diff --git a/src/sbatch/opt.c b/src/sbatch/opt.c
index 2733f0c32c17822735d988af44ccc992dff247cd..ca5f6d28054eba60def02eed9e88fb14b7f67711 100644
--- a/src/sbatch/opt.c
+++ b/src/sbatch/opt.c
@@ -633,7 +633,11 @@ _process_env_var(env_vars_t *e, const char *val)
 		break;
 	case OPT_CLUSTERS:
 		if (!(opt.clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster((char *)val))) {
-			error("'%s' invalid entry for --clusters", val);
+			error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+			      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+			      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+			      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
+			      optarg);
 			exit(1);
 		}
 		break;
@@ -1228,7 +1232,10 @@ static void _set_options(int argc, char **argv)
 				list_destroy(opt.clusters);
 			if (!(opt.clusters =
 			      slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --clusters",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/scancel/opt.c b/src/scancel/opt.c
index 608eee82649ab37e79e4047b0adf193f0cb580f0..40e935639882e2441a0411df522318e7e54d35f9 100644
--- a/src/scancel/opt.c
+++ b/src/scancel/opt.c
@@ -369,7 +369,10 @@ static void _opt_args(int argc, char **argv)
 				list_destroy(opt.clusters);
 			opt.clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg);
 			if (!opt.clusters) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/scontrol/scontrol.c b/src/scontrol/scontrol.c
index f053540e54155cfa294bfcbbef2674ccfd58dc52..4a399bcf626067da52aa9fd5d2294064f8f97bc8 100644
--- a/src/scontrol/scontrol.c
+++ b/src/scontrol/scontrol.c
@@ -121,7 +121,11 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 		all_flag= 1;
 	if ((env_val = getenv("SLURM_CLUSTERS"))) {
 		if (!(clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(env_val))) {
-			error("'%s' invalid entry for SLURM_CLUSTERS", env_val);
+			error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+			      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+			      "SLURM_CLUSTERS.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+			      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
+			      env_val);
 			exit(1);
 		}
 		working_cluster_rec = list_peek(clusters);
@@ -156,7 +160,10 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 				working_cluster_rec = NULL;
 			}
 			if (!(clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
@@ -596,7 +603,10 @@ _process_command (int argc, char *argv[])
 		}
 		if (argc >= 2) {
 			if (!(clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(argv[1]))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/sinfo/opts.c b/src/sinfo/opts.c
index 13edb8df11ad663c1b0976a13cc97016728cbae0..a2fdf82f2ddee9682af5bd538588c805fc2974a6 100644
--- a/src/sinfo/opts.c
+++ b/src/sinfo/opts.c
@@ -126,7 +126,10 @@ extern void parse_command_line(int argc, char *argv[])
 		params.sort = xstrdup(env_val);
 	if ( ( env_val = getenv("SLURM_CLUSTERS") ) ) {
 		if (!(params.clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(env_val))) {
-			error("'%s' invalid entry for SLURM_CLUSTERS",
+			error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+			      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+			      "SLURM_CLUSTERS.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+			      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 			      env_val);
 			exit(1);
 		}
@@ -181,7 +184,10 @@ extern void parse_command_line(int argc, char *argv[])
 				list_destroy(params.clusters);
 			if (!(params.clusters =
 			      slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/smap/opts.c b/src/smap/opts.c
index fe30cb01d479a8d72f58c1e7a30e787e7e3e3ea5..8237de5e68da3b19b6edc8fa4a46b2ad0de2062b 100644
--- a/src/smap/opts.c
+++ b/src/smap/opts.c
@@ -136,7 +136,10 @@ extern void parse_command_line(int argc, char *argv[])
 				list_destroy(params.clusters);
 			if(!(params.clusters =
 			     slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/sprio/opts.c b/src/sprio/opts.c
index f36086a7bfdeec5d6a9be30d2d288917e80b3aac..b2f49385af620b41485e9fe1511c612a6b7a081f 100644
--- a/src/sprio/opts.c
+++ b/src/sprio/opts.c
@@ -82,7 +82,11 @@ static void _opt_env(void)
 
 	if ((env_val = getenv("SLURM_CLUSTERS"))) {
 		if (!(params.clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(env_val))) {
-			error("'%s' invalid entry for SLURM_CLUSTERS", env_val);
+			error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+			      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+			      "SLURM_CLUSTERS.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+			      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
+			      env_val);
 			exit(1);
 		}
 	}
@@ -142,7 +146,10 @@ parse_command_line( int argc, char* argv[] )
 				list_destroy(params.clusters);
 			if(!(params.clusters =
 			     slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/squeue/opts.c b/src/squeue/opts.c
index 3cc056fef979cf968b57e995b1f3468aa44d29a7..c714941e3cf118af0d015277428b3325e9d5d6c5 100644
--- a/src/squeue/opts.c
+++ b/src/squeue/opts.c
@@ -131,7 +131,10 @@ parse_command_line( int argc, char* argv[] )
 		params.sort = xstrdup(env_val);
 	if ( ( env_val = getenv("SLURM_CLUSTERS") ) ) {
 		if (!(params.clusters = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(env_val))) {
-			error("'%s' invalid entry for SLURM_CLUSTERS",
+			error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+			      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+			      "SLURM_CLUSTERS.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+			      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 			      env_val);
 			exit(1);
 		}
@@ -183,7 +186,10 @@ parse_command_line( int argc, char* argv[] )
 				list_destroy(params.clusters);
 			if (!(params.clusters =
 			    slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/sshare/sshare.c b/src/sshare/sshare.c
index d599b9bd6b6886cc274100d95e07a776d29dda41..f9d131f832f144770448dafe84a55d62375aebec 100644
--- a/src/sshare/sshare.c
+++ b/src/sshare/sshare.c
@@ -125,7 +125,10 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 				list_destroy(clusters);
 			if(!(clusters =
 			     slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/src/strigger/opts.c b/src/strigger/opts.c
index 1e55a1bb03aa12807efd9e57690e758dc7c88ebc..f3d16599582f97849ead4296af0792e53481ca72 100644
--- a/src/strigger/opts.c
+++ b/src/strigger/opts.c
@@ -215,7 +215,10 @@ extern void parse_command_line(int argc, char *argv[])
 				list_destroy(params.clusters);
 			if (!(params.clusters =
 			      slurmdb_get_info_cluster(optarg))) {
-				error("'%s' invalid entry for --cluster",
+				error("'%s' can't be reached now, "
+				      "or it is an invalid entry for "
+				      "--cluster.  Use 'sacctmgr --list "
+				      "cluster' to see avaliable clusters.",
 				      optarg);
 				exit(1);
 			}