diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Main.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Main.hs
index f0403d1b0..a625b2566 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Main.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Main.hs
@@ -67,24 +67,27 @@ main = do
   opts <- getHledgerCliOpts addons
   when (debug_ opts) $ printf "%s\n" progversion >> printf "opts: %s\n" (show opts)
   run' opts addons args
-    where 
-      cmd = command_ opts
-      run' opts
-          | null cmd                                       = printModeHelpAndExit mainmode
-          | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["accounts","balance"]  = showModeHelpOr accountsmode $ withJournalDo opts balance
-          | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["activity","histogram"] = showModeHelpOr activitymode $ withJournalDo opts histogram
-          | cmd `isPrefixOf` "add"                         = showModeHelpOr addmode $ withJournalDo opts add
-          | cmd `isPrefixOf` "convert"                     = showModeHelpOr convertmode $ withJournalDo opts convert
-          | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["entries","print"]     = showModeHelpOr entriesmode $ withJournalDo opts print'
-          | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["postings","register"] = showModeHelpOr postingsmode $ withJournalDo opts register
-          | cmd `isPrefixOf` "stats"                       = showModeHelpOr statsmode $ withJournalDo opts stats
-          | cmd `isPrefixOf` "test"                        = showModeHelpOr testmode $ runtests opts >> return ()
-          | cmd `isPrefixOf` "binaryfilename"              = showModeHelpOr binaryfilenamemode $ putStrLn $ binaryfilename progname
-          | otherwise                                      = showModeHelpOr mainmode $ optserror $ "command "++cmd++" is not recognized"
-      showModeHelpOr mode f = do
-        when ("help" `in_` (rawopts_ opts)) $ printModeHelpAndExit mode
-        when ("version" `in_` (rawopts_ opts)) $ printVersionAndExit
-        f
+    where
+      run' opts@CliOpts{command_=cmd} addons args
+       | "version" `in_` (rawopts_ opts)                 = putStrLn progversion
+       | "binary-filename" `in_` (rawopts_ opts)         = putStrLn $ binaryfilename progname
+       | null cmd                                        = putStr $ showModeHelp mainmode'
+       | cmd `isPrefixOf` "add"                          = showModeHelpOr addmode      $ withJournalDo opts add
+       | cmd `isPrefixOf` "convert"                      = showModeHelpOr convertmode  $ convert opts
+       | cmd `isPrefixOf` "test"                         = showModeHelpOr testmode     $ runtests opts
+       | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["accounts","balance"]   = showModeHelpOr accountsmode $ withJournalDo opts balance
+       | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["entries","print"]      = showModeHelpOr entriesmode  $ withJournalDo opts print'
+       | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["postings","register"]  = showModeHelpOr postingsmode $ withJournalDo opts register
+       | any (cmd `isPrefixOf`) ["activity","histogram"] = showModeHelpOr activitymode $ withJournalDo opts histogram
+       | cmd `isPrefixOf` "stats"                        = showModeHelpOr statsmode    $ withJournalDo opts stats
+       | not (null matchedaddon)                           = system shellcmd >>= exitWith
+       | otherwise                                       = optserror ("command "++cmd++" is not recognized") >> exitFailure
+       where
+        mainmode' = mainmode addons
+        showModeHelpOr mode f | "help" `in_` (rawopts_ opts) = putStr $ showModeHelp mode
+                              | otherwise = f
+        matchedaddon = headDef "" $ filter (cmd `isPrefixOf`) addons
+        shellcmd = printf "%s-%s %s" progname matchedaddon (unwords' args)
 
 {- tests:
 
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
index eceb46910..764320b5b 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ toCliOpts rawopts = do
 getHledgerCliOpts :: [String] -> IO CliOpts
 getHledgerCliOpts addons = do
   args <- getArgs
-  toCliOpts (decodeRawOpts $ processValue (mainmode addons) $ tempMoveFlagsAfterCommand args) >>= checkCliOpts
+  toCliOpts (decodeRawOpts $ processValue (mainmode addons) $ moveFileOption args) >>= checkCliOpts
 
 -- utils
 
@@ -352,11 +352,12 @@ getDirectoryContentsSafe d = getDirectoryContents d `catch` (\_ -> return [])
 -- | Convert possibly encoded option values to regular unicode strings.
 decodeRawOpts = map (\(name,val) -> (name, fromPlatformString val))
 
--- workaround for http://code.google.com/p/ndmitchell/issues/detail?id=457
--- just handles commonest case, -f option before command
-tempMoveFlagsAfterCommand (fflagandval@('-':'f':_:_):cmd:rest) = cmd:fflagandval:rest
-tempMoveFlagsAfterCommand ("-f":fval:cmd:rest) = cmd:"-f":fval:rest
-tempMoveFlagsAfterCommand as = as
+-- A workaround related to http://code.google.com/p/ndmitchell/issues/detail?id=457 :
+-- we'd like to permit options before COMMAND as well as after it. Here we
+-- make sure at least -f FILE will be accepted in either position.
+moveFileOption (fopt@('-':'f':_:_):cmd:rest) = cmd:fopt:rest
+moveFileOption ("-f":fval:cmd:rest) = cmd:"-f":fval:rest
+moveFileOption as = as
 
 optserror = error' . (++ " (run with --help for usage)")
 
@@ -448,12 +449,8 @@ aliasesFromOpts = map parseAlias . alias_
             alias' = case alias of ('=':rest) -> rest
                                    _ -> orig
 
-printModeHelpAndExit mode = putStr (showModeHelp mode) >> exitSuccess
-
 showModeHelp = showText defaultWrap . helpText HelpFormatDefault
 
-printVersionAndExit = putStrLn progversion >> exitSuccess
-
 tests_Hledger_Cli_Options = TestList
  [
  ]