diff --git a/pkg/cfg/flag.go b/pkg/cfg/flag.go
index b895a7b40868..05fa25e16f15 100644
--- a/pkg/cfg/flag.go
+++ b/pkg/cfg/flag.go
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ package cfg
 
 import (
 	"flag"
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/util/flagext"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -31,6 +34,7 @@ func dDefaults(fs *flag.FlagSet) Source {
 // Flags parses the flag from the command line, setting only user-supplied
 // values on the flagext.Registerer passed to Defaults()
 func Flags() Source {
+	flag.Usage = categorizedUsage(flag.CommandLine)
 	return dFlags(flag.CommandLine, os.Args[1:])
 }
 
@@ -41,3 +45,64 @@ func dFlags(fs *flag.FlagSet, args []string) Source {
 		return fs.Parse(args)
 	}
 }
+
+func categorizedUsage(fs *flag.FlagSet) func() {
+	categories := make(map[string][]string)
+	return func() {
+		if fs.Name() == "" {
+			fmt.Fprintf(fs.Output(), "Usage:\n")
+		} else {
+			fmt.Fprintf(fs.Output(), "Usage of %s:\n", fs.Name())
+		}
+
+		fs.VisitAll(func(f *flag.Flag) {
+			id := ""
+			if strings.Contains(f.Name, ".") {
+				id = strings.Split(f.Name, ".")[0]
+			}
+
+			kind, usage := flag.UnquoteUsage(f)
+			if kind != "" {
+				kind = " " + kind
+			}
+			def := f.DefValue
+			if def != "" {
+				def = fmt.Sprintf(" (default %s)", def)
+			}
+			categories[id] = append(categories[id], fmt.Sprintf("   -%s%s:\n      %s%s", f.Name, kind, usage, def))
+		})
+
+		for name, flags := range categories {
+			if len(flags) == 1 {
+				categories[""] = append(categories[""], flags[0])
+				delete(categories, name)
+			}
+		}
+
+		for name := range categories {
+			sort.Strings(categories[name])
+		}
+
+		for _, u := range categories[""] {
+			fmt.Fprintln(fs.Output(), u)
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintln(fs.Output())
+
+		keys := make([]string, 0, len(categories))
+		for k := range categories {
+			keys = append(keys, k)
+		}
+		sort.Strings(keys)
+
+		for _, name := range keys {
+			if name == "" {
+				continue
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintf(fs.Output(), " %s:\n", strings.Title(name))
+			for _, u := range categories[name] {
+				fmt.Fprintln(fs.Output(), u)
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintln(fs.Output())
+		}
+	}
+}