diff --git a/src/cli/command-registration-policy.ts b/src/cli/command-registration-policy.ts
index 638e87693eb..efef8b7844a 100644
--- a/src/cli/command-registration-policy.ts
+++ b/src/cli/command-registration-policy.ts
@@ -14,11 +14,12 @@ export function shouldSkipPluginCommandRegistration(params: {
   if (params.hasBuiltinPrimary) {
     return true;
   }
-  if (params.primary === "help" && resolveCliArgvInvocation(params.argv).hasHelpOrVersion) {
-    return true;
+  const invocation = resolveCliArgvInvocation(params.argv);
+  if (params.primary === "help") {
+    return invocation.hasHelpOrVersion && invocation.commandPath.length <= 1;
   }
   if (!params.primary) {
-    return resolveCliArgvInvocation(params.argv).hasHelpOrVersion;
+    return invocation.hasHelpOrVersion;
   }
   return false;
 }
diff --git a/src/cli/program/command-group-descriptors.ts b/src/cli/program/command-group-descriptors.ts
index 11f46a64d3c..cb37dfc0935 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/command-group-descriptors.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/command-group-descriptors.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import type { Command } from "commander";
-import type { CommandGroupEntry } from "./register-command-groups.js";
 
 export type NamedCommandDescriptor = {
   name: string;
@@ -23,6 +22,11 @@ export type ResolvedCommandGroupEntry<TDescriptor extends NamedCommandDescriptor
   register: TRegister;
 };
 
+type CommandGroupEntryLike = {
+  placeholders: NamedCommandDescriptor[];
+  register: (program: Command) => Promise<void> | void;
+};
+
 function buildDescriptorIndex<TDescriptor extends NamedCommandDescriptor>(
   descriptors: readonly TDescriptor[],
 ): Map<string, TDescriptor> {
@@ -49,8 +53,8 @@ export function resolveCommandGroupEntries<TDescriptor extends NamedCommandDescr
 export function buildCommandGroupEntries<TRegister>(
   descriptors: readonly NamedCommandDescriptor[],
   specs: readonly CommandGroupDescriptorSpec<TRegister>[],
-  mapRegister: (register: TRegister) => CommandGroupEntry["register"],
-): CommandGroupEntry[] {
+  mapRegister: (register: TRegister) => CommandGroupEntryLike["register"],
+): CommandGroupEntryLike[] {
   return resolveCommandGroupEntries(descriptors, specs).map((entry) => ({
     placeholders: entry.placeholders,
     register: mapRegister(entry.register),
diff --git a/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts b/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts
index 303ecda87b2..869ba8a3c4f 100644
--- a/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/program/root-help.test.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@ const getPluginCliCommandDescriptorsMock = vi.fn(
 );
 
 vi.mock("./core-command-descriptors.js", () => ({
+  CORE_CLI_COMMAND_DESCRIPTORS: [
+    {
+      name: "status",
+      description: "Show status",
+      hasSubcommands: false,
+    },
+  ],
   getCoreCliCommandDescriptors: () => [
     {
       name: "status",
@@ -23,6 +30,13 @@ vi.mock("./core-command-descriptors.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 vi.mock("./subcli-descriptors.js", () => ({
+  SUB_CLI_DESCRIPTORS: [
+    {
+      name: "config",
+      description: "Manage config",
+      hasSubcommands: true,
+    },
+  ],
   getSubCliEntries: () => [
     {
       name: "config",