diff --git a/caddyconfig/caddyfile/adapter.go b/caddyconfig/caddyfile/adapter.go
index b924325b0..d6ef602dc 100644
--- a/caddyconfig/caddyfile/adapter.go
+++ b/caddyconfig/caddyfile/adapter.go
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ func FormattingDifference(filename string, body []byte) (caddyconfig.Warning, bo
 	return caddyconfig.Warning{
 		File:    filename,
 		Line:    line,
-		Message: "Caddyfile input is not formatted; run the 'caddy fmt' command to fix inconsistencies",
+		Message: "Caddyfile input is not formatted; run 'caddy fmt --overwrite' to fix inconsistencies",
 	}, true
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/commandfuncs.go b/cmd/commandfuncs.go
index 09accd0d3..62afae2bb 100644
--- a/cmd/commandfuncs.go
+++ b/cmd/commandfuncs.go
@@ -589,7 +589,10 @@ func cmdFmt(fl Flags) (int, error) {
 	}
 
 	if warning, diff := caddyfile.FormattingDifference(formatCmdConfigFile, input); diff {
-		return caddy.ExitCodeFailedStartup, fmt.Errorf("%s:%d: Caddyfile input is not formatted", warning.File, warning.Line)
+		return caddy.ExitCodeFailedStartup, fmt.Errorf(`%s:%d: Caddyfile input is not formatted; Tip: use '--overwrite' to update your Caddyfile in-place instead of previewing it. Consult '--help' for more options`,
+			warning.File,
+			warning.Line,
+		)
 	}
 
 	return caddy.ExitCodeSuccess, nil