diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/cmd.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/cmd.go
index 75f394770..714c5f6a4 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/cmd.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/cmd.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import (
 
 func newCmdCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "cmd <name> [inputs]",
+		Use:   "cmd [flags] <name> [inputs]",
 		Short: "run a user-defined workflow command",
 		Long: `cmd executes the named workflow command for each of the named instances.
 
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/def.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/def.go
index 4d34de288..3e4f28582 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/def.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/def.go
@@ -24,12 +24,15 @@ import (
 // newDefCmd creates a new eval command
 func newDefCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "def",
+		Use:   "def [flags] [inputs]",
 		Short: "print consolidated definitions",
 		Long: `def prints consolidated configuration as a single file.
 
 Printing is skipped if validation fails.
 
+Input arguments can be CUE packages, CUE files, non-CUE files, or some
+combinations of those. See "cue help inputs" for more detail.
+
 The --expression flag is used to only print parts of a configuration.
 `,
 		RunE: mkRunE(c, runDef),
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/eval.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/eval.go
index 2b725529b..39f9dee88 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/eval.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/eval.go
@@ -30,12 +30,15 @@ import (
 // newEvalCmd creates a new eval command
 func newEvalCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "eval",
+		Use:   "eval [flags] [inputs]",
 		Short: "evaluate and print a configuration",
 		Long: `eval evaluates, validates, and prints a configuration.
 
 Printing is skipped if validation fails.
 
+Input arguments can be CUE packages, CUE files, non-CUE files, or some
+combinations of those. See "cue help inputs" for more detail.
+
 The --expression flag is used to evaluate an expression within the
 configuration file, instead of the entire configuration file itself.
 
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/export.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/export.go
index b927bbc06..510fd490e 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/export.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/export.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import (
 // newExportCmd creates and export command
 func newExportCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "export",
+		Use:   "export [flags] [inputs]",
 		Short: "output data in a standard format",
 		Long: `
 The export command evaluates a configuration and emits the value of one or more
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/fix.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/fix.go
index 8e52c33e4..2cc29bc21 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/fix.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/fix.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import (
 
 func newFixCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "fix [packages]",
+		Use:   "fix [flags] [packages]",
 		Short: "rewrite packages to latest standards",
 		Long: `Fix finds CUE programs that use old syntax and old APIs and rewrites them to use newer ones.
 After you update to a new CUE release, fix helps make the necessary changes
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/fmt.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/fmt.go
index 939182bde..3130fcd3e 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/fmt.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/fmt.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ import (
 
 func newFmtCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "fmt",
+		Use:   "fmt [flags] [inputs]",
 		Short: "formats CUE configuration files",
 		Long: `
 fmt rewrites CUE files in the standard format.
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/get.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/get.go
index 1ec1c68f4..81cab9837 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/get.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/get.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import (
 
 func newGetCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := commandGroup(&cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "get <language> [packages]",
+		Use:   "get <language> [flags] [packages]",
 		Short: "add non-CUE dependencies to the current module",
 		Long: `Get downloads packages or modules for non-CUE languages
 to include them in the module's pkg directory.
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/get_go.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/get_go.go
index 171776414..f58fbcd04 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/get_go.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/get_go.go
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ import (
 
 func newGoCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "go [packages]",
+		Use:   "go [flags] [packages]",
 		Short: "add Go dependencies to the current module",
 		Long: `go converts Go types into CUE definitions
 
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/import.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/import.go
index eb80ef2e7..dd784476c 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/import.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/import.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ import (
 
 func newImportCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "import [mode] [inputs]",
+		Use:   "import [flags] [mode] [inputs]",
 		Short: "convert other formats to CUE files",
 		Long: `import converts other formats, like JSON and YAML to CUE files
 
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar
index 146584d9e..7fe45f529 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ Run "cue help commands" for more details on authoring tasks and
 workflow commands.
 
 Usage:
-  cue cmd <name> [inputs] [flags]
+  cue cmd [flags] <name> [inputs]
   cue cmd [command]
 
 Available Commands:
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd_flags.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd_flags.txtar
index 3dc324d99..37a1fc445 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd_flags.txtar
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd_flags.txtar
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Run "cue help commands" for more details on authoring tasks and
 workflow commands.
 
 Usage:
-  cue cmd <name> [inputs] [flags]
+  cue cmd [flags] <name> [inputs]
   cue cmd [command]
 
 Available Commands:
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/trim.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/trim.go
index 6cdc5f22a..296dddbf2 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/trim.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/trim.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import (
 // newTrimCmd creates a trim command
 func newTrimCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "trim",
+		Use:   "trim [flags] [inputs]",
 		Short: "remove superfluous fields",
 		Long: `trim removes fields from structs that can be inferred from constraints
 
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/vet.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/vet.go
index ed1c2906d..b0aae204a 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/vet.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/vet.go
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ import (
 const vetDoc = `The vet command validates CUE and other data files.
 The command is silent when it succeeds; otherwise it reports any errors found.
 
+Input arguments can be CUE packages, CUE files, non-CUE files, or some
+combinations of those. See "cue help inputs" for more detail.
+
 By default, vet ensures that the result of validation is concrete
 by reporting an error if any resulting regular fields have non-concrete values.
 Use -c=false to not require concreteness, or -c to show these error messages.
@@ -59,7 +62,7 @@ The -d flag can be repeated to validate against multiple schemas at once.
 
 func newVetCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "vet",
+		Use:   "vet [flags] [inputs]",
 		Short: "validate data",
 		Long:  vetDoc,
 		RunE:  mkRunE(c, doVet),