diff --git a/flashrom.8 b/flashrom.8
index 406e5b0..b652f66 100644
--- a/flashrom.8
+++ b/flashrom.8
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 .SH NAME
 flashrom \- detect, read, write, verify and erase flash chips
 .SH SYNOPSIS
-.B flashrom \fR[\fB\-EVfLhR\fR] [\fB\-r\fR file] [\fB\-w\fR file] [\fB\-v\fR file]
+.B flashrom \fR[\fB\-VfLhR\fR] [\fB\-E\fR|\fB\-r\fR file|\fB\-w\fR file|\fB\-v\fR file]
          [\fB\-c\fR chipname] [\fB\-s\fR addr] [\fB\-e\fR addr] [\fB\-m\fR [vendor:]part]
          [\fB\-l\fR file] [\fB\-i\fR image] [\fB\-p\fR programmer] [file]
 .SH DESCRIPTION
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@
 flashrom 1.0. Do not use flashrom in scripts or other automated tools without
 checking that your flashrom version won't interpret options in a different way.
 .PP
-If no file is specified, then all that happens
+You can specify one of -E, -r, -w, -v or no operation.
+If no operation is specified, then all that happens
 is that flash info is dumped and the flash chip is set to writable.
 .TP
 .B "\-r, \-\-read <file>"
diff --git a/flashrom.c b/flashrom.c
index 2bb904e..7c3c7f3 100644
--- a/flashrom.c
+++ b/flashrom.c
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@
 
 void usage(const char *name)
 {
-	printf("usage: %s [-EVfLhR] [-r file] [-w file] [-v file] [-c chipname] [-s addr]\n"
+	printf("usage: %s [-VfLhR] [-E|-r file|-w file|-v file] [-c chipname] [-s addr]\n"
 	       "       [-e addr] [-m [vendor:]part] [-l file] [-i image] [-p programmer] [file]\n\n",
 	       name);
 
@@ -498,7 +498,8 @@
 	     "                                     (internal, dummy, nic3com, satasii, it87spi)\n"
 	     "   -h | --help:                      print this help text\n"
 	     "   -R | --version:                   print the version (release)\n"
-	     "\nIf no file is specified, then all that happens"
+	     "\nYou can specify one of -E, -r, -w, -v or no operation.\n"
+	     "If no operation is specified, then all that happens"
 	     " is that flash info is dumped.\n\n");
 	exit(1);
 }
@@ -520,6 +521,7 @@
 	int force = 0;
 	int read_it = 0, write_it = 0, erase_it = 0, verify_it = 0;
 	int list_supported = 0;
+	int operation_specified = 0;
 	int ret = 0, i;
 
 	static struct option long_options[] = {
@@ -562,12 +564,27 @@
 				  long_options, &option_index)) != EOF) {
 		switch (opt) {
 		case 'r':
+			if (++operation_specified > 1) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "More than one operation "
+					"specified. Aborting.\n");
+				exit(1);
+			}
 			read_it = 1;
 			break;
 		case 'w':
+			if (++operation_specified > 1) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "More than one operation "
+					"specified. Aborting.\n");
+				exit(1);
+			}
 			write_it = 1;
 			break;
 		case 'v':
+			if (++operation_specified > 1) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "More than one operation "
+					"specified. Aborting.\n");
+				exit(1);
+			}
 			verify_it = 1;
 			break;
 		case 'c':
@@ -577,6 +594,11 @@
 			verbose = 1;
 			break;
 		case 'E':
+			if (++operation_specified > 1) {
+				fprintf(stderr, "More than one operation "
+					"specified. Aborting.\n");
+				exit(1);
+			}
 			erase_it = 1;
 			break;
 		case 's':