diff --git a/cmd/pk/dbinit.go b/cmd/pk/dbinit.go
index 62d9ba09c..5a1437726 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/dbinit.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/dbinit.go
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
+func (c *dbinitCmd) Demote() bool { return true }
+
 func (c *dbinitCmd) Describe() string {
 	return "Set up the database for the indexer."
 }
diff --git a/cmd/pk/debug.go b/cmd/pk/debug.go
index 261d2e67a..678b0105a 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/debug.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/debug.go
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
+func (c *debugCmd) Demote() bool { return true }
+
 func (c *debugCmd) Describe() string {
 	return "Show misc meta-info from the given file."
 }
diff --git a/cmd/pk/disco.go b/cmd/pk/disco.go
index e1b2fb7fd..678ddd5c4 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/disco.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/disco.go
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
+func (c *discoCmd) Demote() bool { return true }
+
 func (c *discoCmd) Describe() string {
 	return "Perform configuration discovery against a server."
 }
diff --git a/cmd/pk/dp_idx_rebuild.go b/cmd/pk/dp_idx_rebuild.go
index 20ec019f5..372de0564 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/dp_idx_rebuild.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/dp_idx_rebuild.go
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ func init() {
 		})
 }
 
+func (c *reindexdpCmd) Demote() bool { return true }
+
 func (c *reindexdpCmd) Describe() string {
 	return "Rebuild the index of the diskpacked blob store"
 }
diff --git a/cmd/pk/googinit.go b/cmd/pk/googinit.go
index fa0d86b4c..bd9d398b4 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/googinit.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/googinit.go
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
+func (c *googinitCmd) Demote() bool { return true }
+
 func (c *googinitCmd) Describe() string {
 	return "Init Google Drive or Google Cloud Storage."
 }
diff --git a/cmd/pk/index.go b/cmd/pk/index.go
index 055350f25..30aa0b8eb 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/index.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/index.go
@@ -34,7 +34,9 @@ type indexCmd struct {
 func init() {
 	cmdmain.RegisterMode("index", func(flags *flag.FlagSet) cmdmain.CommandRunner {
 		cmd := new(indexCmd)
-		flags.BoolVar(&cmd.wipe, "wipe", false, "Erase and recreate all discovered indexes. NOOP for now.")
+
+		// TODO: add client-initiated wipe support?
+		// flags.BoolVar(&cmd.wipe, "wipe", false, "Erase and recreate all discovered indexes. NOOP for now.")
 		if debug, _ := strconv.ParseBool(os.Getenv("CAMLI_DEBUG")); debug {
 			flags.BoolVar(&cmd.insecureTLS, "insecure", false, "If set, when using TLS, the server's certificates verification is disabled, and they are not checked against the trustedCerts in the client configuration either.")
 		}
@@ -42,8 +44,10 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
+func (c *indexCmd) Demote() bool { return true }
+
 func (c *indexCmd) Describe() string {
-	return "Synchronize blobs for all discovered blobs storage - indexer pairs."
+	return "Synchronize blobs for all discovered blobs storage -> indexer sync pairs."
 }
 
 func (c *indexCmd) Usage() {
diff --git a/cmd/pk/packblobs.go b/cmd/pk/packblobs.go
index bdf662648..0ade2f92d 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/packblobs.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/packblobs.go
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ func init() {
 	})
 }
 
