diff --git a/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go b/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go
index b4c38c8d7..2453fa0da 100644
--- a/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go
+++ b/cmd/oci-runtime-tool/generate.go
@@ -53,9 +53,9 @@ var generateFlags = []cli.Flag{
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "os", Value: runtime.GOOS, Usage: "operating system the container is created for"},
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "output", Usage: "output file (defaults to stdout)"},
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "pid", Usage: "pid namespace"},
-	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "poststart", Usage: "path to poststart hooks"},
-	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "poststop", Usage: "path to poststop hooks"},
-	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "prestart", Usage: "path to prestart hooks"},
+	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "poststart", Usage: "set command to run in poststart hooks"},
+	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "poststop", Usage: "set command to run in poststop hooks"},
+	cli.StringSliceFlag{Name: "prestart", Usage: "set command to run in prestart hooks"},
 	cli.BoolFlag{Name: "privileged", Usage: "enable privileged container settings"},
 	cli.BoolFlag{Name: "read-only", Usage: "make the container's rootfs read-only"},
 	cli.StringFlag{Name: "root-propagation", Usage: "mount propagation for root"},
diff --git a/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md b/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md
index 678c2cc1d..135f2201b 100644
--- a/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md
+++ b/man/oci-runtime-tool-generate.1.md
@@ -182,18 +182,21 @@ read the configuration from `config.json`.
   The special *PATH* `host` removes any existing PID namespace from
   the configuration.
 
-**--poststart**=CMD
-  Path to command to run in poststart hooks. This command will be run before
-  the container process gets launched but after the container environment and
-  main process has been created.
-
-**--poststop**=CMD
-  Path to command to run in poststop hooks. The command will be run
-  after the container process is stopped.
-
-**--prestart**=CMD
-  Path to command to run in prestart hooks. This command will be run before
-  the container process gets launched but after the container environment.
+**--poststart**=CMD[:ARGS...]
+  Set command to run in poststart hooks. Can be specified multiple times.
+  The multiple commands will be run in order before the container process
+  gets launched but after the container environment and main process has been
+  created.
+
+**--poststop**=CMD[:ARGS...]
+  Set command to run in poststop hooks. Can be specified multiple times.
+  The multiple commands will be run in order after the container process
+  is stopped.
+
+**--prestart**=CMD[:ARGS...]
+  Set command to run in prestart hooks. Can be specified multiple times.
+  The multiple commands will be run in order after the container process
+  has been created but before it executes the user-configured code.
 
 **--privileged**=true|false
   Give extended privileges to this container. The default is *false*.