diff --git a/pkg/cli/cliflags/flags.go b/pkg/cli/cliflags/flags.go
index aa9879c3d1ae..1b2fbf157de5 100644
--- a/pkg/cli/cliflags/flags.go
+++ b/pkg/cli/cliflags/flags.go
@@ -571,28 +571,29 @@ write its process ID to the specified file.`,
 	}
 
 	Socket = FlagInfo{
-		Name:   "socket",
-		EnvVar: "COCKROACH_SOCKET",
+		Name:        "socket",
+		EnvVar:      "COCKROACH_SOCKET",
+		Description: `Deprecated in favor of --socket-dir.`,
+	}
+
+	SocketDir = FlagInfo{
+		Name:   "socket-dir",
+		EnvVar: "COCKROACH_SOCKET_DIR",
 		Description: `
-Accept client connections using a Unix domain socket with the
-given name.
+Accept client connections using a Unix domain socket created
+in the specified directory.
 
 Note: for compatibility with PostgreSQL clients and drivers,
-ensure that the socket name has the form "/path/to/.s.PGSQL.NNNN",
-where NNNN is a number. PostgreSQL clients only take a port
-number and directory as input and construct the socket name
-programmatically.
+the generated socket name has the form "/path/to/.s.PGSQL.NNNN",
+where NNNN is the port number configured via --listen-addr.
+
+PostgreSQL clients only take a port number and directory as input
+and construct the socket name programmatically.
 
 To use, for example: psql -h /path/to -p NNNN ...
 `,
 	}
 
-	SocketDir = FlagInfo{
-		Name:        "socket-dir",
-		EnvVar:      "COCKROACH_SOCKET_DIR",
-		Description: `Deprecated in favor of --socket-dir.`,
-	}
-
 	ClientInsecure = FlagInfo{
 		Name:   "insecure",
 		EnvVar: "COCKROACH_INSECURE",