diff --git a/util/face-options.hh b/util/face-options.hh
index 347cece1a..2667eb131 100644
--- a/util/face-options.hh
+++ b/util/face-options.hh
@@ -141,14 +141,11 @@ face_options_t::add_options (option_parser_t *parser)
       g_string_printf (s, "Set face loader to use (default: none)\n    No supported face loaders found");
     else
     {
+      char *supported_str = g_strjoinv ("/", (char **) supported_face_loaders);
       g_string_printf (s, "Set face loader to use (default: %s)\n    Supported face loaders are: %s",
 		       supported_face_loaders[0],
-		       supported_face_loaders[0]);
-      for (unsigned i = 1; supported_face_loaders[i]; i++)
-      {
-	g_string_append_c (s, '/');
-	g_string_append (s, supported_face_loaders[i]);
-      }
+		       supported_str);
+      g_free (supported_str);
     }
     face_loaders_text = g_string_free (s, FALSE);
     parser->free_later (face_loaders_text);
diff --git a/util/font-options.hh b/util/font-options.hh
index 9f3be7ebf..f161a7242 100644
--- a/util/font-options.hh
+++ b/util/font-options.hh
@@ -119,20 +119,13 @@ font_options_t::post_parse (GError **error)
 		     font_funcs);
 	return;
       }
-      GString *s = g_string_new (nullptr);
-      for (unsigned i = 0; supported_font_funcs[i]; i++)
-      {
-	if (i)
-	  g_string_append_c (s, '/');
-	g_string_append (s, supported_font_funcs[i]);
-      }
-      char *p = g_string_free (s, FALSE);
+      char *supported_str = g_strjoinv ("/", (char **) supported_font_funcs);
       g_set_error (error, G_OPTION_ERROR, G_OPTION_ERROR_BAD_VALUE,
 		   "Unknown font function implementation `%s'; supported values are: %s; default is %s",
 		   font_funcs,
-		   p,
+		   supported_str,
 		   supported_font_funcs[0]);
-      free (p);
+      g_free (supported_str);
       return;
     }
   }
@@ -300,14 +293,11 @@ font_options_t::add_options (option_parser_t *parser)
       g_string_printf (s, "Set font functions implementation to use (default: none)\n    No supported font function implementations found");
     else
     {
+      char *supported_str = g_strjoinv ("/", (char **) supported_font_funcs);
       g_string_printf (s, "Set font functions implementation to use (default: %s)\n    Supported font function implementations are: %s",
 		       supported_font_funcs[0],
-		       supported_font_funcs[0]);
-      for (unsigned i = 1; supported_font_funcs[i]; i++)
-      {
-	g_string_append_c (s, '/');
-	g_string_append (s, supported_font_funcs[i]);
-      }
+		       supported_str);
+      g_free (supported_str);
     }
     font_funcs_text = g_string_free (s, FALSE);
     parser->free_later (font_funcs_text);
diff --git a/util/options.hh b/util/options.hh
index 29e49d381..26cfeed5a 100644
--- a/util/options.hh
+++ b/util/options.hh
@@ -168,22 +168,6 @@ struct option_parser_t
   GPtrArray *to_free;
 };
 
-
-static inline gchar *
-shapers_to_string ()
-{
-  GString *shapers = g_string_new (nullptr);
-  const char **shaper_list = hb_shape_list_shapers ();
-
-  for (; *shaper_list; shaper_list++) {
-    g_string_append (shapers, *shaper_list);
-    g_string_append_c (shapers, ',');
-  }
-  g_string_truncate (shapers, MAX (0, (gint)shapers->len - 1));
-
-  return g_string_free (shapers, false);
-}
-
 static G_GNUC_NORETURN gboolean
 show_version (const char *name G_GNUC_UNUSED,
 	      const char *arg G_GNUC_UNUSED,
@@ -192,9 +176,6 @@ show_version (const char *name G_GNUC_UNUSED,
 {
   g_printf ("%s (%s) %s\n", g_get_prgname (), PACKAGE_NAME, PACKAGE_VERSION);
 
-  char *shapers = shapers_to_string ();
-  g_printf ("Available shapers: %s\n", shapers);
-  g_free (shapers);
   if (strcmp (HB_VERSION_STRING, hb_version_string ()))
     g_printf ("Linked HarfBuzz library has a different version: %s\n", hb_version_string ());
 
diff --git a/util/shape-options.hh b/util/shape-options.hh
index a663008ff..22d560924 100644
--- a/util/shape-options.hh
+++ b/util/shape-options.hh
@@ -359,13 +359,31 @@ parse_features (const char *name G_GNUC_UNUSED,
 void
 shape_options_t::add_options (option_parser_t *parser)
 {
+  char *shapers_text = nullptr;
+  {
+    const char **supported_shapers = hb_shape_list_shapers ();
+    GString *s = g_string_new (nullptr);
+    if (unlikely (!supported_shapers))
+      g_string_printf (s, "Set shapers to use (default: none)\n    No supported shapers found");
+    else
+    {
+      char *supported_str = g_strjoinv ("/", (char **) supported_shapers);
+      g_string_printf (s, "Set shapers to use (default: %s)\n    Supported shapers are: %s",
+		       supported_shapers[0],
+		       supported_str);
+      g_free (supported_str);
+    }
+    shapers_text = g_string_free (s, FALSE);
+    parser->free_later (shapers_text);
+  }
+
   GOptionEntry entries[] =
   {
-    {"list-shapers",	0, G_OPTION_FLAG_NO_ARG,
-			      G_OPTION_ARG_CALLBACK,	(gpointer) &list_shapers,	"List available shapers and quit",	nullptr},
     {"shaper",		0, G_OPTION_FLAG_HIDDEN,
 			      G_OPTION_ARG_CALLBACK,	(gpointer) &parse_shapers,	"Hidden duplicate of --shapers",	nullptr},
-    {"shapers",		0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_CALLBACK,	(gpointer) &parse_shapers,	"Set comma-separated list of shapers to try","list"},
+    {"shapers",		0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_CALLBACK,	(gpointer) &parse_shapers,	shapers_text,"comma-separated list"},
+    {"list-shapers",	0, G_OPTION_FLAG_NO_ARG,
+			      G_OPTION_ARG_CALLBACK,	(gpointer) &list_shapers,	"List available shapers and quit",	nullptr},
     {"direction",	0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING,	&this->direction,		"Set text direction (default: auto)",	"ltr/rtl/ttb/btt"},
     {"language",	0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING,	&this->language,		"Set text language (default: $LANG)",	"BCP 47 tag"},
     {"script",		0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING,	&this->script,			"Set text script (default: auto)",	"ISO-15924 tag"},