diff --git a/harness2/cli/apply.py b/harness2/cli/apply.py
index 659463e4..253bf459 100644
--- a/harness2/cli/apply.py
+++ b/harness2/cli/apply.py
@@ -35,10 +35,10 @@
 def add_parser(sub) -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     p = sub.add_parser(
         "apply",
-        help="write an adopted harness into the project",
-        description="Show what the harness a run adopted changes, then write those changes "
-        "into the project. NAME defaults to the most recent run; the task defaults to the "
-        "last one the run finished.",
+        help="write the final harness into the project",
+        description="Show what a run's final harness changes, then write those changes into "
+        "the project. NAME defaults to the most recent run; --task takes one task's adopted "
+        "harness instead.",
     )
     p.add_argument("name", nargs="?", help="run name (default: the most recent run)")
     p.add_argument("--task", help="take the harness adopted for this task")
diff --git a/harness2/cli/diff.py b/harness2/cli/diff.py
index 4a2e8fcc..f1ae9f89 100644
--- a/harness2/cli/diff.py
+++ b/harness2/cli/diff.py
@@ -23,10 +23,9 @@
 def add_parser(subparsers):
     p = subparsers.add_parser(
         "diff",
-        help="show what an adopted harness changes",
-        description="Compare the harness a run adopted for a task with the harness the run "
-        "started from. NAME defaults to the most recent run, the task to the last one the run "
-        "finished.",
+        help="show what the final harness changes",
+        description="Compare a run's final harness with the harness the run started from. "
+        "NAME defaults to the most recent run; --task shows one task's adopted harness instead.",
     )
     p.add_argument("name", nargs="?", help="run name (default: the most recent run)")
     p.add_argument("--task", help="show the harness adopted for this task")
diff --git a/harness2/cli/eval.py b/harness2/cli/eval.py
index eac094d6..82c30731 100644
--- a/harness2/cli/eval.py
+++ b/harness2/cli/eval.py
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@
 def add_parser(subparsers):
     p = subparsers.add_parser(
         "eval",
-        help="compare the consolidated harness with the starting one",
-        description="Run the agent with the starting harness and with the consolidated one on "
+        help="compare the final harness with the starting one",
+        description="Run the agent with the starting harness and with the final one on "
         "the run's tasks, grade both with each task's check or rubric, and compare. Costs one "
         "agent run per task, harness and repeat.",
     )