diff --git a/opal/mca/hwloc/base/hwloc_base_frame.c b/opal/mca/hwloc/base/hwloc_base_frame.c
index 3bb85181b0..2a819aed03 100644
--- a/opal/mca/hwloc/base/hwloc_base_frame.c
+++ b/opal/mca/hwloc/base/hwloc_base_frame.c
@@ -124,7 +124,10 @@ static int opal_hwloc_base_register(mca_base_register_flag_t flags)
 
     opal_hwloc_base_binding_policy = NULL;
     (void) mca_base_var_register("opal", "hwloc", "base", "binding_policy",
-                                 "Policy for binding processes [none (default:oversubscribed) | hwthread | core (default:np<=2) | l1cache | l2cache | l3cache | socket (default:np>2) | numa | board] (supported qualifiers: overload-allowed,if-supported)",
+                                 "Policy for binding processes. Allowed values: none, hwthread, core, l1cache, l2cache, "
+                                 "l3cache, socket, numa, board (\"none\" is the default when oversubscribed, \"core\" is "
+                                 "the default when np<=2, and \"socket\" is the default when np>2). Allowed qualifiers: "
+                                 "overload-allowed, if-supported",
                                  MCA_BASE_VAR_TYPE_STRING, NULL, 0, 0, OPAL_INFO_LVL_9,
                                  MCA_BASE_VAR_SCOPE_READONLY, &opal_hwloc_base_binding_policy);
 
diff --git a/orte/tools/orterun/orterun.c b/orte/tools/orterun/orterun.c
index 2fa8e540db..ee2107bddc 100644
--- a/orte/tools/orterun/orterun.c
+++ b/orte/tools/orterun/orterun.c
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ static opal_cmd_line_init_t cmd_line_init[] = {
       /* Binding options */
     { "hwloc_base_binding_policy", '\0', NULL, "bind-to", 1,
       NULL, OPAL_CMD_LINE_TYPE_STRING,
-      "Policy for binding processes [none (default:oversubscribed) | hwthread | core (default:np<=2) | l1cache | l2cache | l3cache | socket (default:np>2) | numa | board] (supported qualifiers: overload-allowed,if-supported)" },
+      "Policy for binding processes. Allowed values: none, hwthread, core, l1cache, l2cache, l3cache, socket, numa, board (\"none\" is the default when oversubscribed, \"core\" is the default when np<=2, and \"socket\" is the default when np>2). Allowed qualifiers: overload-allowed, if-supported" },
 
     /* backward compatiblity */
     { "hwloc_base_bind_to_core", '\0', "bind-to-core", "bind-to-core", 0,