diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts
index a938b00f3c02f..3f90dfc8ff3e2 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/bin/cdk.ts
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ async function parseCommandLineArguments() {
       .option('bootstrap-bucket-name', { type: 'string', alias: ['b', 'toolkit-bucket-name'], desc: 'The name of the CDK toolkit bucket; bucket will be created and must not exist', default: undefined })
       .option('bootstrap-kms-key-id', { type: 'string', desc: 'AWS KMS master key ID used for the SSE-KMS encryption', default: undefined, conflicts: 'bootstrap-customer-key' })
       .option('bootstrap-customer-key', { type: 'boolean', desc: 'Create a Customer Master Key (CMK) for the bootstrap bucket (you will be charged but can customize permissions, modern bootstrapping only)', default: undefined, conflicts: 'bootstrap-kms-key-id' })
-      .option('qualifier', { type: 'string', desc: 'Unique string to distinguish multiple bootstrap stacks', default: undefined })
+      .option('qualifier', { type: 'string', desc: 'String which must be unique for each bootstrap stack. You must configure it on your CDK app if you change this from the default.', default: undefined })
       .option('public-access-block-configuration', { type: 'boolean', desc: 'Block public access configuration on CDK toolkit bucket (enabled by default) ', default: undefined })
       .option('tags', { type: 'array', alias: 't', desc: 'Tags to add for the stack (KEY=VALUE)', nargs: 1, requiresArg: true, default: [] })
       .option('execute', { type: 'boolean', desc: 'Whether to execute ChangeSet (--no-execute will NOT execute the ChangeSet)', default: true })