vasync = require('vasync');
 
 var common = require('../common');
-
-
-var f = require('util').format;
+var errors = require('../errors');
 
 
 function perror(err) {
@@ -40,18 +38,20 @@ function gen_do_ACTION(opts) {
     function do_ACTION(subcmd, _opts, args, callback) {
         return _doTheAction.call(this, action, subcmd, _opts, args, callback);
     }
+    do_ACTION.name = 'do_' + action;
 
     if (opts.aliases) {
         do_ACTION.aliases = opts.aliases;
     }
 
+    do_ACTION.synopses = ['{{name}} ' + action + ' [OPTIONS] INST [INST ...]'];
     do_ACTION.help = [
-        f('%s one or more instances.', common.capitalize(action)),
-        f(''),
-        f('Usage:'),
-        f('     {{name}} %s <alias|id> ...', action),
-        f(''),
-        f('{{options}}')
+        common.capitalize(action) + ' one or more instances.',
+        '',
+        '{{usage}}',
+        '',
+        '{{options}}',
+        'Where "INST" is an instance name, id, or short id.'
     ].join('\n');
     do_ACTION.options = [
         {
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ function gen_do_ACTION(opts) {
         do_ACTION.options.push({
             names: ['snapshot'],
             type: 'string',
-            help: 'Name of snapshot to start machine with.'
+            help: 'Name of snapshot with which to start the instance.',
+            helpArg: 'SNAPNAME'
         });
     }
 
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ function _doTheAction(action, subcmd, opts, args, callback) {
         this.do_help('help', {}, [subcmd], callback);
         return;
     } else if (args.length < 1) {
-        callback(new Error('invalid args: ' + args));
+        callback(new errors.UsageError('missing INST arg(s)'));
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/do_key/do_add.js b/lib/do_key/do_add.js
index d767006..15b5d5a 100644
--- a/lib/do_key/do_add.js
+++ b/lib/do_key/do_add.js
@@ -125,11 +125,13 @@ do_add.options = [
         help: 'An optional name for an added key.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_add.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] FILE'];
+
 do_add.help = [
     'Add an SSH key to an account.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} add [<options>] FILE',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Where "FILE" must be a file path to an SSH public key, ',
diff --git a/lib/do_key/do_delete.js b/lib/do_key/do_delete.js
index 64ca8b7..69e77d2 100644
--- a/lib/do_key/do_delete.js
+++ b/lib/do_key/do_delete.js
@@ -104,11 +104,13 @@ do_delete.options = [
         help: 'Answer yes to confirmation to delete.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_delete.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] KEY [KEY ...]'];
+
 do_delete.help = [
     'Remove an SSH key from an account.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} delete [<options>] KEY [KEY...]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Where "KEY" is an SSH key "name" or "fingerprint".'
diff --git a/lib/do_key/do_get.js b/lib/do_key/do_get.js
index c37f62d..92fd43a 100644
--- a/lib/do_key/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_key/do_get.js
@@ -67,11 +67,13 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON stream output.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} KEY'];
+
 do_get.help = [
     'Show a specific SSH key in an account.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} get KEY',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Where "KEY" is an SSH key "name" or "fingerprint".'
diff --git a/lib/do_key/do_list.js b/lib/do_key/do_list.js
index a6ddd1a..69f9c4b 100644
--- a/lib/do_key/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_key/do_list.js
@@ -90,11 +90,11 @@ do_list.options = [
     }
 ]);
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
 do_list.help = [
     'Show all of an account\'s SSH keys.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} list [<options>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}'
 ].join('\n');
diff --git a/lib/do_network/do_get.js b/lib/do_network/do_get.js
index 7283b80..8d62ed3 100644
--- a/lib/do_network/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_network/do_get.js
@@ -51,14 +51,17 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON output.'
     }
 ];
-do_get.help = (
-    'Show a network.\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} get <id|name>\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-);
+
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} NETWORK'];
+
+do_get.help = [
+    'Show a network.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where NETWORK is a network id (full UUID), name, or short id.'
+].join('\n');
 
 do_get.completionArgtypes = ['tritonnetwork', 'none'];
 
diff --git a/lib/do_network/do_list.js b/lib/do_network/do_list.js
index 43bc0f4..b3bd3c9 100644
--- a/lib/do_network/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_network/do_list.js
@@ -85,17 +85,17 @@ do_list.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}}'];
+
 do_list.help = [
     'List available networks.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} list',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
+    '{{options}}',
     'Fields (most are self explanatory, the client adds some for convenience):',
     '    vlan       A shorter alias for "vlan_id".',
-    '    shortid    A short ID prefix.',
-    '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    '    shortid    A short ID prefix.'
 ].join('\n');
 
