diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Command/Command.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Command/Command.php
index 29625a26da..f169b6eb87 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Command/Command.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Command/Command.php
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ class Command
      */
     public function getHelp()
     {
-        return $this->help;
+        return $this->help ?: $this->description;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Command/CommandTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Command/CommandTest.php
index 1ae12874ba..a0c8d78deb 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Command/CommandTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Command/CommandTest.php
@@ -131,6 +131,8 @@ class CommandTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $ret = $command->setHelp('help1');
         $this->assertEquals($command, $ret, '->setHelp() implements a fluent interface');
         $this->assertEquals('help1', $command->getHelp(), '->setHelp() sets the help');
+        $command->setHelp('');
+        $this->assertEquals('description', $command->getHelp(), '->getHelp() fallback to the description');
     }
 
     public function testGetProcessedHelp()
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml1.txt b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml1.txt
index 71d2fcba35..3652d6613d 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml1.txt
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml1.txt
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@
     <command id="foo:bar" name="foo:bar">
   <usage>foo:bar</usage>
   <description>The foo:bar command</description>
-  <help/>
+  <help>The foo:bar command</help>
   <aliases>
     <alias>afoobar</alias>
   </aliases>
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml2.txt b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml2.txt
index 0b30b201f2..3205f9cb5f 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml2.txt
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Console/Tests/Fixtures/application_asxml2.txt
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     <command id="foo:bar" name="foo:bar">
   <usage>foo:bar</usage>
   <description>The foo:bar command</description>
-  <help/>
+  <help>The foo:bar command</help>
   <aliases>
     <alias>afoobar</alias>
   </aliases>