diff --git a/cmd/cobra.go b/cmd/cobra.go
index ad95ec0d..437fda97 100644
--- a/cmd/cobra.go
+++ b/cmd/cobra.go
@@ -6,15 +6,98 @@ import (
 
 var rootCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Use: "caddy",
+	Long: `Caddy is an extensible server platform written in Go.
+
+At its core, Caddy merely manages configuration. Modules are plugged
+in statically at compile-time to provide useful functionality. Caddy's
+standard distribution includes common modules to serve HTTP, TLS,
+and PKI applications, including the automation of certificates.
+
+To run Caddy, use:
+
+	- 'caddy run' to run Caddy in the foreground (recommended).
+	- 'caddy start' to start Caddy in the background; only do this
+	  if you will be keeping the terminal window open until you run
+	  'caddy stop' to close the server.
+
+When Caddy is started, it opens a locally-bound administrative socket
+to which configuration can be POSTed via a restful HTTP API (see
+https://caddyserver.com/docs/api).
+
+Caddy's native configuration format is JSON. However, config adapters
+can be used to convert other config formats to JSON when Caddy receives
+its configuration. The Caddyfile is a built-in config adapter that is
+popular for hand-written configurations due to its straightforward
+syntax (see https://caddyserver.com/docs/caddyfile). Many third-party
+adapters are available (see https://caddyserver.com/docs/config-adapters).
+Use 'caddy adapt' to see how a config translates to JSON.
+
+For convenience, the CLI can act as an HTTP client to give Caddy its
+initial configuration for you. If a file named Caddyfile is in the
+current working directory, it will do this automatically. Otherwise,
+you can use the --config flag to specify the path to a config file.
+
+Some special-purpose subcommands build and load a configuration file
+for you directly from command line input; for example:
+
+	- caddy file-server
+	- caddy reverse-proxy
+	- caddy respond
+
+These commands disable the administration endpoint because their
+configuration is specified solely on the command line.
+
+In general, the most common way to run Caddy is simply:
+
+	$ caddy run
+
+Or, with a configuration file:
+
+	$ caddy run --config caddy.json
+
+If running interactively in a terminal, running Caddy in the
+background may be more convenient:
+
+	$ caddy start
+	...
+	$ caddy stop
+
+This allows you to run other commands while Caddy stays running.
+Be sure to stop Caddy before you close the terminal!
+
+Depending on the system, Caddy may need permission to bind to low
+ports. One way to do this on Linux is to use setcap:
+
+	$ sudo setcap cap_net_bind_service=+ep $(which caddy)
+
+Remember to run that command again after replacing the binary.
+
+See the Caddy website for tutorials, configuration structure,
+syntax, and module documentation: https://caddyserver.com/docs/
+
+Custom Caddy builds are available on the Caddy download page at:
+https://caddyserver.com/download
+
+The xcaddy command can be used to build Caddy from source with or
+without additional plugins: https://github.com/caddyserver/xcaddy
+
+Where possible, Caddy should be installed using officially-supported
+package installers: https://caddyserver.com/docs/install
+
+Instructions for running Caddy in production are also available:
+https://caddyserver.com/docs/running
+`,
+	Example: `  $ caddy run
+  $ caddy run --config caddy.json
+  $ caddy reload --config caddy.json
+  $ caddy stop`,
 }
 
-const docsHeader = "{{if not .HasParent}} Caddy is an extensible server platform.\n\n{{end}}"
 const fullDocsFooter = `Full documentation is available at:
-https://caddyserver.com/docs/command-line
-`
+https://caddyserver.com/docs/command-line`
 
 func init() {
-	rootCmd.SetHelpTemplate(docsHeader + rootCmd.HelpTemplate() + "\n" + fullDocsFooter)
+	rootCmd.SetHelpTemplate(rootCmd.HelpTemplate() + "\n" + fullDocsFooter)
 }
 
 func caddyCmdToCoral(caddyCmd Command) *cobra.Command {
diff --git a/cmd/commands.go b/cmd/commands.go
index e71923cf..4ae3a5b3 100644
--- a/cmd/commands.go
+++ b/cmd/commands.go
@@ -358,25 +358,22 @@ EXPERIMENTAL: May be changed or removed.
 			}
 			if err := doc.GenManTree(rootCmd, &doc.GenManHeader{
 				Title:   "Caddy",
-				Section: "8",
+				Section: "8", // https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_page#Manual_sections
 			}, dir); err != nil {
 				return caddy.ExitCodeFailedQuit, err
 			}
 			return caddy.ExitCodeSuccess, nil
 		},
-		Usage: "--directory <directory path>",
-		Short: "Generates the manual pages of Caddy commands",
+		Usage: "--directory <path>",
+		Short: "Generates the manual pages for Caddy commands",
 		Long: `
-Generates the manual pages of Caddy commands into the designated directory tagged into the specified section.
+Generates the manual pages for Caddy commands into the designated directory tagged into section 8 (System Administration).
 
 The manual page files are generated into the directory specified by the argument of --directory. If the directory does not exist, it will be created.
-
-The manual pages are sorted into the section specified by the argument of --section.
 `,
 		Flags: func() *flag.FlagSet {
 			fs := flag.NewFlagSet("manpage", flag.ExitOnError)
 			fs.String("directory", "", "The output directory where the manpages are generated")
-			fs.String("section", "", "The section number of the generated manual pages")
 			return fs
 		}(),
 	})