 do_list.aliases = ['ls'];
diff --git a/lib/do_package/do_get.js b/lib/do_package/do_get.js
index 34e432b..d02b3a5 100644
--- a/lib/do_package/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_package/do_get.js
@@ -50,21 +50,23 @@ do_get.options = [
         help: 'JSON stream output.'
     }
 ];
-do_get.help = (
+
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] PACKAGE'];
+
+do_get.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'Get a package.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} get [<options>] ID|NAME\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}' +
-    '\n' +
-    'The given "NAME" must be a unique match.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Note: Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change\n' +
-    'in the future. Use "-j" to explicitly get JSON output.\n'
+    'Get a package.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    '',
+    'Where PACKAGE is a package id (full UUID), exact name, or short id.',
+    '',
+    'Note: Currently this dumps prettified JSON by default. That might change',
+    'in the future. Use "-j" to explicitly get JSON output.'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+].join('\n');
 
 do_get.completionArgtypes = ['tritonpackage', 'none'];
 
diff --git a/lib/do_package/do_list.js b/lib/do_package/do_list.js
index 72bdd4d..b7ba5a0 100644
--- a/lib/do_package/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_package/do_list.js
@@ -28,10 +28,10 @@ var validFilters = [
 ];
 
 // columns default without -o
-var columnsDefault = 'shortid,name,default,memory,swap,disk,vcpus';
+var columnsDefault = 'shortid,name,memory,swap,disk,vcpus';
 
 // columns default with -l
-var columnsDefaultLong = 'id,name,default,memory,swap,disk,vcpus';
+var columnsDefaultLong = 'id,name,memory,swap,disk,vcpus,description';
 
 // sort default with -s
 var sortDefault = '_groupPlus,memory';
@@ -154,12 +154,12 @@ do_list.options = [
     }
 ]);
 
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [FILTERS]'];
 do_list.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'List packages.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} list [<filters>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Filters:',
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ do_list.help = [
     '  zero is shown as "-" in tabular output.',
     '',
     'Examples:',
-    '    {{name}} packages memory=8192   # list packages with 8G RAM'
+    '    {{name}} list memory=8192   # list packages with 8G RAM'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
diff --git a/lib/do_package/index.js b/lib/do_package/index.js
index 7823a2b..e64c1ca 100644
--- a/lib/do_package/index.js
+++ b/lib/do_package/index.js
@@ -23,7 +23,11 @@ function PackageCLI(top) {
         name: top.name + ' package',
         /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
         desc: [
-            'List and get Triton packages.'
+            'List and get Triton packages.',
+            '',
+            'A package is a collection of attributes -- for example disk quota,',
+            'amount of RAM -- used when creating an instance. They have a name',
+            'and ID for identification.'
         ].join('\n'),
         /* END JSSTYLED */
         helpOpts: {
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/do_create.js b/lib/do_profile/do_create.js
index 493ad05..6a9f979 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/do_create.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/do_create.js
@@ -366,11 +366,11 @@ do_create.options = [
 ];
 
 
+do_create.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
 do_create.help = [
     'Create a Triton CLI profile.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} create <options>',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     '',
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/do_delete.js b/lib/do_profile/do_delete.js
index 3210209..256253e 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/do_delete.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/do_delete.js
@@ -120,11 +120,11 @@ do_delete.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_delete.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} PROFILE'];
 do_delete.help = [
     'Delete a Triton CLI profile.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} delete NAME',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}'
 ].join('\n');
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/do_docker_setup.js b/lib/do_profile/do_docker_setup.js
index 0dedb7c..048792e 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/do_docker_setup.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/do_docker_setup.js
@@ -33,12 +33,12 @@ do_docker_setup.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_docker_setup.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [PROFILE]'];
 do_docker_setup.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Setup for using Docker with the current Triton CLI profile.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} docker-setup [PROFILE]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'A Triton datacenter can act as a virtual Docker Engine, where the entire',
@@ -54,5 +54,6 @@ do_docker_setup.help = [
     /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
+do_docker_setup.completionArgtypes = ['tritonprofile', 'none'];
 
