diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index f0c7fdc..ed14c06 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -93,10 +93,10 @@ mkd2html:  mkd2html.o $(MKDLIB) mkdio.h gethopt.h gethopt.o
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LFLAGS) -o mkd2html mkd2html.o gethopt.o -lmarkdown @LIBS@
 
 markdown: main.o pgm_options.o $(MKDLIB)
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LFLAGS) -o markdown main.o pgm_options.o -lmarkdown @LIBS@
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LFLAGS) -o markdown main.o pgm_options.o gethopt.o -lmarkdown @LIBS@
 	
 makepage:  makepage.c pgm_options.o $(MKDLIB) mkdio.h
-	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LFLAGS) -o makepage makepage.c pgm_options.o -lmarkdown @LIBS@
+	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LFLAGS) -o makepage makepage.c pgm_options.o gethopt.o -lmarkdown @LIBS@
 
 pgm_options.o: pgm_options.c mkdio.h config.h
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -I. -c pgm_options.c
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index d605221..4cdf137 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
 
 #include "config.h"
 #include "amalloc.h"
 #include "pgm_options.h"
 #include "tags.h"
+#include "gethopt.h"
 
 #if HAVE_LIBGEN_H
 #include <libgen.h>
@@ -60,10 +60,28 @@ complain(char *fmt, ...)
 }
 
 
+struct h_opt opts[] = {
+    { 0, "html5",  '5', 0, "recognise html5 block elements" },
+    { 0, "base",   'b', 1, "URL prefix" },
+    { 0, "debug",  'd', 0, "debugging" },
+    { 0, "version",'V', 0, "show version info" },
+    { 0, 0,        'E', 1, "url flags" },
+    { 0, 0,        'F', 1, "set/show hex flags" },
+    { 0, 0,        'f', 1, "set/show named flags" },
+    { 0, 0,        'G', 0, "github flavoured markdown" },
+    { 0, 0,        'n', 0, "don't write generated html" },
+    { 0, 0,        's', 1, "format a string" },
+    { 0, "style",  'S', 0, "output <style> blocks" },
+    { 0, 0,        't', 1, "format a string with mkd_line()" },
+    { 0, "toc",    'T', 0, "output a TOC" },
+    { 0, 0,        'C', 1, "prefix for markdown extra footnotes" },
+    { 0, 0,        'o', 1, "write output to a file" },
+};
+#define NROPTS (sizeof opts/sizeof opts[0])
+
 int
 main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
-    int opt;
     int rc;
     mkd_flag_t flags = 0;
     int debug = 0;
@@ -81,68 +99,74 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
     char *urlbase = 0;
     char *q;
     MMIOT *doc;
+    struct h_context blob;
+    struct h_opt *opt;
+
+    hoptset(&blob, argc, argv);
+    hopterr(&blob, 1);
 
     if ( q = getenv("MARKDOWN_FLAGS") )
 	flags = strtol(q, 0, 0);
 
     pgm = basename(argv[0]);
-    opterr = 1;
 
-    while ( (opt=getopt(argc, argv, "5b:C:df:E:F:Gno:s:St:TV")) != EOF ) {
-	switch (opt) {
+    while ( opt=gethopt(&blob, opts, NROPTS) ) {
+	if ( opt == HOPTERR ) {
+	    fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s [-dTV] [-b url-base]"
+				    " [-F bitmap] [-f {+-}flags]"
+				    " [-o ofile] [-s text]"
+				    " [-t text] [file]\n", pgm);
+	    exit(1);
+	}
+	switch (opt->optchar) {
 	case '5':   with_html5 = 1;
 		    break;
-	case 'b':   urlbase = optarg;
+	case 'b':   urlbase = hoptarg(&blob);
 		    break;
 	case 'd':   debug = 1;
 		    break;
 	case 'V':   version++;
 		    break;
-	case 'E':   urlflags = optarg;
+	case 'E':   urlflags = hoptarg(&blob);
 		    break;
-	case 'F':   if ( strcmp(optarg, "?") == 0 ) {
+	case 'F':   if ( strcmp(hoptarg(&blob), "?") == 0 ) {
 			show_flags(0, 0);
 			exit(0);
 		    }
 		    else
-			flags = strtol(optarg, 0, 0);
+			flags = strtol(hoptarg(&blob), 0, 0);
 		    break;
-	case 'f':   if ( strcmp(optarg, "?") == 0 ) {
+	case 'f':   if ( strcmp(hoptarg(&blob), "?") == 0 ) {
 			show_flags(1, version);
 			exit(0);
 		    }
-		    else if ( !set_flag(&flags, optarg) )
-			complain("unknown option <%s>", optarg);
+		    else if ( !set_flag(&flags, hoptarg(&blob)) )
+			complain("unknown option <%s>", hoptarg(&blob));
 		    break;
 	case 'G':   github_flavoured = 1;
 		    break;
 	case 'n':   content = 0;
 		    break;
-	case 's':   text = optarg;
+	case 's':   text = hoptarg(&blob);
 		    break;
 	case 'S':   styles = 1;
 		    break;
-	case 't':   text = optarg;
+	case 't':   text = hoptarg(&blob);
 		    use_mkd_line = 1;
 		    break;
 	case 'T':   toc = 1;
 		    break;
-	case 'C':   extra_footnote_prefix = optarg;
+	case 'C':   extra_footnote_prefix = hoptarg(&blob);
 		    break;
 	case 'o':   if ( ofile ) {
 			complain("Too many -o options");
 			exit(1);
 		    }
-		    if ( !freopen(ofile = optarg, "w", stdout) ) {
+		    if ( !freopen(ofile = hoptarg(&blob), "w", stdout) ) {
 			perror(ofile);
 			exit(1);
 		    }
 		    break;
-	default:    fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s [-dTV] [-b url-base]"
-				    " [-F bitmap] [-f {+-}flags]"
-				    " [-o ofile] [-s text]"
-				    " [-t text] [file]\n", pgm);
-		    exit(1);
 	}
     }
 
