diff --git a/crates/omnigraph-cli/src/main.rs b/crates/omnigraph-cli/src/main.rs
index f28798d..72862d5 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ enum Command {
     Load {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ enum Command {
     Ingest {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ enum Command {
     Lint {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ enum Command {
     Snapshot {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ enum Command {
     Export {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ enum Command {
         uri: Option<String>,
         #[arg(hide = true)]
         legacy_uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ enum Command {
         uri: Option<String>,
         #[arg(hide = true)]
         legacy_uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ enum Command {
     Optimize {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ enum Command {
     Cleanup {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ enum GraphsCommand {
         /// Remote server URL (e.g. `https://server.example.com`).
         #[arg(long)]
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ enum BranchCommand {
         /// Graph URI
         #[arg(long)]
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ enum BranchCommand {
         /// Graph URI
         #[arg(long)]
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ enum BranchCommand {
         /// Graph URI
         #[arg(long)]
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ enum BranchCommand {
         /// Graph URI
         #[arg(long)]
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ enum SchemaCommand {
     Plan {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ enum SchemaCommand {
     Apply {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ enum SchemaCommand {
     Show {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ enum CommitCommand {
     List {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ enum CommitCommand {
         /// Graph URI
         #[arg(long)]
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ enum QueriesCommand {
     Validate {
         /// Graph URI
         uri: Option<String>,
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ enum QueriesCommand {
     },
     /// List the registered stored queries (name, MCP exposure, params).
     List {
-        #[arg(long)]
+        #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
         target: Option<String>,
         #[arg(long)]
         config: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -1828,7 +1828,7 @@ fn resolve_registry_selection_for_list(
     }
 
     bail!(
-        "stored-query registries are configured for graph{} {} but no graph was selected. Pass `--target {}` or set `cli.graph`.",
+        "stored-query registries are configured for graph{} {} but no graph was selected. Pass `--graph {}` or set `cli.graph`.",
         if graph_names.len() == 1 { "" } else { "s" },
         graph_names.join(", "),
         graph_names[0],
diff --git a/crates/omnigraph-cli/tests/cli.rs b/crates/omnigraph-cli/tests/cli.rs
index ad0af30..743d9c3 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph-cli/tests/cli.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph-cli/tests/cli.rs
@@ -2513,7 +2513,7 @@ fn queries_list_requires_graph_selection_for_per_graph_only_registries() {
     );
     let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
     assert!(
-        stderr.contains("local") && stderr.contains("--target local"),
+        stderr.contains("local") && stderr.contains("--graph local"),
         "error must name the graph and give a concrete selection hint; stderr:\n{stderr}"
     );
 }
@@ -2550,7 +2550,7 @@ fn queries_list_without_graph_selection_lists_top_level_registry() {
 fn queries_list_unknown_target_errors() {
     // `queries list` opens no graph URI, so unknown-graph validation can't ride
     // along on URI resolution the way it does for every other command. An
-    // unknown `--target` must still error (naming the graph) instead of
+    // unknown `--graph` must still error (naming the graph) instead of
     // silently falling back to the top-level registry and showing the wrong
     // (or empty) catalog.
     let graph = SystemGraph::loaded();
@@ -2570,7 +2570,7 @@ fn queries_list_unknown_target_errors() {
         cli()
             .arg("queries")
             .arg("list")
-            .arg("--target")
+            .arg("--graph")
             .arg("nonexistent")
             .arg("--config")
             .arg(&config),
diff --git a/crates/omnigraph-server/src/lib.rs b/crates/omnigraph-server/src/lib.rs
index 493508c..59dc65f 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph-server/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph-server/src/lib.rs
@@ -1050,8 +1050,8 @@ pub fn load_server_settings(
     } else {
         // Rule 5 → error with migration hint.
         bail!(
-            "no graph to serve: pass a URI (`omnigraph-server <URI>`), select a target \
-             (`--target <name> --config omnigraph.yaml`), set `server.graph: <name>` in \
+            "no graph to serve: pass a URI (`omnigraph-server <URI>`), select a graph \
+             (`--graph <name> --config omnigraph.yaml`), set `server.graph: <name>` in \
              omnigraph.yaml, or for multi-graph mode add a `graphs:` map to the config \
              file referenced by `--config`."
         );
diff --git a/crates/omnigraph-server/src/main.rs b/crates/omnigraph-server/src/main.rs
index 4e1c256..37655db 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph-server/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph-server/src/main.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ use omnigraph_server::{ServerConfig, init_tracing, load_server_settings, serve};
 struct Cli {
     /// Graph URI
     uri: Option<String>,
-    #[arg(long)]
+    #[arg(long = "graph", value_name = "GRAPH")]
     target: Option<String>,
     #[arg(long)]
     config: Option<PathBuf>,