diff --git a/src/cli.rs b/src/cli.rs
index 683c883..21caa94 100644
--- a/src/cli.rs
+++ b/src/cli.rs
@@ -66,9 +66,9 @@ pub struct MappingArgs {
     #[arg(short, long, value_name = "SPEC")]
     pub dynamic: Option<String>,
 
-    /// SSH hop chain, comma-separated; the last hop is the actual
-    /// connection target, any before it are -J jumps.
-    #[arg(long, value_name = "[user@]host[:port][,...]")]
+    /// SSH hop chain, comma-separated: [user@]host[:port][,...]. The last
+    /// hop is the actual connection target, any before it are -J jumps.
+    #[arg(long, value_name = "HOPS")]
     pub via: Option<String>,
 
     /// Default user for the target and any --via hop without its own.
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 0480dde..da4a000 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -9,11 +9,24 @@ mod supervisor;
 mod timefmt;
 mod ui;
 
-use clap::Parser;
+use clap::{CommandFactory, Parser};
 use cli::{Cli, Commands};
 
 fn main() {
-    let cli = Cli::parse();
+    let args: Vec<String> = std::env::args().collect();
+
+    // Plain `porthole`, `-h`/`--help`, or `help` at the top level: show
+    // every subcommand's own flags inline instead of making the user drill
+    // into each one with its own `--help` - same convention as vmic.
+    if wants_top_level_help(&args) {
+        print_full_help();
+        std::process::exit(if args.len() <= 1 { 2 } else { 0 });
+    }
+
+    let cli = match Cli::try_parse_from(&args) {
+        Ok(cli) => cli,
+        Err(e) => e.exit(),
+    };
 
