diff --git a/.changeset/shy-humans-arrive.md b/.changeset/shy-humans-arrive.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..81918007cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/shy-humans-arrive.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@pnpm/parse-cli-args": patch
+---
+
+The `--help` option should not convert the command to `help` if the command is unknown. So `pnpm eslint -h` is not parsed as `pnpm help eslint`.
diff --git a/packages/parse-cli-args/src/index.ts b/packages/parse-cli-args/src/index.ts
index 47557d4bb3..3d71ef91d4 100644
--- a/packages/parse-cli-args/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/parse-cli-args/src/index.ts
@@ -48,16 +48,6 @@ export default async function parseCliArgs (
     inputArgv,
     0
   )
-  if (noptExploratoryResults['help']) {
-    return {
-      argv: noptExploratoryResults.argv,
-      cmd: 'help',
-      options: {},
-      params: noptExploratoryResults.argv.remain,
-      unknownOptions: new Map(),
-      fallbackCommandUsed: false,
-    }
-  }
 
   const recursiveCommandUsed = RECURSIVE_CMDS.has(noptExploratoryResults.argv.remain[0])
   let commandName = getCommandName(noptExploratoryResults.argv.remain)
@@ -67,6 +57,15 @@ export default async function parseCliArgs (
     cmd = opts.fallbackCommand!
     commandName = opts.fallbackCommand!
     inputArgv.unshift(opts.fallbackCommand!)
+  } else if (noptExploratoryResults['help']) {
+    return {
+      argv: noptExploratoryResults.argv,
+      cmd: 'help',
+      options: {},
+      params: noptExploratoryResults.argv.remain,
+      unknownOptions: new Map(),
+      fallbackCommandUsed: false,
+    }
   }
   const types = {
     ...opts.universalOptionsTypes,
diff --git a/packages/parse-cli-args/test/index.ts b/packages/parse-cli-args/test/index.ts
index 81b6b6ac26..1fa42c9d42 100644
--- a/packages/parse-cli-args/test/index.ts
+++ b/packages/parse-cli-args/test/index.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,16 @@ test('if a help option is used, set cmd to "help"', async () => {
   expect(cmd).toBe('help')
 })
 
+test('if a help option is used with an unknown command, do not set cmd to "help"', async () => {
+  const { cmd, fallbackCommandUsed } = await parseCliArgs({
+    ...DEFAULT_OPTS,
+    getCommandLongName: () => null,
+    fallbackCommand: 'run',
+  }, ['eslint', '--help'])
+  expect(cmd).toBe('run')
+  expect(fallbackCommandUsed).toBeTruthy()
+})
+
 test('no command', async () => {
   const { cmd } = await parseCliArgs({
     ...DEFAULT_OPTS,