diff --git a/src/vs/code/node/argv.ts b/src/vs/code/node/argv.ts
index dd6aaa07bb15a89cf5fca46de8ffd942bc565820..a72b1835f9839a0324d48f9709518c625727883b 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/node/argv.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/node/argv.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 
 import * as os from 'os';
 import * as minimist from 'minimist';
-import pkg from 'vs/platform/package';
 import { localize } from 'vs/nls';
 
 export interface ParsedArgs extends minimist.ParsedArgs {
@@ -89,20 +88,53 @@ export const optionsHelp: { [name: string]: string; } = {
 	'--verbose': localize('verbose', "Print verbose output (implies --wait)."),
 	'-w, --wait': localize('wait', "Wait for the window to be closed before returning."),
 	'--list-extensions': localize('listExtensions', "List the installed extensions."),
-	'--install-extension <extension>': localize('installExtension', "Installs an extension."),
-	'--uninstall-extension <extension>': localize('uninstallExtension', "Uninstalls an extension."),
+	'--install-extension <ext>': localize('installExtension', "Installs an extension."),
+	'--uninstall-extension <ext>': localize('uninstallExtension', "Uninstalls an extension."),
 	'-v, --version': localize('version', "Print version."),
 	'-h, --help': localize('help', "Print usage.")
 };
 
-function formatOptions(options: { [name: string]: string; }): string {
-	return Object.keys(options)
-		.reduce((r, key) => r.concat([`  ${ key }`, `      ${ options[key] }`]), []).join('\n');
+export function formatOptions(options: { [name: string]: string; }, columns: number): string {
+	let keys = Object.keys(options);
+	let argLength = Math.max.apply(null, keys.map(k => k.length)) + 2/*left padding*/ + 1/*right padding*/;
+	if (columns - argLength < 25) {
+		// Use a condensed version on narrow terminals
+		return keys.reduce((r, key) => r.concat([`  ${ key }`, `      ${ options[key] }`]), []).join('\n');
+	}
+	let descriptionColumns = columns - argLength - 1;
+	let result = '';
+	keys.forEach(k => {
+		let wrappedDescription = wrapText(options[k], descriptionColumns);
+		let keyPadding = (<any>' ').repeat(argLength - k.length - 2/*left padding*/);
+		if (result.length > 0) {
+			result += '\n';
+		}
+		result += '  ' + k + keyPadding + wrappedDescription[0];
+		for (var i = 1; i < wrappedDescription.length; i++) {
+			result += '\n' + (<any>' ').repeat(argLength) + wrappedDescription[i];
+		}
+	});
+	return result;
 }
 
-export const helpMessage = `Visual Studio Code v${ pkg.version }
+function wrapText(text: string, columns: number) : string[] {
+	let lines = [];
+	while (text.length) {
+		let index = text.length < columns ? text.length : text.lastIndexOf(' ', columns);
+		let line = text.slice(0, index).trim();
+		text = text.slice(index);
+		lines.push(line);
+	}
+	return lines;
+}
+
+export function buildHelpMessage(version: string): string {
+	let columns = (<any>process.stdout).isTTY ? (<any>process.stdout).columns : 80;
+	return `Visual Studio Code v${ version }
+
 
 Usage: ${ executable } [arguments] [paths...]
 
 Options:
-${formatOptions(optionsHelp)}`;
\ No newline at end of file
+${formatOptions(optionsHelp, columns)}`;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts b/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts
index 59472225457a01ce07852d86670a6609ca491e2f..ee5beb41a03e0738fd575b11c4969685eae02cb2 100644
--- a/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts
+++ b/src/vs/code/node/cli.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 import { spawn } from 'child_process';
 import { TPromise } from 'vs/base/common/winjs.base';
 import { assign } from 'vs/base/common/objects';
-import { parseArgs, helpMessage, ParsedArgs } from 'vs/code/node/argv';
+import { parseArgs, buildHelpMessage, ParsedArgs } from 'vs/code/node/argv';
 import pkg from 'vs/platform/package';
 
 function shouldSpawnCliProcess(argv: ParsedArgs): boolean {
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export function main(args: string[]): TPromise<void> {
 	const argv = parseArgs(args);
 
 	if (argv.help) {
-		console.log(helpMessage);
+		console.log(buildHelpMessage(pkg.version));
 	} else if (argv.version) {
 		console.log(pkg.version);
 	} else if (shouldSpawnCliProcess(argv)) {
diff --git a/src/vs/code/test/node/argv.test.ts b/src/vs/code/test/node/argv.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..685ca737cf9e181f58754d7d2d4f9f506489bb01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vs/code/test/node/argv.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+'use strict';
+
+import assert = require('assert');
+import {formatOptions} from 'vs/code/node/argv';
+
+suite('formatOptions', () => {
+	test('Text should display small columns correctly', () => {
+		assert.equal(formatOptions({'foo': 'bar'}, 80), '  foo bar');
+		assert.equal(
+			formatOptions({
+				'f': 'bar',
+				'fo': 'ba',
+				'foo': 'b'
+			}, 80),
+			'  f   bar\n' +
+			'  fo  ba\n' +
+			'  foo b');
+	});
+
+	test('Text should wrap', () => {
+		assert.equal(
+			formatOptions({
+				'foo': (<any>'bar ').repeat(9)
+			}, 40),
+			'  foo bar bar bar bar bar bar bar bar\n' +
+			'      bar');
+	});
+
+	test('Text should revert to the condensed view when the terminal is too narrow', () => {
+		assert.equal(
+			formatOptions({
+				'foo': (<any>'bar ').repeat(9)
+			}, 30),
+			'  foo\n' +
+			'      bar bar bar bar bar bar bar bar bar ');
+	});
+});