diff --git a/doc/protocols.texi b/doc/protocols.texi
index 211e125930..20ab8e6836 100644
--- a/doc/protocols.texi
+++ b/doc/protocols.texi
@@ -897,23 +897,32 @@ The required syntax for a TCP url is:
 tcp://@var{hostname}:@var{port}[?@var{options}]
 @end example
 
-@table @option
+@var{options} contains a list of &-separated options of the form
+@var{key}=@var{val}.
 
-@item listen
-Listen for an incoming connection
+The list of supported options follows.
+
+@table @option
+@item listen=@var{1|0}
+Listen for an incoming connection. Default value is 0.
 
 @item timeout=@var{microseconds}
-In read mode: if no data arrived in more than this time interval, raise error.
-In write mode: if socket cannot be written in more than this time interval, raise error.
-This also sets timeout on TCP connection establishing.
+Set raise error timeout, expressed in microseconds.
 
+This option is only relevant in read mode: if no data arrived in more
+than this time interval, raise error.
+
+@item listen_timeout=@var{microseconds}
+Set listen timeout, expressed in microseconds.
+@end table
+
+The following example shows how to setup a listening TCP connection
+with @command{ffmpeg}, which is then accessed with @command{ffplay}:
 @example
 ffmpeg -i @var{input} -f @var{format} tcp://@var{hostname}:@var{port}?listen
 ffplay tcp://@var{hostname}:@var{port}
 @end example
 
-@end table
-
 @section tls
 
 Transport Layer Security (TLS) / Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
diff --git a/libavformat/tcp.c b/libavformat/tcp.c
index 07026e3ede..e457fba94f 100644
--- a/libavformat/tcp.c
+++ b/libavformat/tcp.c
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ typedef struct TCPContext {
 #define E AV_OPT_FLAG_ENCODING_PARAM
 static const AVOption options[] = {
 {"listen", "listen on port instead of connecting", OFFSET(listen), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, {.i64 = 0}, 0, 1, D|E },
-{"timeout", "timeout of socket i/o operations", OFFSET(rw_timeout), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, {.i64 = -1}, -1, INT_MAX, D|E },
-{"listen_timeout", "connection awaiting timeout", OFFSET(listen_timeout), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, {.i64 = -1}, -1, INT_MAX, D|E },
+{"timeout", "set timeout of socket I/O operations", OFFSET(rw_timeout), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, {.i64 = -1}, -1, INT_MAX, D|E },
+{"listen_timeout", "set connection awaiting timeout", OFFSET(listen_timeout), AV_OPT_TYPE_INT, {.i64 = -1}, -1, INT_MAX, D|E },
 {NULL}
 };