diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index ee8ffda..6c8a7d6 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ if test "$COG" == "not found" ; then
     AC_SUBST(COG)
 fi
 
+AX_CXX_HAVE_SSTREAM
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([TCLAP], [tclap >= 1.2.1])
+
 AX_BOOST_BASE([1.63], , [AC_MSG_ERROR([boost 1.63 required])])
 AX_BOOST_SYSTEM
 AX_BOOST_FILESYSTEM
diff --git a/src/cellar.cpp b/src/cellar.cpp
index 0a50c2f..464a333 100644
--- a/src/cellar.cpp
+++ b/src/cellar.cpp
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 #include <iostream>
 #include <map>
+#include <sstream>
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 
+#include "config.h"
+#include "tclap/CmdLine.h"
 #include "json.hpp"
 
 #include "bottles.hpp"
+#include "cellar.hpp"
 #include "commands.hpp"
 #include "version.hpp"
 
@@ -13,12 +17,36 @@ using namespace std;
 using namespace cellar;
 using json = nlohmann::json;
 
-int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
-    vector<string> commands = commands::list_commands();
+void cellar::print_header() {
     cout << "cellar - bottle management tool for WINE connoisseurs" << std::endl;
     cout << version::short_version() << std::endl;
-    for (string item : commands) {
-        cout << item << " has loaded" << endl;
-    }
-    return 0;
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
+    if (argc == 1) {
+        print_header();
+        cout << "\n(try \"cellar help\" if you're confused)" << endl;
+        return 0;
+    }
+    try {
+        const string desc = "bottle management tool for WINE connoisseurs";
+        const string versionstr = version::short_version();
+        TCLAP::CmdLine cmdparse(desc, ' ', versionstr, false);
+        TCLAP::UnlabeledValueArg<string> command("command", "Specific command to run.", true, "help", "command");
+        cmdparse.add(command);
+
+        cmdparse.parse(argc, argv);
+
+        string usercmd = command.getValue();
+        if (commands::command_map.count(usercmd) > 0) {
+            commands::command_map[usercmd](argc, argv);
+        } else {
+            cerr << "invalid command: " << usercmd << endl;
+            return 1;
+        }
+        return 0;
+    } catch (TCLAP::ArgException &exc) {
+        cerr << "Invalid argument. (" << exc.argId() << ": " << exc.error() << ")" << endl;
+        return 1;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/cellar.hpp b/src/cellar.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b7774f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cellar.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#ifndef __CELLAR_HPP
+#define __CELLAR_HPP
+#pragma once
+
+namespace cellar {
+    void print_header();
+}
+
+#endif // __CELLAR_HPP
diff --git a/src/commands.cpp b/src/commands.cpp
index dc04315..89da87d 100644
--- a/src/commands.cpp
+++ b/src/commands.cpp
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
+#include <iostream>
+
 #include "commands.hpp"
+#include "cellar.hpp"
 
 using namespace std;
 using namespace cellar::commands;
 
 map<string, CommandFunction> cellar::commands::command_map;
 
-bool cellar::commands::add_command(string name, CommandFunction func) {
-    command_map[name] = func;
-    return true;
-}
-
 vector<string> cellar::commands::list_commands() {
     vector<string> result;
     for (auto& item : command_map) {
@@ -17,3 +15,24 @@ vector<string> cellar::commands::list_commands() {
     }
     return result;
 }
+
+void help_command(int argc, char** argv) {
+    vector<string> commands = list_commands();
+    cellar::print_header();
+
+    cout << "You have these commands:\n" << endl;
+
+    int num_columns = 4;
+    int cur_column = 1;
+    for (string command : commands) {
+        cout << "\t" << command;
+        if (cur_column == num_columns) {
+            cout << endl;
+            cur_column = 1;
+        } else {
+            cur_column++;
+        }
+    }
+    cout << endl;
+}
+CommandFunction helpcmd = command_map["help"] = &help_command;
diff --git a/src/commands.hpp b/src/commands.hpp
index 29a7b55..2bc7e3c 100644
--- a/src/commands.hpp
+++ b/src/commands.hpp
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace cellar {
         typedef void (*CommandFunction)(int, char*[]);
         extern map<string, CommandFunction> command_map;
 
-        bool add_command(string, CommandFunction);
+        void add_command(string, CommandFunction);
         vector<string> list_commands();
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/version.cpp.cog b/src/version.cpp.cog
index 34cc24d..d4bc012 100644
--- a/src/version.cpp.cog
+++ b/src/version.cpp.cog
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ string cellar::version::short_version() {
                 outstring = "exception raised when trying to read git data at precompile time"
                 raise
 
-         cog.outl("return \"{0}\";".format(outstring))
+         cog.outl("return string(\"{0}\");".format(outstring))
     ]]]*/
     //[[[end]]]
 }
@@ -41,4 +41,4 @@ string cellar::version::short_version() {
 void print_version(int argc, char** argv) {
     cout << short_version() << endl;
 }
-bool _ = cellar::commands::add_command("version", &print_version);
+cellar::commands::CommandFunction versioncmd = cellar::commands::command_map["version"] = &print_version;