diff --git a/checkin_notes b/checkin_notes
index 95ff5fce36..6c0afd8667 100755
--- a/checkin_notes
+++ b/checkin_notes
@@ -533,5 +533,11 @@ Rom    13 Jan 2007
 
 Reinhard 14 Jan 2007
 	- install validate_util.h for external building of validators
+	- make dir_hier_move and dir_hier_path output help/usage strings 
+
     sched/
 	Makefile.am
+
+    tools/
+	dir_hier_move.C
+	dir_hier_path.C
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tools/dir_hier_move.C b/tools/dir_hier_move.C
index 5789cfe774..ec908f8c3d 100644
--- a/tools/dir_hier_move.C
+++ b/tools/dir_hier_move.C
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@
 #include "util.h"
 #include "sched_util.h"
 
+const char *usage = 
+"\nUsage: dir_hier_move <src_dir> <dst_dir> <fanout>\n"	
+"Moves files from <src_dir> (flat) into <dst_dir> (hierarchical) with the given <fanout>\n\n";
+
 int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     char* src_dir, *dst_dir;
     int fanout=0;
@@ -39,11 +43,17 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     char dst_path[256], src_path[256];
     int retval;
     
-    if (argc != 4) exit(1);
+    if ( (argc == 1) || !strcmp(argv[1], "-h")  || !strcmp(argv[1],"--help") || (argc != 4) ) {
+      printf (usage);
+      exit(1);
+    }
     src_dir = argv[1];
     dst_dir = argv[2];
     fanout = atoi(argv[3]);
-    if (!fanout) exit(1);
+    if (!fanout) {
+      printf ( usage );
+      exit(1);
+    }
 
     DirScanner scanner(src_dir);
     while (scanner.scan(filename)) {
diff --git a/tools/dir_hier_path.C b/tools/dir_hier_path.C
index c56737f16e..1a96d90724 100644
--- a/tools/dir_hier_path.C
+++ b/tools/dir_hier_path.C
@@ -30,11 +30,23 @@
 #include "sched_config.h"
 #include "sched_util.h"
 
-int main(int /*argc*/, char** argv) {
+
+const char *usage = 
+"\nUsage: dir_hier_path <filename>\n"
+"   Run this in a project's root directory.\n"
+"   Prints the absolute path of the file in the download hierarchy,\n"
+"   and creates the directory if needed.\n\n";
+
+int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     SCHED_CONFIG config;
     char path[256];
     int retval;
 
+    if ( (argc == 1) ||  !strcmp(argv[1], "-h")  || !strcmp(argv[1],"--help") || (argc != 2) ) {
+      printf (usage);
+      exit(1);
+    }
+
     retval = config.parse_file(".");
     if (retval) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Can't find config.xml; run this in project root dir\n");