 module.exports = do_docker_setup;
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/do_edit.js b/lib/do_profile/do_edit.js
index 8ca967b..ed3f6fb 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/do_edit.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/do_edit.js
@@ -154,11 +154,11 @@ do_edit.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_edit.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [PROFILE]'];
 do_edit.help = [
     'Edit a Triton CLI profile in your $EDITOR.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} edit [NAME]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}'
 ].join('\n');
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/do_get.js b/lib/do_profile/do_get.js
index 6ff59d3..8831a14 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/do_get.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/do_get.js
@@ -74,15 +74,16 @@ do_get.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_get.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [PROFILE]'];
 do_get.help = [
     'Get a Triton CLI profile.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} get [NAME]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'If NAME is not specified, the current profile is shown.'
 ].join('\n');
 
+do_get.completionArgtypes = ['tritonprofile', 'none'];
 
 module.exports = do_get;
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/do_list.js b/lib/do_profile/do_list.js
index 0c1ef59..1597fbf 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/do_list.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/do_list.js
@@ -112,22 +112,21 @@ do_list.options = [
     includeLong: true,
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
+do_list.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
 do_list.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'List Triton CLI profiles.',
     '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
     'A profile is a configured Triton CloudAPI endpoint and associated info.',
     'I.e. the URL, account name, SSH key fingerprint, etc. information required',
     'to call a CloudAPI endpoint in a Triton datacenter. You can then switch',
     'between profiles with `triton -p PROFILE`, the TRITON_PROFILE environment',
     'variable, or by setting your current profile.',
     '',
-    'The "CURR" column indicates which profile is the current one.',
-    '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} list',
-    '',
-    '{{options}}'
+    'The "CURR" column indicates which profile is the current one.'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/do_set_current.js b/lib/do_profile/do_set_current.js
index 632e569..be1b3e2 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/do_set_current.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/do_set_current.js
@@ -13,8 +13,12 @@ function do_set_current(subcmd, opts, args, cb) {
     if (opts.help) {
         this.do_help('help', {}, [subcmd], cb);
         return;
-    } else if (args.length !== 1) {
-        return cb(new errors.UsageError('NAME argument is required'));
+    } else if (args.length === 0) {
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('missing NAME argument'));
+        return;
+    } else if (args.length > 1) {
+        cb(new errors.UsageError('too many arguments: ' + args.join(' ')));
+        return;
     }
 
     profilecommon.setCurrentProfile({cli: this.top, name: args[0]}, cb);
@@ -28,11 +32,11 @@ do_set_current.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_set_current.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} PROFILE'];
 do_set_current.help = [
     'Set the current Triton CLI profile.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} set-current NAME',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'NAME is the name of an existing profile, or "-" to switch to the',
diff --git a/lib/do_profile/profilecommon.js b/lib/do_profile/profilecommon.js
index ac39950..13c4df7 100644
--- a/lib/do_profile/profilecommon.js
+++ b/lib/do_profile/profilecommon.js
@@ -416,6 +416,8 @@ function profileDockerSetup(opts, cb) {
              * `docker-compose` versions). It is debatable if we want to
              * play this game. E.g. someone moving from Docker 1.8 to newer,
              * *but not re-setting up envvars* may start hitting timeouts.
+             *
+             * TODO: consider using `docker-compose` version on PATH?
              */
             if (!arg.dockerVersion) {
                 setup.env.DOCKER_CLIENT_TIMEOUT = '300';
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_apply.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_apply.js
index 528cadc..2bd083d 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_apply.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_apply.js
@@ -203,12 +203,13 @@ do_apply.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_apply.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
+
 do_apply.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Apply an RBAC configuration.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} apply [<options>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'If "--file FILE" is not specified, this defaults to using "./rbac.json".',
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_info.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_info.js
index c9f6faf..bcb7853 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_info.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_info.js
@@ -211,12 +211,13 @@ do_info.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_info.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
+
 do_info.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Show current RBAC state.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} info [<options>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'List RBAC users, roles and policies and. This summary does not show all',
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_key.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_key.js
index cab77d4..c1ca23d 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_key.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_key.js
@@ -303,20 +303,23 @@ do_key.options = [
         help: 'Delete the named key.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_key.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} USER KEY                     # show USER\'s KEY',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -d|--delete USER [KEY...]    # delete USER\'s KEY',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -a|--add [-n NAME] USER FILE # add an SSH key'
+];
+
 do_key.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Show, upload, and delete RBAC user SSH keys.',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} key USER KEY                     # show USER\'s KEY',
-    '     {{name}} key -d|--delete USER [KEY...]    # delete USER\'s KEY',
-    '     {{name}} key -a|--add [-n NAME] USER FILE',
-    '             # Add a new role. FILE must be a file path to an SSH public',
-    '             # key or "-" to pass the public key in on stdin.',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Where "USER" is a full RBAC user "id", "login" name or a "shortid"; and',
-    'KEY is an SSH key "name" or "fingerprint".'
+    'KEY is an SSH key "name" or "fingerprint". FILE must be a file path to',
+    'an SSH public key or "-" to pass the public key in on stdin.'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
 ].join('\n');
 