@@ -155,8 +179,8 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 	exit(0);
     }
 
-    argc -= optind;
-    argv += optind;
+    argc -= hoptind(&blob);
+    argv += hoptind(&blob);
 
     if ( with_html5 )
 	mkd_with_html5_tags();
diff --git a/makepage.c b/makepage.c
index bbc495d..a240933 100644
--- a/makepage.c
+++ b/makepage.c
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <mkdio.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
 #include "config.h"
 #include "pgm_options.h"
+#include "gethopt.h"
 
 #ifndef HAVE_BASENAME
 char*
@@ -22,6 +22,13 @@ basename(char *p)
 
 char *pgm = "makepage";
 
+struct h_opt opts[] = {
+    { 0, "version", 'V', 0, "show version info" },
+    { 0, 0,         'F', 1, "set/show hex flags" },
+    { 0, "flags",   'f', 1, "set/show named flags" },
+} ;
+#define NROPTS (sizeof opts / sizeof opts[0])
+
 main(argc, argv)
 int argc;
 char **argv;
@@ -29,41 +36,45 @@ char **argv;
     MMIOT *doc;
     char *q;
     int version = 0;
-    int opt;
     int ret;
     mkd_flag_t flags = 0;
+    struct h_opt *opt;
+    struct h_context blob;
 
     if ( (q = getenv("MARKDOWN_FLAGS")) )
 	flags = strtol(q, 0, 0);
 
-    opterr = 1;
+    hoptset(&blob, argc, argv);
+    hopterr(&blob, 1);
 
-    while ( (opt=getopt(argc, argv, "F:f:V")) != EOF ) {
-	switch (opt) {
+    while ( opt = gethopt(&blob, opts, NROPTS) ) {
+	if ( opt == HOPTERR ) {
+	    fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s [-V] [-F bitmap] [-f {+-}flags]"
+			    " [file]\n", pgm);
+	    exit(1);
+	}
+	switch ( opt->optchar ) {
 	case 'V':   version++;
 		    break;
-	case 'F':   if ( strcmp(optarg, "?") == 0 ) {
+	case 'F':   if ( strcmp(hoptarg(&blob), "?") == 0 ) {
 			show_flags(0,0);
 			exit(0);
 		    }
 		    else
-			flags = strtol(optarg, 0, 0);
+			flags = strtol(hoptarg(&blob), 0, 0);
 		    break;
-	case 'f':   if ( strcmp(optarg, "?") == 0 ) {
+	case 'f':   if ( strcmp(hoptarg(&blob), "?") == 0 ) {
 			show_flags(1,version);
 			exit(0);
 		    }
-		    else if ( !set_flag(&flags, optarg) )
-			fprintf(stderr, "unknown option <%s>\n", optarg);
+		    else if ( !set_flag(&flags, hoptarg(&blob)) )
+			fprintf(stderr, "unknown option <%s>\n", hoptarg(&blob));
 		    break;
-	default:    fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s [-V] [-F bitmap] [-f {+-}flags]"
-				    " [file]\n", pgm);
-		    exit(1);
 	}
     }
     
-    argc -= optind;
-    argv += optind;
+    argc -= hoptind(&blob);
+    argv += hoptind(&blob);
     
     if ( version ) {
 	printf("%s: discount %s", pgm, markdown_version);