diff --git a/flags/flags.go b/flags/flags.go
index a0c26aa..6d79a64 100644
--- a/flags/flags.go
+++ b/flags/flags.go
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/brtholomy/um/go/cmd"
 )
 
+const INTERNAL_ERR_PREFIX = "um internal err: ParseArgs"
+
 type Arg struct {
 	Val  string
 	Help string
@@ -61,9 +63,9 @@ func missingValue(args []string, i int) bool {
 }
 
 // if no value ahead in the args, print error and exit
-func validValueOrExit(args []string, i int) {
+func validValueOrExit(sub cmd.Subcommand, args []string, i int) {
 	if missingValue(args, i) {
-		log.Printf("um: %s needs a value assignment\n", args[i])
+		log.Printf("um %s: %s needs a value assignment\n", sub, args[i])
 		log.Fatal("try: um [cmd] --help")
 	}
 }
@@ -71,8 +73,8 @@ func validValueOrExit(args []string, i int) {
 // 1. validate a Flag[string] by looking ahead in args, if missing, os.Exit(1)
 // 2. increment the i to skip that value and return
 // 3. fetch that value and return
-func ValidateIncrementFetchOrExit(args []string, i int) (int, string) {
-	validValueOrExit(args, i)
+func ValidateIncrementFetchOrExit(sub cmd.Subcommand, args []string, i int) (int, string) {
+	validValueOrExit(sub, args, i)
 	return i + 1, args[i+1]
 }
 
@@ -88,6 +90,9 @@ func HelpInvalidArg(sub cmd.Subcommand, arg string) {
 // and os.Exit(0)
 func Help(sub cmd.Subcommand, summary string, opts any) {
 	v := reflect.ValueOf(opts)
+	if v.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+		v = v.Elem()
+	}
 	t := v.Type()
 
 	// everything should go to either stderr or stdout:
@@ -118,3 +123,72 @@ func Help(sub cmd.Subcommand, summary string, opts any) {
 	w.Flush()
 	os.Exit(0)
 }
+
+// parse the commandline args
+//
+// reflect on the incoming opts struct filled out with flags.Arg, flags.Flag[string], flags.Flag[string]
+// and fill their "Val" field appropriately.
+//
+// WARN: incoming opts must be a pointer!
+// WORB: opts struct must list its Arg types first and in expected order
+// NOTE: uglier than the pretty switch statements I had per cmd, but much more convenient.
+func ParseArgs(sub cmd.Subcommand, summary string, args []string, opts any) {
+	// immediately get the underlying value of the incoming pointer:
+	v := reflect.ValueOf(opts)
+	if v.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+		v = v.Elem()
+	} else {
+		log.Fatalf("%s needs a pointer to a struct: %#v", INTERNAL_ERR_PREFIX, opts)
+	}
+	if v.Kind() != reflect.Struct {
+		log.Fatalf("%s needs an underlying struct: %#v", INTERNAL_ERR_PREFIX, opts)
+	}
+
+	// for all args, iterate through all opts fields and reflect on type
+argloop:
+	for i := 0; i < len(args); i++ {
+		arg := args[i]
+
+		for j := 0; j < v.NumField(); j++ {
+			field := v.Field(j)
+			if field.Kind() != reflect.Struct {
+				log.Fatalf("%s needs a struct of flag types: %#v is type: %s", INTERNAL_ERR_PREFIX, field, field.Kind())
+			}
+			val := field.FieldByName("Val")
+			// NORT: FieldByName().String() won't panic if not present, as with Arg type, just prints "<invalid Value>"
+			long := field.FieldByName("Long").String()
+			short := field.FieldByName("Short").String()
+			if !val.CanSet() {
+				log.Fatalf("%s failed to set flag value: %#v", INTERNAL_ERR_PREFIX, field)
+			}
+			switch field.Interface().(type) {
+			case Arg:
+				// NOTE: we assume the opts struct lists its Arg types first and in order
+				if j == i && !HasDashPrefix(arg) {
+					val.SetString(arg)
+					continue argloop
+				}
+			case Flag[bool]:
+				if arg == long || arg == short {
+					val.SetBool(true)
+					if long == "--help" {
+						Help(sub, summary, opts)
+					}
+					continue argloop
+				}
+			case Flag[string]:
+				if arg == long || arg == short {
+					fetch := ""
+					i, fetch = ValidateIncrementFetchOrExit(sub, args, i)
+					val.SetString(fetch)
+					continue argloop
+				}
+			default:
+				log.Fatalf("um internal err: unrecognized flag type in opts struct: %#v", field)
+			}
+		}
+		// BLAK: if we didn't skip ahead, arg didn't match:
+		HelpInvalidArg(sub, arg)
+		Help(sub, summary, opts)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/last/last.go b/last/last.go
index c4c910b..731c9b3 100644
--- a/last/last.go
+++ b/last/last.go
@@ -31,20 +31,6 @@ func initOpts() options {
 	}
 }
 
