diff --git a/etc/profile.d/codespace.sh b/etc/profile.d/codespace.sh
index 5f15a6c8..e55cc267 100644
--- a/etc/profile.d/codespace.sh
+++ b/etc/profile.d/codespace.sh
@@ -118,13 +118,18 @@ if [ `id -u` -ne 0 ]; then
     # No helper matched: offer the duck the failed command's output to explain.
     # If there's no output (e.g., grep with no match, or a program exiting 1), there's
     # nothing to explain, and any button still showing is about an earlier command.
+    # $1 is the output, $2 the command line; the duck gets both, as a transcript.
     _helpless() {
         if [[ -z "${1//[[:space:]]/}" ]]; then
             _help50_hide
             return
         fi
         _alert "$(_ansi "🦆 Click \`help50\` above for help with that error.")"
-        _help50_button ask "$1"
+        if [[ -n "$2" ]]; then
+            _help50_button ask "$ $2"$'\n'"$1"
+        else
+            _help50_button ask "$1"
+        fi
     }
 
     # Command succeeded: hide the button, if showing
diff --git a/tests/smoke.sh b/tests/smoke.sh
index 2eb27291..cafbb5fd 100755
--- a/tests/smoke.sh
+++ b/tests/smoke.sh
@@ -38,6 +38,15 @@ if run "$IMAGE" bash --login -c 'test -f /etc/profile.d/help50.sh -a -f /opt/cs5
         test -z "$(_helpless "   " 2>&1)" &&
         _helpless "cat: x: No such file" 2>&1 | grep -q help50'
 
+    # _help50_button discards command50's output, so stub it to see the payload
+    check "the duck gets the command line and output as a transcript (or output alone without a command)"
+    run "$IMAGE" bash --login -c '
+        _alert() { :; }
+        _help50_button() { printf "%s" "$2"; }
+        test "$(_helpless "cat: x: No such file" "cat x")" = "$(printf "%s\n%s" "$ cat x" "cat: x: No such file")" &&
+        test "$(_helpless "cat: x: No such file")" = "cat: x: No such file" &&
+        test -z "$(_helpless "   " "cat x")"'
+
     check "root shells (Sysadmins profile) do not start help50"
     run --user root "$IMAGE" bash --login -c 'test -z "${HELP50:-}" && ! declare -F _helpful > /dev/null'
 else