diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/help.go b/cmd/cue/cmd/help.go
index ac807c0f6b9..7b98f8b6d0e 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/help.go
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/help.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ package cmd
 
 import (
 	"bufio"
+	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -40,8 +41,14 @@ func newHelpCmd(c *Command) *cobra.Command {
 		Long: `Help provides help for any command in the application.
 Simply type ` + c.Name() + ` help [path to command] for full details.`,
 		Run: func(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			cmd, _, e := c.Root().Find(args)
-			if len(args) > 0 && args[0] == "cmd" {
+			findCmd := func() (*cobra.Command, bool) {
+				cmd, rest, err := c.Root().Find(args)
+				found := cmd != nil && err == nil && len(rest) == 0
+				return cmd, found
+			}
+			cmd, found := findCmd()
+			isCmd := len(args) > 0 && args[0] == "cmd"
+			if isCmd {
 				// args is one of:
 				//
 				//	["cmd"]
@@ -58,12 +65,21 @@ Simply type ` + c.Name() + ` help [path to command] for full details.`,
 				if err == nil {
 					addCustomCommands(c, cmd, commandSection, tools)
 					// For the sake of `cue help cmd mycmd`, find the command again.
-					cmd, _, e = c.Root().Find(args)
+					cmd, found = findCmd()
 				}
 			}
-			if cmd == nil || e != nil {
-				c.Printf("Unknown help topic %#q\n", args)
-				cobra.CheckErr(c.Root().Usage())
+			if !found {
+				if isCmd {
+					// Note that for args ["cmd", "mycmd", "./mypkg"] we only want "mycmd".
+					fmt.Fprintf(c.Stderr(), "Unknown cmd command: %s\n", args[1])
+				} else {
+					fmt.Fprintf(c.Stderr(), "Unknown help topic: %s\n", strings.Join(args, " "))
+				}
+				if cmd == nil {
+					cobra.CheckErr(c.Root().Usage())
+				} else {
+					cobra.CheckErr(cmd.Usage())
+				}
 			} else {
 				cobra.CheckErr(cmd.Help())
 			}
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help.txtar
index 77ed41d37d4..e45929a891f 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help.txtar
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help.txtar
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Verify that the various forms of requesting help work
+# Verify that the various forms of requesting the top-level help.
 
 exec cue
 cmp stdout stdout.golden
@@ -12,6 +12,42 @@ cmp stdout stdout.golden
 exec cue -h
 cmp stdout stdout.golden
 
+# Requesting help for commands and sub-commands.
+
+exec cue help mod
+stdout -count=1 'groups commands which operate on CUE modules'
+stdout -count=1 'publish *publish the current module to a registry$'
+
+exec cue mod --help
+stdout -count=1 'groups commands which operate on CUE modules'
+stdout -count=1 'publish *publish the current module to a registry$'
+
+exec cue help mod publish
+stdout -count=1 '^Publish the current module to an OCI registry\.'
+
+exec cue mod publish --help
+stdout -count=1 '^Publish the current module to an OCI registry\.'
+
+# Requesting additional help topics, with or without "help" in between.
+
+exec cue help filetypes
+stdout -count=1 '^The cue tools supports the following file types:$'
+
+exec cue filetypes
+stdout -count=1 '^The cue tools supports the following file types:$'
+
+# Requesting help for missing commands and sub-commands fails and prints the help text.
+
+! exec cue help missing
+! stdout .
+stderr -count=1 'Unknown help topic: missing'
+stderr -count=1 '^Available Commands:$'
+
+! exec cue help mod missing
+! stdout .
+stderr -count=1 'Unknown help topic: mod missing'
+stderr -count=1 '^Available Commands:$'
+
 -- stdout.golden --
 cue evaluates CUE files, an extension of JSON, and sends them
 to user-defined commands for processing.
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar
index c6ed7b9d573..847c2e0f78a 100644
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar
+++ b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_cmd.txtar
@@ -5,6 +5,14 @@ cmp stderr cue-cmd.stderr
 exec cue help cmd
 cmp stdout cue-help-cmd.stdout
 
+exec cue help cmd hello
+cmp stdout cue-help-cmd-hello.stdout
+
+! exec cue help cmd missing
+stderr -count=1 'Unknown cmd command: missing'
+stderr -count=1 '^Available Commands:$'
+stderr -count=1 'hello *say hello to someone'
+
 -- cue.mod/module.cue --
 -- task_tool.cue --
 package home
@@ -12,6 +20,10 @@ package home
 import "tool/cli"
 
 // say hello to someone
+//
+//   Usage: hello
+//
+// Hello can be used to say hello to the world.
 command: hello: {
     task: say: {
         cli.Print
@@ -157,3 +169,16 @@ Global Flags:
   -v, --verbose      print information about progress
 
 Use "cue cmd [command] --help" for more information about a command.
+-- cue-help-cmd-hello.stdout --
+Hello can be used to say hello to the world.
+
+Usage:
+  cue cmd hello [flags]
+
+Global Flags:
+  -E, --all-errors   print all available errors
+  -i, --ignore       proceed in the presence of errors
+  -s, --simplify     simplify output
+      --strict       report errors for lossy mappings
+      --trace        trace computation
+  -v, --verbose      print information about progress
diff --git a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_hello.txtar b/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_hello.txtar
deleted file mode 100644
index 55a469517f1..00000000000
--- a/cmd/cue/cmd/testdata/script/help_hello.txtar
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-exec cue help cmd hello
-cmp stdout expect-stdout
-
--- cue.mod/module.cue --
--- task_tool.cue --
-package home
-
-import "tool/cli"
-
-// say hello to someone
-//
-//   Usage: hello
-//
-// Hello can be used to say hello to the world.
-command: hello: {
-    task: say: {
-        cli.Print
-        text: "Hello world!"
-    }
-}
-
--- expect-stdout --
-Hello can be used to say hello to the world.
-
-Usage:
-  cue cmd hello [flags]
-
-Global Flags:
-  -E, --all-errors   print all available errors
-  -i, --ignore       proceed in the presence of errors
-  -s, --simplify     simplify output
-      --strict       report errors for lossy mappings
-      --trace        trace computation
-  -v, --verbose      print information about progress