-func parseArgs(args []string) options {
-	opts := initOpts()
-	for _, arg := range args {
-		switch {
-		case arg == opts.Help.Long || arg == opts.Help.Short:
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		default:
-			flags.HelpInvalidArg(CMD, arg)
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		}
-	}
-	return opts
-}
-
 // get the lexical last file from GLOB
 func GlobLast(glob string) (string, error) {
 	// NOTE: filepath.Glob is more reliable than a manual ls call:
@@ -59,7 +45,9 @@ func GlobLast(glob string) (string, error) {
 }
 
 func Last(args []string) {
-	_ = parseArgs(args)
+	opts := initOpts()
+	flags.ParseArgs(CMD, SUMMARY, args, &opts)
+
 	s, err := GlobLast(GLOB)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("um %s: %v", cmd.Last, err)
diff --git a/next/next.go b/next/next.go
index d414cd5..ccab0dc 100644
--- a/next/next.go
+++ b/next/next.go
@@ -36,24 +36,6 @@ func initOpts() options {
 	}
 }
 
-func parseArgs(args []string) options {
-	opts := initOpts()
-	for i, arg := range args {
-		switch {
-		case i == 0 && !flags.HasDashPrefix(arg):
-			opts.Descriptor.Val = arg
-		case i == 1 && !flags.HasDashPrefix(arg):
-			opts.Tags.Val = arg
-		case arg == opts.Help.Long || arg == opts.Help.Short:
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		default:
-			flags.HelpInvalidArg(CMD, arg)
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		}
-	}
-	return opts
-}
-
 // takes the complete last file string
 // returns the number as string
 func numFromLast(l string) (string, error) {
@@ -116,7 +98,9 @@ func emacsNext(f string, tags string) error {
 }
 
 func Next(args []string) {
-	opts := parseArgs(args)
+	opts := initOpts()
+	flags.ParseArgs(CMD, SUMMARY, args, &opts)
+
 	l, err := last.GlobLast(last.GLOB)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("um %s: %v", CMD, err)
diff --git a/sort/sort.go b/sort/sort.go
index d2a9bdb..8af6718 100644
--- a/sort/sort.go
+++ b/sort/sort.go
@@ -33,31 +33,6 @@ func initOpts() options {
 	}
 }
 
-func parseArgs(args []string) options {
-	opts := initOpts()
-	for i := 0; i < len(args); i++ {
-		arg := args[i]
-		switch {
-		case arg == opts.Source.Long || arg == opts.Source.Short:
-			i, opts.Source.Val = flags.ValidateIncrementFetchOrExit(args, i)
-		case arg == opts.Key.Long || arg == opts.Key.Short:
-			i, opts.Key.Val = flags.ValidateIncrementFetchOrExit(args, i)
-		case arg == opts.Write.Long || arg == opts.Write.Short:
-			opts.Write.Val = true
-		case arg == opts.Help.Long || arg == opts.Help.Short:
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		default:
-			flags.HelpInvalidArg(CMD, arg)
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		}
-	}
-	if !opts.Key.IsSet() {
-		flags.HelpRequired(CMD, opts.Key.Long)
-		flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-	}
-	return opts
-}
-
 // reads files from stdin if present, otherwise from the filename:
 func fileListSplitMaybeStdin(f string) []string {
 	filelist, err := pipe.GetStdin()
@@ -112,7 +87,13 @@ func write(file string, content string) {
 }
 
 func Sort(args []string) {
-	opts := parseArgs(args)
+	opts := initOpts()
+	flags.ParseArgs(CMD, SUMMARY, args, &opts)
+	// BORK: by hand for now:
+	if !opts.Key.IsSet() {
+		flags.HelpRequired(CMD, opts.Key.Long)
+		flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
+	}
 
 	sslice := fileListSplitMaybeStdin(opts.Source.Val)
 	kslice := fileListSplit(opts.Key.Val)
diff --git a/tag/tag.go b/tag/tag.go
index ad95d52..9f83a01 100644
--- a/tag/tag.go
+++ b/tag/tag.go
@@ -31,31 +31,10 @@ func initOpts() options {
 	}
 }
 
-func parseArgs(args []string) options {
-	opts := initOpts()
-	for i := 0; i < len(args); i++ {
-		arg := args[i]
-		switch {
-		case i == 0 && !flags.HasDashPrefix(arg):
-			opts.Query.Val = arg
-		case arg == opts.Invert.Long || arg == opts.Invert.Short:
-			opts.Invert.Val = true
-		case arg == opts.Verbose.Long || arg == opts.Verbose.Short:
-			opts.Verbose.Val = true
-		case arg == opts.Date.Long || arg == opts.Date.Short:
-			i, opts.Date.Val = flags.ValidateIncrementFetchOrExit(args, i)
-		case arg == opts.Help.Long || arg == opts.Help.Short:
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		default:
-			flags.HelpInvalidArg(CMD, arg)
-			flags.Help(CMD, SUMMARY, opts)
-		}
-	}
-	return opts
-}
-
 func Tag(args []string) {
-	opts := parseArgs(args)
+	opts := initOpts()
+	flags.ParseArgs(CMD, SUMMARY, args, &opts)
+
 	queries := parseQuery(opts.Query.Val)
 	entries := entriesGlobOrStdin(last.GLOB)