diff --git a/man/initctl.8 b/man/initctl.8
index 08e0f8ff..41feabb5 100644
--- a/man/initctl.8
+++ b/man/initctl.8
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 .Nd Control tool for Finit
 .Sh SYNOPSIS
 .Nm /sbin/initctl
-.Op Fl bcfhlpqtvV
+.Op Fl bcfhjlpqtvV
 .Op COMMAND
 .Sh DESCRIPTION
 .Nm
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ command.
 Ignore missing files and arguments, never prompt.
 .It Fl h, -help
 Show built-in help text.
+.It Fl j, -json
+JSON output in
+.Ar status
+and
+.Ar cond
+commands.
 .It Fl 1, -once
 Only one lap in commands like top.
 .It Fl p, -plain
@@ -144,16 +150,21 @@ Clear (deassert) user-defined condition,
 .It Nm Ar cond status
 Show condition status, default
 .Cm cond
-command.
+command.  Also supports the
+.Fl j
+option for detailed JSON output.
 .It Nm Ar cond dump Op Cm TYPE
-Dump all, or a given type of, conditions and their status
+Dump all, or a given type of, conditions and their status.  Also
+supports the
+.Fl j
+option for detailed JSON output.
 .It Nm Ar ident Op Cm NAME
 Display indentities of all run/task/services, or only instances
 matching
 .Cm NAME .
 A partial string, e.g.,
 .Cm NAM ,
-will not match anything
+will not match anything.
 .It Nm Ar log Op Cm NAME
 Show ten last Finit, or
 .Cm NAME ,
@@ -194,8 +205,26 @@ Show service status, by name.  If only
 is given and multiple instances exits, a summary of all matching
 instances are shown.  Only an exact match displays the detailed status
 for a particular instance
+.Pp
+When the
+.Fl q
+option is used with this command, and the selection only matches one
+run/task/service, nothing is output and the return code of
+.Nm
+is non-zero if there is a problem.  Zero is returned if a run/task has
+run (at least) once in the current runlevel, and also when a service
+is running (as expected).  For more detailed status, see the
+.Fl j
+option for detailed JSON output.
+.Pp
+.Sy Tip:
+the
+.Xr jq 1
+is a very useful tool in combination with the JSON output.
 .It Nm Ar status
-Show status of all services, default command
+Show status of all services, default command.  Also supports the
+.Fl j
+option for detailed JSON output.
 .It Nm Ar cgroup
 List cgroup config overview
 .It Nm Ar ps
diff --git a/src/initctl.c b/src/initctl.c
index 1d59e0fc..0b8c6bae 100644
--- a/src/initctl.c
+++ b/src/initctl.c
@@ -1214,6 +1214,7 @@ static int usage(int rc)
 		"  -c, --create              Create missing paths (and files) as needed\n"
 		"  -f, --force               Ignore missing files and arguments, never prompt\n"
 		"  -h, --help                This help text\n"
+		"  -j, --json                JSON output in 'status' and 'cond' commands\n"
 		"  -1, --once                Only one lap in commands like 'top'\n"
 		"  -p, --plain               Use plain table headings, no ctrl chars\n"
 		"  -q, --quiet               Silent, only return status of command\n"