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_keys.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_keys.js
index 11682ca..925c0cb 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_keys.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_keys.js
@@ -84,19 +84,18 @@ do_keys.options = [
     }
 ]);
 
-do_keys.help = (
-    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'List RBAC user SSH keys.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} keys [<options>] USER\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Where "USER" is an RBAC user login or id (a UUID).\n'
-    /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+do_keys.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] USER'];
 
+do_keys.help = [
+    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
+    'List RBAC user SSH keys.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Where "USER" is an RBAC user login or id (a UUID).'
+    /* END JSSTYLED */
+].join('\n');
 
 
 module.exports = do_keys;
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_policies.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_policies.js
index 4bb4af7..a873324 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_policies.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_policies.js
@@ -82,20 +82,17 @@ do_policies.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
-do_policies.help = (
-    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'List RBAC policies.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} policies [<options>]\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Fields (most are self explanatory, the client adds some for convenience):\n' +
-    '    nrules             The number of rules in this policy.\n'
-    /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+do_policies.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
 
+do_policies.help = [
+    'List RBAC policies.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Fields (most are self explanatory, the client adds some for convenience):',
+    '    nrules             The number of rules in this policy.'
+].join('\n');
 
 
 module.exports = do_policies;
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_policy.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_policy.js
index 7f1c161..3e6b278 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_policy.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_policy.js
@@ -512,16 +512,24 @@ do_policy.options = [
         help: 'Delete the named policy.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_policy.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} POLICY                   # show policy POLICY',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -e|--edit POLICY         # edit policy POLICY in $EDITOR',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -d|--delete [POLICY...]  # delete policy POLICY',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -a|--add [FILE]          # add a new policy'
+];
+
 do_policy.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Show, add, edit and delete RBAC policies.',
     '',
     'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} policy POLICY                   # show policy POLICY',
-    '     {{name}} policy -e|--edit POLICY         # edit policy POLICY in $EDITOR',
-    '     {{name}} policy -d|--delete [POLICY...]  # delete policy POLICY',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} POLICY                   # show policy POLICY',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -e|--edit POLICY         # edit policy POLICY in $EDITOR',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -d|--delete [POLICY...]  # delete policy POLICY',
     '',
-    '     {{name}} policy -a|--add [FILE]',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -a|--add [FILE]',
     '             # Add a new policy. FILE must be a file path to a JSON file',
     '             # with the policy data or "-" to pass the policy in on stdin.',
     '             # Or exclude FILE to interactively add.',
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_reset.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_reset.js
index 6037cea..998bdfa 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_reset.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_reset.js
@@ -104,13 +104,16 @@ do_reset.options = [
     }
 ];
 
+do_reset.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'
+];
+
 do_reset.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Reset RBAC state for this account.',
     '**Warning: This will delete all RBAC info for this account.**',
     '',
-    'Usage:',
-    '    {{name}} reset [<options>]',
+    '{{usage}}',
     '',
     '{{options}}',
     'Warning: Currently, RBAC state updates can take a few seconds to appear',
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_role.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_role.js
index 6249989..4fb56a7 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_role.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_role.js
@@ -490,16 +490,24 @@ do_role.options = [
         help: 'Delete the named role.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_role.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} ROLE                   # show role ROLE',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -e|--edit ROLE         # edit role ROLE in $EDITOR',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -d|--delete [ROLE...]  # delete role ROLE',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -a|--add [FILE]        # add a new role'
+];
+
 do_role.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Show, add, edit and delete RBAC roles.',
     '',
     'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} role ROLE                   # show role ROLE',
-    '     {{name}} role -e|--edit ROLE         # edit role ROLE in $EDITOR',
-    '     {{name}} role -d|--delete [ROLE...]  # delete role ROLE',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} ROLE                   # show role ROLE',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -e|--edit ROLE         # edit role ROLE in $EDITOR',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -d|--delete [ROLE...]  # delete role ROLE',
     '',
-    '     {{name}} role -a|--add [FILE]',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -a|--add [FILE]',
     '             # Add a new role. FILE must be a file path to a JSON file',
     '             # with the role data or "-" to pass the role in on stdin.',
     '             # Or exclude FILE to interactively add.',
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_role_tags.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_role_tags.js
index c84858e..c669f1c 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_role_tags.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_role_tags.js
@@ -508,7 +508,8 @@ function makeRoleTagsFunc(cfg) {
         }
     };
 
