diff --git a/opal-task/cmd/root.go b/opal-task/cmd/root.go
index 58a7c71..934439c 100644
--- a/opal-task/cmd/root.go
+++ b/opal-task/cmd/root.go
@@ -48,6 +48,16 @@ It supports filtering, tags, priorities, projects, and recurring tasks.`,
 }
 
 func Execute() error {
+	// Check for help flags/command BEFORE preprocessing
+	// This allows Cobra to handle help naturally for the root command
+	if len(os.Args) > 1 {
+		firstArg := os.Args[1]
+		if firstArg == "-h" || firstArg == "--help" || firstArg == "help" {
+			// Let Cobra handle help - skip preprocessing
+			return rootCmd.Execute()
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Preprocess arguments BEFORE Cobra routing
 	if len(os.Args) > 1 {
 		parsed := preprocessArgs(os.Args[1:])