diff --git a/argv/src/help.rs b/argv/src/help.rs
index 97a64eaf1..3559926a4 100644
--- a/argv/src/help.rs
+++ b/argv/src/help.rs
@@ -469,7 +469,17 @@ fn column_usage(meta: &FlagMeta<'_>) -> String {
         return rest;
     };
     let (before, after) = rest.split_at(at);
-    let short = match before.trim() {
+    let short = before.trim();
+    // Only a bare short form belongs in the short column. A flag may carry a declared name the
+    // forms do not imply — `jobs: -j --parallel` — and that prefix is not something to line up
+    // with a comma after: it rendered `jobs: -j,--parallel`, losing the space entirely, because
+    // the glued string is already wider than the column.
+    let bare_short = short.is_empty()
+        || (short.starts_with('-') && !short.starts_with("--") && short.chars().count() == 2);
+    if !bare_short {
+        return rest;
+    }
+    let short = match short {
         "" => String::new(),
         s => format!("{s},"),
     };
diff --git a/conformance/tests/flag_column.rs b/conformance/tests/flag_column.rs
index bb952ecd5..036f4ec8a 100644
--- a/conformance/tests/flag_column.rs
+++ b/conformance/tests/flag_column.rs
@@ -131,3 +131,47 @@ fn the_fields_are_bound() {
     assert!(ex.github_release && ex.dry_run && ex.describe);
     assert_eq!(ex.output.as_deref(), Some("o"));
 }
+
+/// A flag whose declared name the forms do not imply, and one whose help says nothing
+#[derive(Cli)]
+#[usage(bin = "odd")]
+struct Odd {
+    /// How many at once
+    #[usage(name = "jobs", long = "parallel", short = 'j')]
+    parallel: Option<String>,
+    /// A description made only of spaces is no description
+    #[usage(long, help = "   ")]
+    blank: bool,
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn a_declared_name_is_not_mistaken_for_a_short_form() {
+    // `jobs: -j --parallel` — the prefix is the flag's *name*, not something to line a comma up
+    // after. Gluing one on lost the space entirely and rendered `jobs: -j,--parallel`, because
+    // the joined string is already wider than the column it was being padded to.
+    let page = usage_argv::help::render(Odd::spec(), Odd::spec().root.cmd, false).expect("a page");
+    assert!(page.contains("jobs: -j --parallel"), "{page}");
+    assert!(!page.contains("-j,--parallel"), "{page}");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn a_description_of_only_spaces_is_no_description() {
+    // Filtered wherever a description is read, so it does not buy a column of padding and a
+    // line of trailing spaces. usage-lib normalises it in the docs model for the same reason —
+    // one blank spec, two renderings, was a parity break waiting to be found.
+    let page = usage_argv::help::render(Odd::spec(), Odd::spec().root.cmd, false).expect("a page");
+    let line = page
+        .lines()
+        .find(|l| l.contains("--blank"))
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("{page}"));
+    assert_eq!(line, line.trim_end(), "trailing space on {line:?}");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn the_odd_fields_are_bound() {
+    use std::ffi::OsStr;
+    let argv = ["-j", "4", "--blank"].map(OsStr::new);
+    let odd = Odd::parse_from(&argv).expect("should parse");
+    assert_eq!(odd.parallel.as_deref(), Some("4"));
+    assert!(odd.blank);
+}
diff --git a/lib/src/docs/cli/mod.rs b/lib/src/docs/cli/mod.rs
index 5d6fbd1d9..05e4417de 100644
--- a/lib/src/docs/cli/mod.rs
+++ b/lib/src/docs/cli/mod.rs
@@ -84,6 +84,38 @@ mod tests {
     use super::*;
     use insta::assert_snapshot;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn a_description_of_only_spaces_is_no_description() {
+        // `usage-argv` filters a blank description wherever it reads one, and this template
+        // asked only whether the string was there — so `help="   "` bought a column of padding
+        // and a line of trailing spaces here and nothing there. Two renderings of one spec.
+        //
+        // Asserted on the trailing whitespace rather than by comparing the two renderers, so
+        // the test says what is wrong with the line rather than only that they disagree.
+        let spec = crate::spec! { r#"
+bin "ex"
+flag "--blank" help="   "
+flag "--plain" help="plain"
+        "# }
+        .unwrap();
+
+        for long in [false, true] {
+            let page = super::render_help(&spec, &spec.cmd, long);
+            // In the flags section, not the usage line — `Usage: ex [--blank] [--plain]`
+            // also contains the name and has no padding to get wrong.
+            let listing = page.split_once("\nFlags:").expect("a flags section").1;
+            let line = listing
+                .lines()
+                .find(|l| l.contains("--blank"))
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("long={long}: {page}"));
+            assert_eq!(
+                line,
+                line.trim_end(),
+                "long={long}: trailing space on {line:?}"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_render_help_omits_hidden_entries() {
         let spec = crate::spec! { r#"
diff --git a/lib/src/docs/models.rs b/lib/src/docs/models.rs
index 20e6e6836..5770f7dcc 100644
--- a/lib/src/docs/models.rs
+++ b/lib/src/docs/models.rs
@@ -521,6 +521,16 @@ impl From<&crate::SpecCommand> for SpecCommand {
     }
 }
 
+/// Help text, with whitespace-only treated as none.
+///
+/// `usage-argv` filters a blank description out everywhere it reads one, so a spec written with
+/// `help="   "` produced a padded column and a line of trailing spaces here and nothing there —
+/// two renderings of the same metadata. Normalised once, where the model is built, so every
+/// renderer downstream sees the same answer.
+fn said(help: &Option<String>) -> Option<String> {
+    help.as_ref().filter(|h| !h.trim().is_empty()).cloned()
+}
+
 /// The width of the short column: `-x, `, or the blank that stands in for it.
 ///
 /// Fixed, because a short form is one character. clap's, measured.
@@ -560,7 +570,16 @@ fn column_usage(flag: &crate::SpecFlag) -> String {
         return rest;
     };
     let (before, after) = rest.split_at(at);
-    let short = match before.trim() {
+    let short = before.trim();
+    // Only a bare short form belongs in the short column — see the twin in `usage-argv`. A
+    // declared name the forms do not imply (`jobs: -j --parallel`) is not one, and gluing a
+    // comma to it lost the space before the long form.
+    let bare_short = short.is_empty()
+        || (short.starts_with('-') && !short.starts_with("--") && short.chars().count() == 2);
+    if !bare_short {
+        return rest;
+    }
+    let short = match short {
         "" => String::new(),
         s => format!("{s},"),
     };
@@ -574,7 +593,7 @@ impl From<&crate::SpecFlag> for SpecFlag {
             effect: flag.effect,
             usage: flag.usage.clone(),
             display_usage: column_usage(flag),
-            help: flag.help.clone(),
+            help: said(&flag.help),
             help_long: flag.help_long.clone(),
             help_md: flag.help_md.clone(),
             help_first_line: flag.help_first_line.clone(),
@@ -618,7 +637,7 @@ impl From<&crate::SpecArg> for SpecArg {
         Self {
             name: arg.name.clone(),
             usage: arg.usage.clone(),
-            help: arg.help.clone(),
+            help: said(&arg.help),
             help_long: arg.help_long.clone(),
             help_md: arg.help_md.clone(),
             help_first_line: arg.help_first_line.clone(),