-    func.name = cfg.funcName;
+    func.name = cfg.funcName; // XXX
+    func.subcmd = cfg.funcName;
 
     func.options = [
         {
@@ -564,24 +565,31 @@ function makeRoleTagsFunc(cfg) {
         helpCol: 23
     };
 
+    func.synopses = [
+        '{{name}} {{cmd}} $argName                      # list role tags',
+        '{{name}} {{cmd}} -a ROLE[,ROLE...] $argName    # add',
+        '{{name}} {{cmd}} -s ROLE[,ROLE...] $argName    # set/replace',
+        '{{name}} {{cmd}} -e $argName                   # edit in $EDITOR',
+        '{{name}} {{cmd}} -d ROLE[,ROLE...] $argName    # delete',
+        '{{name}} {{cmd}} -D $argName                   # delete all'
+    ];
+    func.synopses = func.synopses.map(function (synopsis) {
+        var key = 'argName';
+        return synopsis.replace(new RegExp('\\$' + key, 'g'), cfg[key]);
+    });
+
     func.help = [
         /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
         'List and manage role tags for the given $resourceType.',
         '',
-        'Usage:',
-        '     {{name}} $cmdName $argName                      # list role tags',
-        '     {{name}} $cmdName -a ROLE[,ROLE...] $argName    # add',
-        '     {{name}} $cmdName -s ROLE[,ROLE...] $argName    # set/replace',
-        '     {{name}} $cmdName -e $argName                   # edit in $EDITOR',
-        '     {{name}} $cmdName -d ROLE[,ROLE...] $argName    # delete',
-        '     {{name}} $cmdName -D $argName                   # delete all',
+        '{{usage}}',
         '',
         '{{options}}',
         'Where "ROLE" is a role tag name (see `triton rbac roles`) and',
         '$argName is $helpArgIs.'
         /* END JSSTYLED */
     ].join('\n');
-    ['resourceType', 'cmdName', 'argName', 'helpArgIs'].forEach(function (key) {
+    ['resourceType', 'cmdName', 'helpArgIs'].forEach(function (key) {
         func.help = func.help.replace(new RegExp('\\$' + key, 'g'), cfg[key]);
     });
 
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_roles.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_roles.js
index 7de0845..772134f 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_roles.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_roles.js
@@ -97,20 +97,20 @@ do_roles.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
-do_roles.help = (
+do_roles.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
+
+do_roles.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'List RBAC roles.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} roles [<options>]\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Fields (most are self explanatory, the client adds some for convenience):\n' +
-    '    members            Non-default members (not in the "default_members")\n' +
+    'List RBAC roles.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Fields (most are self explanatory, the client adds some for convenience):',
+    '    members            Non-default members (not in the "default_members")',
     '                       are shown in magenta.\n'
     /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+].join('\n');
 
 
 
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_user.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_user.js
index 2f5083e..b3a755a 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_user.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_user.js
@@ -497,16 +497,24 @@ do_user.options = [
         help: 'Delete the named user.'
     }
 ];
+
+do_user.synopses = [
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] USER         # show user USER',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -e|--edit USER         # edit user USER in $EDITOR',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -d|--delete [USER...]  # delete user USER',
+    '{{name}} {{cmd}} -a|--add [FILE]        # add a user'
+];
+
 do_user.help = [
     /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
     'Show, add, edit and delete RBAC users.',
     '',
     'Usage:',
-    '     {{name}} user [<options>] USER       # show user USER',
-    '     {{name}} user -e|--edit USER         # edit user USER in $EDITOR',
-    '     {{name}} user -d|--delete [USER...]  # delete user USER',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS] USER         # show user USER',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -e|--edit USER         # edit user USER in $EDITOR',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -d|--delete [USER...]  # delete user USER',
     '',
-    '     {{name}} user -a|--add [FILE]',
+    '     {{name}} {{cmd}} -a|--add [FILE]',
     '             # Add a new user. FILE must be a file path to a JSON file',
     '             # with the user data or "-" to pass the user in on stdin.',
     '             # Or exclude FILE to interactively add.',
diff --git a/lib/do_rbac/do_users.js b/lib/do_rbac/do_users.js
index f9c338f..f12aa8f 100644
--- a/lib/do_rbac/do_users.js
+++ b/lib/do_rbac/do_users.js
@@ -84,22 +84,19 @@ do_users.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
-do_users.help = (
-    /* BEGIN JSSTYLED */
-    'List RBAC users.\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Usage:\n' +
-    '    {{name}} users [<options>]\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    'Fields (most are self explanatory, the client adds some for convenience):\n' +
-    '    name               "firstName lastName"\n' +
-    '    cdate              Just the date portion of "created"\n' +
-    '    udate              Just the date portion of "updated"\n' +
-    '\n' +
-    '{{options}}'
-    /* END JSSTYLED */
-);
+do_users.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}} [OPTIONS]'];
 