     let result = match cli.command {
         Commands::Add(args) => commands::add::run(args),
@@ -40,3 +53,154 @@ fn main() {
         std::process::exit(1);
     }
 }
+
+/// True for a bare `porthole` invocation, or top-level `-h`/`--help`/`help`
+/// - i.e. anything that should show the expanded help rather than being
+/// handled (or rejected) by a specific subcommand.
+fn wants_top_level_help(args: &[String]) -> bool {
+    match args.get(1..) {
+        Some([]) => true,
+        Some([a]) => a == "-h" || a == "--help" || a == "help",
+        _ => false,
+    }
+}
+
+/// Prints one screen of help: one short summary line per subcommand (name,
+/// positional args, about), followed by an indented line per flag with its
+/// own help text - so nothing requires drilling into a subcommand's own
+/// `--help` just to see what it takes. Ported from vmic's `print_full_help`
+/// so the two tools present identically.
+fn print_full_help() {
+    let mut cmd = Cli::command();
+    cmd.build(); // resolve default value names etc. before introspecting
+    let bin = cmd.get_name().to_string();
+
+    if let Some(about) = cmd.get_about() {
+        println!("{about}");
+        println!();
+    }
+    println!("{} {bin} {} {}", ui::blue("Usage:"), ui::cyan("<COMMAND>"), ui::yellow("[ARGS]"));
+    println!();
+
+    println!("{}", ui::blue("Commands:"));
+    let subcommands: Vec<&clap::Command> =
+        cmd.get_subcommands().filter(|s| s.get_name() != "help" && !s.is_hide_set()).collect();
+    let flag_rows_by_cmd: Vec<Vec<(String, String)>> = subcommands.iter().map(|s| flag_rows(s)).collect();
+
+    let name_w = subcommands.iter().map(|s| s.get_name().len()).max().unwrap_or(0);
+    let pos_w = subcommands.iter().map(|s| visual_width(&positional_args(s))).max().unwrap_or(0);
+    // One width across every subcommand's flags, not just its own, so the
+    // help-text column lines up no matter which command it's under.
+    let flag_w = flag_rows_by_cmd.iter().flatten().map(|(f, _)| visual_width(f)).max().unwrap_or(0);
+
+    for (i, s) in subcommands.iter().enumerate() {
+        let name = s.get_name();
+        let positionals = positional_args(s);
+        let about = s.get_about().map(|a| a.to_string()).unwrap_or_default();
+
+        println!("  {name:name_w$}  {}  {about}", pad_visual(&positionals, pos_w));
+
+        let rows = &flag_rows_by_cmd[i];
+        for (flag, help) in rows {
+            println!("      {}  {help}", pad_visual(flag, flag_w));
+        }
+        // Flagless commands stay a tight single line; only the multi-line
+        // (flag-bearing) ones get a blank line to separate them visually.
+        if !rows.is_empty() && i + 1 < subcommands.len() {
+            println!();
+        }
+    }
+    println!();
+
+    let alias_rows: Vec<(String, String)> = subcommands
+        .iter()
+        .filter_map(|s| {
+            let aliases = s.get_visible_aliases().collect::<Vec<_>>().join(", ");
+            (!aliases.is_empty()).then(|| (s.get_name().to_string(), aliases))
+        })
+        .collect();
+    if !alias_rows.is_empty() {
+        println!("{}", ui::blue("Aliases:"));
+        let name_w = alias_rows.iter().map(|(n, _)| n.len()).max().unwrap_or(0);
+        for (name, aliases) in &alias_rows {
+            println!("  {name:name_w$}  {aliases}");
+        }
+        println!();
+    }
+
+    println!("{}", ui::blue("Options:"));
+    let opt_rows: Vec<(String, String)> = cmd
+        .get_arguments()
+        .filter(|a| !a.is_positional())
+        .filter_map(|a| Some((flag_names(a)?, a.get_help().map(|h| h.to_string()).unwrap_or_default())))
+        .collect();
+    let flag_w = opt_rows.iter().map(|(f, _)| f.len()).max().unwrap_or(0);
+    for (flag, help) in &opt_rows {
+        println!("  {flag:flag_w$}  {help}");
+    }
+}
+
+/// `<name>` for each positional arg of `cmd`, space-joined and colored cyan.
+fn positional_args(cmd: &clap::Command) -> String {
+    cmd.get_positionals()
+        .map(|a| ui::cyan(&format!("<{}>", a.get_id().as_str())))
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+        .join(" ")
+}
+
+/// `(flag display, help text)` for each of `cmd`'s non-positional, non-help
+/// args, e.g. `("-l/--local <SPEC>", "Local forward: your machine ->
+/// remote")`. The flag display is colored yellow.
+fn flag_rows(cmd: &clap::Command) -> Vec<(String, String)> {
+    cmd.get_arguments()
+        .filter(|a| !a.is_positional() && a.get_id().as_str() != "help")
+        .filter_map(|a| {
+            let flag = flag_names(a)?;
+            let display = if matches!(a.get_action(), clap::ArgAction::Set | clap::ArgAction::Append) {
+                let value = a
+                    .get_value_names()
+                    .and_then(|v| v.first())
+                    .map(|v| v.to_string())
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|| a.get_id().as_str().to_uppercase());
+                format!("{flag} <{value}>")
+            } else {
+                flag
+            };
+            let help = a.get_help().map(|h| h.to_string()).unwrap_or_default();
+            Some((ui::yellow(&display), help))
+        })
+        .collect()
+}
+
+/// `-x/--long` / `-x` / `--long` for a non-positional arg, or `None` for
+/// one with no visible flag at all.
+fn flag_names(arg: &clap::Arg) -> Option<String> {
+    match (arg.get_short(), arg.get_long()) {
+        (Some(s), Some(l)) => Some(format!("-{s}/--{l}")),
+        (Some(s), None) => Some(format!("-{s}")),
+        (None, Some(l)) => Some(format!("--{l}")),
+        (None, None) => None,
+    }
+}
+
+/// Number of visible columns in `s`, skipping any `\x1b[...m` ANSI SGR
+/// escape sequences it contains.
+fn visual_width(s: &str) -> usize {
+    let mut width = 0;
+    let mut in_escape = false;
+    for c in s.chars() {
+        if in_escape {
+            in_escape = c != 'm';
+        } else if c == '\x1b' {
+            in_escape = true;
+        } else {
+            width += 1;
+        }
+    }
+    width
+}
+
+/// Right-pads `s` with spaces to `width` visible columns, per `visual_width`.
+fn pad_visual(s: &str, width: usize) -> String {
+    format!("{s}{}", " ".repeat(width.saturating_sub(visual_width(s))))
+}
diff --git a/src/ui.rs b/src/ui.rs
index b5bc515..12cc1f1 100644
--- a/src/ui.rs
+++ b/src/ui.rs
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ pub fn blue(s: &str) -> String {
     paint("34", s)
 }
 
+pub fn cyan(s: &str) -> String {
+    paint("36", s)
+}
+
 pub fn err(msg: &str) {
     eprintln!("{}", red(&format!("Error: {msg}")));
 }