diff --git a/agentdescent/cli.py b/agentdescent/cli.py
index b8687826..1e0339e9 100644
--- a/agentdescent/cli.py
+++ b/agentdescent/cli.py
@@ -4578,10 +4578,53 @@ def cmd_mcp(a: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
 
 
 # Sub-commands that exist for AgentDescent's own use and are kept out of
-# `--help` and the usage line.
+# `--help`, the usage line, and unknown-verb ``choose from`` lists (#420, #886).
 _INTERNAL_COMMANDS = frozenset({"run"})
 
 
+def _visible_choices(action: argparse.Action) -> List[Any]:
+    """``action.choices`` without internal commands, in registration order."""
+    if action.choices is None:
+        return []
+    return [c for c in action.choices if c not in _INTERNAL_COMMANDS]
+
+
+def _did_you_mean_choice(value: Any, choices: Sequence[Any]) -> Optional[str]:
+    """The unique visible choice ``value`` most likely meant, or ``None``.
+
+    An exact match after folding case and ``-``/``_`` wins (``compile_skill``
+    → ``compile-skill``). Otherwise a single close typo at cutoff 0.75, the
+    same bar as unknown algorithm names (#874).
+    """
+    if not isinstance(value, str) or not choices:
+        return None
+    folded = value.strip().casefold().replace("_", "-")
+    pool: Dict[str, Any] = {}
+    for choice in choices:
+        key = str(choice).casefold().replace("_", "-")
+        # Two visible names that fold together are ambiguous; skip both.
+        if key in pool:
+            pool[key] = None
+        else:
+            pool[key] = choice
+    if folded in pool and pool[folded] is not None:
+        return str(pool[folded])
+    close = difflib.get_close_matches(
+        folded, [k for k, v in pool.items() if v is not None], n=1, cutoff=0.75)
+    return str(pool[close[0]]) if close else None
+
+
+def _invalid_choice_message(action: argparse.Action, value: Any) -> str:
+    """argparse's invalid-choice text, minus internal verbs, plus a hint (#886)."""
+    visible = _visible_choices(action)
+    shown = ", ".join(repr(c) for c in visible)
+    msg = f"invalid choice: {value!r} (choose from {shown})"
+    guess = _did_you_mean_choice(value, visible)
+    if guess is not None:
+        msg += f"; did you mean {guess!r}?"
+    return msg
+
+
 class _CliParser(argparse.ArgumentParser):
     """ArgumentParser whose usage errors honour ``--json`` (#664).
 
@@ -4590,6 +4633,9 @@ class _CliParser(argparse.ArgumentParser):
     ``--json`` that leaves a script with nothing to parse on stdout, so the
     same exit code instead comes with one ``{"ok": false, "error", "usage"}``
     object.  Subparsers inherit this class through ``add_subparsers``.
+
+    ``_check_value`` hides internal verbs such as ``run`` from the
+    ``choose from`` list and appends ``did you mean`` for a near-miss (#886).
     """
 
     json_errors = False
@@ -4601,6 +4647,11 @@ def error(self, message: str):  # type: ignore[override]
             self.exit(2)
         super().error(message)
 
+    def _check_value(self, action, value):  # type: ignore[override]
+        if action.choices is None or value in action.choices:
+            return
+        raise argparse.ArgumentError(action, _invalid_choice_message(action, value))
+
 
 def _wants_json(argv: Sequence[str]) -> bool:
     """True when ``--json`` appears as an option (before any ``--``).
@@ -4701,7 +4752,8 @@ def build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     # agentdescent.cli run --run-dir <dir>`); not a user verb.  argparse does
     # not honour help=SUPPRESS on a sub-parser (it prints "==SUPPRESS==" and
     # keeps the name in the {...} list), so register it with no help at all
-    # -- no help line -- and leave it out of the metavar below (#420).
+    # -- no help line -- leave it out of the metavar below (#420), and strip
+    # it from unknown-verb ``choose from`` lists (#886).
     s = sub.add_parser("run", description="internal: the worker `agentdescent evolve "
                                           "--detach` starts; use `evolve` instead")
     s.add_argument("--run-dir", required=True, dest="run_dir")
diff --git a/changelog.d/886-unknown-verb-hint.md b/changelog.d/886-unknown-verb-hint.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7d458488
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/886-unknown-verb-hint.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Fixed
+An unknown CLI verb no longer lists the internal `run` worker among
+`choose from` choices, and a near-miss (`algoritms`, `compile_skill`)
+gets `did you mean …?` (#886).
diff --git a/tests/test_cli_help_hides_internal_run.py b/tests/test_cli_help_hides_internal_run.py
index 378d7a67..446955c1 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli_help_hides_internal_run.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli_help_hides_internal_run.py
@@ -90,3 +90,44 @@ def test_runstore_still_spawns_the_run_verb():
     # The detached worker's command line is what keeps `run` alive.
     src = open(runstore.__file__, encoding="utf-8").read()
     assert '"agentdescent.cli", "run", "--run-dir"' in src
+
+def _unknown_verb(capsys, argv):
+    with pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        cli.main(argv)
+    assert exc.value.code == 2
+    return capsys.readouterr()
+
+
+def test_unknown_verb_error_does_not_list_run(capsys):
+    """A typo must not advertise the internal ``run`` worker (#886)."""
+    out, err = _unknown_verb(capsys, ["algoritms"])
+    assert out == ""
+    assert "'run'" not in err
+    assert "invalid choice: 'algoritms'" in err
+    assert "did you mean 'algorithms'?" in err
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("verb", ["compile_skill", "COMPILE-SKILL"])
+def test_unknown_verb_suggests_hyphen_or_case_fold(capsys, verb):
+    _, err = _unknown_verb(capsys, [verb])
+    assert "did you mean 'compile-skill'?" in err
+    assert "'run'" not in err
+
+
+def test_unknown_verb_json_hides_run_and_suggests(capsys):
+    import json
+
+    out, err = _unknown_verb(capsys, ["--json", "algoritms"])
+    assert err == ""
+    payload = json.loads(out)
+    assert payload["ok"] is False
+    assert "did you mean 'algorithms'?" in payload["error"]
+    assert "'run'" not in payload["error"]
+    assert "'run'" not in payload["usage"]
+
+
+def test_nonsense_verb_has_no_guess_and_hides_run(capsys):
+    _, err = _unknown_verb(capsys, ["no-such-verb"])
+    assert "invalid choice: 'no-such-verb'" in err
+    assert "did you mean" not in err
+    assert "'run'" not in err