diff --git a/common/help.c b/common/help.c
index f806ff31..fa2984e8 100644
--- a/common/help.c
+++ b/common/help.c
@@ -141,6 +141,38 @@ const char *output_format_name(unsigned int value)
 	return "UNKNOWN";
 }
 
+static void hpad(int len, FILE *outf)
+{
+	while (len-- > 0)
+		fputc(' ', outf);
+}
+
+static void format_text(const char *line, FILE *outf)
+{
+	int i;
+
+	i = 0;
+	while (*line) {
+		while (*line && *line == ' ')
+			line++;
+		while (*line && *line != ' ') {
+			fputc(*line, outf);
+			line++;
+			i++;
+		}
+		if (i > HELPINFO_DESC_WIDTH) {
+			if (*line) {
+				fputc('\n', outf);
+				line++;
+				hpad(HELPINFO_DESC_PREFIX, outf);
+			}
+			i = 0;
+		} else {
+			hpad(1, outf);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 static int do_usage_one_command(const char * const *usagestr,
 				unsigned int flags, unsigned int cmd_flags,
 				FILE *outf)
@@ -223,6 +255,25 @@ static int do_usage_one_command(const char * const *usagestr,
 						output_formats[i].name);
 			}
 			fputc('\n', outf);
+		} else if (*usagestr[0] == HELPINFO_OPTION[0]) {
+			const char *tmp = *usagestr + 1;
+			const char *text_marker = strchr(*usagestr, HELPINFO_DESC[0]);
+			const char *text = text_marker + 1;
+			int optlen = (int)(text_marker - tmp - 1);
+
+			hpad(HELPINFO_PREFIX_WIDTH, outf);
+			while (tmp < text_marker)
+				fputc(*tmp++, outf);
+
+			if (optlen > HELPINFO_OPTION_WIDTH) {
+				fputc('\n', outf);
+				hpad(HELPINFO_DESC_PREFIX, outf);
+			} else {
+				hpad(HELPINFO_OPTION_WIDTH + HELPINFO_OPTION_MARGIN - optlen - 1,
+					outf);
+			}
+			format_text(text, outf);
+			fputc('\n', outf);
 		} else {
 			fprintf(outf, "%*s%s\n", pad, "", *usagestr);
 		}
diff --git a/common/help.h b/common/help.h
index f33cfc96..02286847 100644
--- a/common/help.h
+++ b/common/help.h
@@ -61,6 +61,19 @@ struct cmd_group;
 	"-g|--gbytes        show sizes in GiB, or GB with --si",		\
 	"-t|--tbytes        show sizes in TiB, or TB with --si"
 
+#define HELPINFO_OPTION			"\x01"
+#define HELPINFO_DESC			"\x02"
+/* Keep the line length below 100 chars. */
+#define HELPINFO_PREFIX_WIDTH		4
+#define HELPINFO_LISTING_WIDTH		8
+#define HELPINFO_OPTION_WIDTH		24
+#define HELPINFO_OPTION_MARGIN		2
+#define HELPINFO_DESC_PREFIX		(HELPINFO_PREFIX_WIDTH +	\
+					 HELPINFO_OPTION_WIDTH +	\
+					 HELPINFO_OPTION_MARGIN)
+#define HELPINFO_DESC_WIDTH		99 - HELPINFO_DESC_PREFIX
+#define OPTLINE(opt, text)		HELPINFO_OPTION opt HELPINFO_DESC text
+
 /*
  * Special marker in the help strings that will preemptively insert the global
  * options and then continue with the following text that possibly follows