diff --git a/src/include/pcp/pmapi.h b/src/include/pcp/pmapi.h
index bd6c565..cdae0a3 100644
--- a/src/include/pcp/pmapi.h
+++ b/src/include/pcp/pmapi.h
@@ -608,6 +608,7 @@ extern char *pmGetConfig(const char *);
 
 #define PMAPI_OPTIONS	"A:a:D:gh:n:O:p:S:s:T:t:VZ:z?"
 #define PMAPI_OPTIONS_HEADER(s)	{ "", 0, '-', 0, (s) }
+#define PMAPI_OPTIONS_TEXT(s)	{ "", 0, '+', 0, (s) }
 #define PMAPI_OPTIONS_END	{ NULL, 0, 0, 0, NULL }
 
 #define PMOPT_ALIGN	{ "align",	1, 'A',	"TIME", \
diff --git a/src/libpcp/src/getopt.c b/src/libpcp/src/getopt.c
index 5f9d37b..032cdd9 100644
--- a/src/libpcp/src/getopt.c
+++ b/src/libpcp/src/getopt.c
@@ -759,6 +759,10 @@ pmUsageMessage(pmOptions *opts)
 	    pmprintf("\n%s:\n", option->message);
 	    continue;
         }
+	if (option->short_opt == '+') {	/* descriptive text */
+	    pmprintf("%s\n", option->message);
+	    continue;
+        }
 
 	message = option->argname ? option->argname : "?";
 	if (option->long_opt && option->long_opt[0] != '\0') {
diff --git a/src/python/pcp/pmapi.py b/src/python/pcp/pmapi.py
index cd10988..42954b5 100644
--- a/src/python/pcp/pmapi.py
+++ b/src/python/pcp/pmapi.py
@@ -750,6 +750,10 @@ class pmOptions(object):
         """ Add a new section heading into the long option usage message """
         return c_api.pmSetLongOptionHeader(heading)
 
+    def pmSetLongOptionDescription(self, text):
+        """ Add some descriptive text into the long option usage message """
+        return c_api.pmSetLongOptionDescription(text)
+
     def pmSetLongOptionAlign(self):
         """ Add support for -A/--align into PMAPI monitor tool """
         return c_api.pmSetLongOptionAlign()
diff --git a/src/python/pmapi.c b/src/python/pmapi.c
index 5bc9f5f..74847ed 100644
--- a/src/python/pmapi.c
+++ b/src/python/pmapi.c
@@ -201,6 +201,27 @@ setLongOptionHeader(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *keywords)
 }
 
 static PyObject *
+setLongOptionDescription(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *keywords)
+{
+    pmLongOptions text = PMAPI_OPTIONS_DESCRIPTION("");
+    char *keyword_list[] = {"text", NULL};
+
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, keywords,
+			"s:pmSetLongOptionDescription", keyword_list,
+			&text.message))
+	return NULL;
+    if ((text.message = strdup(text.message)) == NULL)
+	return PyErr_NoMemory();
+
+    if (addLongOption(&text, 0) < 0) {
+	free((char *)text.message);
+	return PyErr_NoMemory();
+    }
+    Py_INCREF(Py_None);
+    return Py_None;
+}
+
+static PyObject *
 addLongOptionObject(pmLongOptions *option)
 {
     if (addLongOption(option, 1) < 0)
@@ -873,6 +894,9 @@ static PyMethodDef methods[] = {
     { .ml_name = "pmSetLongOptionHeader",
 	.ml_meth = (PyCFunction) setLongOptionHeader,
         .ml_flags = METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS },
+    { .ml_name = "pmSetLongOptionDescription",
+	.ml_meth = (PyCFunction) setLongOptionDescription,
+        .ml_flags = METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS },
     { .ml_name = "pmSetLongOption",
 	.ml_meth = (PyCFunction) setLongOption,
         .ml_flags = METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS },