diff --git a/cmd/sops/main.go b/cmd/sops/main.go
index 62d11f162..ab7181e25 100644
--- a/cmd/sops/main.go
+++ b/cmd/sops/main.go
@@ -1431,7 +1431,7 @@ func main() {
 				},
 				cli.BoolFlag{
 					Name:  "value-stdin",
-					Usage: "treat 'value' as a file to read the actual value from (avoids leaking secrets in process listings). Mutually exclusive with --value-file",
+					Usage: "read the value from stdin; the 'value' argument to 'set' is not needed in this case (avoids leaking secrets in process listings). Mutually exclusive with --value-file",
 				},
 				cli.IntFlag{
 					Name:  "shamir-secret-sharing-threshold",