+do_users.help = [
+    'List RBAC users.',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}',
+    'Fields (most are self explanatory, the client adds some for convenience):',
+    '    name               "firstName lastName"',
+    '    cdate              Just the date portion of "created"',
+    '    udate              Just the date portion of "updated"'
+].join('\n');
 
 
 module.exports = do_users;
diff --git a/lib/do_services.js b/lib/do_services.js
index e1930b5..b8e90be 100644
--- a/lib/do_services.js
+++ b/lib/do_services.js
@@ -77,13 +77,14 @@ do_services.options = [
     sortDefault: sortDefault
 }));
 
-do_services.help = (
-    'Show services information\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + 'Usage:\n'
-    + '     {{name}} services\n'
-    + '\n'
-    + '{{options}}'
-);
+do_services.synopses = ['{{name}} {{cmd}}'];
+
+do_services.help = [
+    'Show services information',
+    '',
+    '{{usage}}',
+    '',
+    '{{options}}'
+].join('\n');
 
 module.exports = do_services;
diff --git a/lib/errors.js b/lib/errors.js
index 5fccaf8..0605bdc 100644
--- a/lib/errors.js
+++ b/lib/errors.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
  * Error classes that the joyent CLI may produce.
  */
 
+var cmdln = require('cmdln');
 var util = require('util'),
     format = util.format;
 var assert = require('assert-plus');
@@ -145,25 +146,6 @@ function ConfigError(cause, message) {
 util.inherits(ConfigError, _TritonBaseVError);
 
 
-/**
- * CLI usage error
- */
-function UsageError(cause, message) {
-    if (message === undefined) {
-        message = cause;
-        cause = undefined;
-    }
-    assert.string(message);
-    _TritonBaseVError.call(this, {
-        cause: cause,
-        message: message,
-        code: 'Usage',
-        exitStatus: 2
-    });
-}
-util.inherits(UsageError, _TritonBaseVError);
-
-
 /**
  * Error in setting up (typically in profile update/creation).
  */
@@ -299,7 +281,7 @@ module.exports = {
     TritonError: TritonError,
     InternalError: InternalError,
     ConfigError: ConfigError,
-    UsageError: UsageError,
+    UsageError: cmdln.UsageError,
     SetupError: SetupError,
     SigningError: SigningError,
     SelfSignedCertError: SelfSignedCertError,
diff --git a/lib/tritonapi.js b/lib/tritonapi.js
index 83ea8f3..8746000 100644
--- a/lib/tritonapi.js
+++ b/lib/tritonapi.js
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ var vasync = require('vasync');
 var cloudapi = require('./cloudapi2');
 var common = require('./common');
 var errors = require('./errors');
-var loadConfigSync = require('./config').loadConfigSync;
 
 
 // ---- globals
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index af29c9d..7e16bba 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 {
   "name": "triton",
   "description": "Joyent Triton CLI and client (https://www.joyent.com/triton)",
-  "version": "4.12.1",
+  "version": "4.13.0",
   "author": "Joyent (joyent.com)",
   "dependencies": {
     "assert-plus": "0.2.0",
     "backoff": "2.4.1",
     "bigspinner": "3.1.0",
     "bunyan": "1.5.1",
-    "cmdln": "3.5.4",
+    "cmdln": "4.1.1",
     "extsprintf": "1.0.2",
     "lomstream": "1.1.0",
     "mkdirp": "0.5.1",