+func (c *packBlobsCmd) Demote() bool { return true }
+
 func (c *packBlobsCmd) Describe() string {
 	return "Pack related blobs together (migration tool)"
 }
diff --git a/cmd/pk/search.go b/cmd/pk/search.go
index 2db681820..3891aaa24 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/search.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/search.go
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func (c *searchCmd) Usage() {
 func (c *searchCmd) Examples() []string {
 	return []string{
 		`"loc:paris is:portrait" # expression`,
-		`'{"blobrefPrefix":"sha1-f00d"}' # SearchConstraint JSON`,
+		`'{"blobrefPrefix":"sha224-f00d"}' # SearchConstraint JSON`,
 		`- # piped from stdin`,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/pk/sync.go b/cmd/pk/sync.go
index 693a4f00c..32a82ee0b 100644
--- a/cmd/pk/sync.go
+++ b/cmd/pk/sync.go
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func init() {
 }
 
 func (c *syncCmd) Describe() string {
-	return "Synchronize blobs from a source to a destination."
+	return "(Re)synchronize blobs from a source to a destination."
 }
 
 func (c *syncCmd) Usage() {
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ func (c *syncCmd) doPass(src, dest, thirdLeg blobserver.Storage) (stats SyncStat
 	if c.wipe {
 		// TODO(mpl): dest is a client. make it send a "wipe" request?
 		// upon reception its server then wipes itself if it is a wiper.
-		log.Print("Index wiping not yet supported.")
+		log.Fatal("Index wiping not yet supported.")
 	}
 
 	go enumerate(destErr, dest, destBlobs)
diff --git a/pkg/cmdmain/cmdmain.go b/pkg/cmdmain/cmdmain.go
index 7ee169a2b..2c1d4c1f3 100644
--- a/pkg/cmdmain/cmdmain.go
+++ b/pkg/cmdmain/cmdmain.go
@@ -105,6 +105,14 @@ type ExecRunner interface {
 	LookPath() (string, error)
 }
 
+// Demoter is an interface that boring commands can implement to
+// demote themselves in the tool listing, for boring or low-level
+// subcommands. They only show up in --help mode.
+type Demoter interface {
+	CommandRunner
+	Demote() bool
+}
+
 type exampler interface {
 	Examples() []string
 }
@@ -113,6 +121,11 @@ type describer interface {
 	Describe() string
 }
 
+func demote(c CommandRunner) bool {
+	i, ok := c.(Demoter)
+	return ok && i.Demote()
+}
+
 // RegisterMode adds a mode to the list of modes for the main command.
 // It is meant to be called in init() for each subcommand.
 func RegisterMode(mode string, makeCmd func(Flags *flag.FlagSet) CommandRunner) {
@@ -151,15 +164,19 @@ func usage(msg string) {
 	if msg != "" {
 		Errorf("Error: %v\n", msg)
 	}
+	var modesQualifer string
+	if !*FlagHelp {
+		modesQualifer = " (use --help to see all modes)"
+	}
 	Errorf(`
-Usage: ` + cmdName + ` [globalopts] <mode> [commandopts] [commandargs]
+Usage: `+cmdName+` [globalopts] <mode> [commandopts] [commandargs]
 
-Modes:
+Modes:%s
 
-`)
+`, modesQualifer)
 	var modes []string
 	for mode, cmd := range modeCommand {
-		if des, ok := cmd.(describer); ok {
+		if des, ok := cmd.(describer); ok && (*FlagHelp || !demote(cmd)) {
 			modes = append(modes, fmt.Sprintf("  %s: %s\n", mode, des.Describe()))
 		}
 	}
@@ -171,7 +188,7 @@ Modes:
 	Errorf("\nExamples:\n")
 	modes = nil
 	for mode, cmd := range modeCommand {
-		if ex, ok := cmd.(exampler); ok {
+		if ex, ok := cmd.(exampler); ok && (*FlagHelp || !demote(cmd)) {
 			line := ""
 			exs := ex.Examples()
 			if len(exs) > 0 {
@@ -250,7 +267,7 @@ func Main() {
 
 	args := flag.Args()
 	if *FlagVersion {
-		fmt.Fprintf(Stderr, "%s version: %s\n", os.Args[0], buildinfo.Version())
+		fmt.Fprintf(Stderr, "%s version: %s\n", os.Args[0], buildinfo.Summary())
 		return
 	}
 	if *FlagHelp {