diff --git a/cake/console/console_option_parser.php b/cake/console/console_option_parser.php
index 5c4bd1904b5..1bf516c31a3 100644
--- a/cake/console/console_option_parser.php
+++ b/cake/console/console_option_parser.php
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ class ConsoleOptionParser {
  */	
 	protected $_options = array();
 
+/**
+ * Map of short -> long options, generated when using addOption()
+ *
+ * @var string
+ */
+	protected $_shortOptions = array();
+
 /**
  * Positional argument definitions.
  *
@@ -99,8 +106,24 @@ class ConsoleOptionParser {
  * can generate a help display for you.  You can view the help for shells by using the `--help` or `-h` switch.
  *
  */
-	public function __construct() {
+	public function __construct($command = null, $defaultOptions = true) {
+		$this->_command = $command;
 
+		$this->addOption('help', array(
+			'short' => 'h',
+			'help' => 'Display this help.',
+			'boolean' => true
+		));
+
+		if ($defaultOptions) {
+			$this->addOption('verbose', array(
+				'short' => 'v',
+				'help' => __('Enable verbose output.')
+			))->addOption('quiet', array(
+				'short' => 'q',
+				'help' => __('Enable quiet output.')
+			));
+		}
 	}
 
 /**
@@ -158,7 +181,7 @@ public function addOption($name, $params = array()) {
 		$options = array_merge($defaults, $params);
 		$this->_options[$name] = $options;
 		if (!empty($options['short'])) {
-			$this->_options[$options['short']] = $options;
+			$this->_shortOptions[$options['short']] = $name;
 		}
 		return $this;
 	}
@@ -200,6 +223,15 @@ public function arguments() {
 		return $this->_args;
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Get the defined options in the parser.
+ *
+ * @return array
+ */
+	public function options() {
+		return $this->_options;
+	}
+
 /**
  * Parse the argv array into a set of params and args.
  *
@@ -229,6 +261,62 @@ public function parse($argv) {
 		return array($params, $args);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Gets formatted help for this parser object.
+ * Generates help text based on the description, options, arguments and epilog
+ * in the parser.
+ *
+ * @return string
+ */
+	public function help() {
+		$out = array();
+		$out[] = '<info>Usage:</info>';
+		$out[] = 'cake ' . $this->_command . $this->_generateUsage();
+		$out[] = '';
+		if (!empty($this->_options)) {
+			$max = 0;
+			foreach ($this->_options as $description) {
+				$max = (strlen($description['name']) > $max) ? strlen($description['name']) : $max;
+			}
+			$max += 3;
+			$out[] = '<info>Options:</info>';
+			$out[] = '';
+			foreach ($this->_options as $description) {
+				$out[] = $this->_optionHelp($description, $max);
+			}
+		}
+		return implode("\n", $out);
+	}
+
+/**
+ * Generate the usage for a shell based on its arguments and options.
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	protected function _generateUsage() {
+		
+	}
+
+/**
+ * Generate the usage for a single option.
+ *
+ * @return string
+ */
+	protected function _optionHelp($definition, $nameWidth) {
+		$default = $short = '';
+		if (!empty($definition['default']) && $definition['default'] !== true) {
+			$default = sprintf(__(' <comment>(default: %s)</comment>'), $definition['default']);
+		}
+		if (!empty($definition['short'])) {
+			$short = ', -' . $definition['short'];
+		}
+		$name = sprintf('--%s%s', $definition['name'], $short);
+		if (strlen($name) < $nameWidth) {
+			$name = str_pad($name, $nameWidth, ' ');
+		}
+		return sprintf('%s %s%s', $name, $definition['help'], $default);
+	}
+
 /**
  * Parse the value for a long option out of $this->_tokens.  Will handle
  * options with an `=` in them.
@@ -264,7 +352,7 @@ protected function _parseShortOption($option, $params) {
 				array_unshift($this->_tokens, '-' . $flags[$i]);
 			}
 		}
-		$name = $this->_options[$key]['name'];
+		$name = $this->_shortOptions[$key];
 		return $this->_parseOptionName($name, $params);
 	}
 
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/console/console_option_parser.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/console/console_option_parser.test.php
index 2b7863483e4..3b99fa710d7 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/console/console_option_parser.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/console/console_option_parser.test.php
@@ -222,4 +222,28 @@ function testPositionalArgNotEnough() {
 
 		$parser->parse(array('one'));
 	}
+
+/**
+ * test getting help with defined options.
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testGetHelpWithOptions() {
+		$parser = new ConsoleOptionParser('mycommand', false);
+		$parser->addOption('test', array('short' => 't', 'help' => 'A test option.'))
+			->addOption('connection', array('help' => 'The connection to use.', 'default' => 'default'));
+
+		$result = $parser->help();
+		$expected = <<<TEXT
+<info>Usage:</info>
+cake mycommand [-h] [-t] [--connection default]
+
+<info>Options:</info>
+
+--help, -h    Display this help.
+--test, -t    A test option.
+--connection  The connection to use. <comment>(default: default)</comment>
+TEXT;
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $result, 'Help does not match');
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file