diff --git a/src/gl-admin-push b/src/gl-admin-push
index 4031e93..cd71137 100755
--- a/src/gl-admin-push
+++ b/src/gl-admin-push
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
 die() { echo "$@" >&2; exit 1; }
+if [ "$1" = "-h" ]
+then
+    echo Usage:
+    echo "  gl-admin-push [any options applicable to 'git push' command]"
+    echo
+    echo "Please see the 'gl-admin-push: ...' section in doc/tips-notes.mkd (Online at"
+    echo "  http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/adminpush.html)"
+    exit 1
+fi
 
 # ----------
 
diff --git a/src/gl-conf-convert b/src/gl-conf-convert
index 1faca4f..7b0bfee 100755
--- a/src/gl-conf-convert
+++ b/src/gl-conf-convert
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
 use strict;
 use warnings;
 
+if (not @ARGV and -t or $ARGV[0] eq '-h') {
+    print "Usage:\n    gl-conf-convert < gitosis.conf > gitolite.conf\n(please the documentation for more)\n";
+    exit 1;
+}
 
 my @comments = ();
 my $groupname;
diff --git a/src/gl-dryrun b/src/gl-dryrun
index 2ebd198..5943433 100755
--- a/src/gl-dryrun
+++ b/src/gl-dryrun
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ cat <<EOFU
 This is a quick hack.  It is not "production quality".  Resist the temptation
 to turn this into an update.secondary hook and put it on the server.  I WILL
 NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS IF YOU DO THAT.  (Even more so if you use
-'git checkout $3' *without* setting GIT_INDEX_FILE to something temporary, and
+'git checkout' *without* setting GIT_INDEX_FILE to something temporary, and
 eventually realise that *deleted* files don't stay deleted...!  And if you
 didn't understand that, all the more reason not to do it).
 
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ EOFU
 exit 1;
 }
 
+[ "$1" = "-h" ] && usage
+
 [ -n "$1" ] || die "need an admin username"
 admin="$1"; shift
 
@@ -69,7 +71,7 @@ $GL_CONF_COMPILED="$GL_ADMINDIR/conf/gitolite.conf-compiled.pm";
 $GL_WILDREPOS = 1;
 $PROJECTS_LIST = $ENV{PWD} . "/projects.list";
 $REPO_UMASK = 0077;
-$GL_BIG_CONFIG = 0;
+$GL_BIG_CONFIG = 1;
 $GL_NO_DAEMON_NO_GITWEB = 1;
 $GIT_PATH="";
 $GL_GITCONFIG_KEYS = ".*";
@@ -86,7 +88,7 @@ EOF
 
 # now compile it
 echo compiling...
-$GL_BINDIR/gl-compile-conf
+$GL_BINDIR/gl-compile-conf || die "compile failed; aborting rest of run"
 echo
 
 echo "checking if $admin has push rights..."
diff --git a/src/gl-mirror-shell b/src/gl-mirror-shell
index d2b6489..e6b25c6 100755
--- a/src/gl-mirror-shell
+++ b/src/gl-mirror-shell
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ die "fatal: GL_HOSTNAME not set in rc; mirroring disabled\n" unless $GL_HOSTNAME
 
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+die "please read the gitolite mirroring documentation; this program is too
+critical for you to just run it based on a 'usage' message.\n" if not @ARGV or $ARGV[0] eq '-h';
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 # deal with local invocations first
 
 # on the "master", run from a shell, for one specific repo, with an optional
@@ -77,8 +82,6 @@ if ( ($ARGV[0] || '') eq 'request-push' and not $ENV{SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND} ) {
     exit 0;
 }
 
-unless (@ARGV) { print STDERR "fatal: missing command\n"; exit 1; }
-
 # ----------
 
 # now the remote invocations; log it, then get the sender name
diff --git a/src/gl-system-install b/src/gl-system-install
index 834775c..99cf075 100755
--- a/src/gl-system-install
+++ b/src/gl-system-install
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ exit 0;
 sub check_args {
     return unless @ARGV;
     return if @ARGV == 3;
-    die "I need all 3 directories (bin-dir, conf-dir, hooks-dir) or none\n";
+    usage();
 }
 
 sub argv_or_defaults {
@@ -127,3 +127,18 @@ sub path_advice {
         $path_advice;
     #>>>
 }
+
+sub usage {
+    print "
+Usage:
+    gl-system-install [bin-dir conf-dir hooks-dir]
+
+Requires all 3 arguments or none.  All arguments supplied must be absolute
+paths.  The following defaults are used if arguments are not supplied:
+
+    as normal user: \$HOME/bin, \$HOME/share/gitolite/conf, \$HOME/share/gitolite/hooks
+    as root:        /usr/local/bin, /var/gitolite/conf, /var/gitolite/hooks
+";
+    exit 1;
+}
+
diff --git a/src/gl-tool b/src/gl-tool
index 256a47a..d95a3bc 100755
--- a/src/gl-tool
+++ b/src/gl-tool
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use gitolite_rc;
 use gitolite;
 
 sub usage { print <DATA>; exit 1; }
-usage() unless (@ARGV);
+usage() if (not @ARGV) or $ARGV[0] eq '-h';
 
 my $cmd = shift;
 my $pub = shift;
diff --git a/src/sshkeys-lint b/src/sshkeys-lint
index 96c027f..a18a306 100755
--- a/src/sshkeys-lint
+++ b/src/sshkeys-lint
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ use warnings;
 use Getopt::Long;
 my $admin = 0;
 my $quiet = 0;
-GetOptions('admin|a=s' => \$admin, 'quiet|q' => \$quiet);
+my $help  = 0;
+GetOptions('admin|a=s' => \$admin, 'quiet|q' => \$quiet, 'help|h' => $help);
 
 use Data::Dumper;
 $Data::Dumper::Deepcopy = 1;
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ sub msg {
     print "sshkeys-lint: " . ( $warning ? "WARNING: " : "" ) . $_ for @_;
 }
 
-@ARGV or not -t or usage();
+usage() if not @ARGV and -t or $help;
 our @pubkeyfiles = @ARGV; @ARGV = ();
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------