diff --git a/scripts/diff_truth.py b/scripts/diff_truth.py
index 93309018..a9cb579b 100644
--- a/scripts/diff_truth.py
+++ b/scripts/diff_truth.py
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ def main() -> None:
     group.add_argument(
         "--all", action="store_true", help="diff all registered platforms"
     )
-    group.add_argument("--platform", type=platform_arg, help="diff a single platform")
+    group.add_argument("--platform", "-p", type=platform_arg, help="diff a single platform")
     # One output form: --json beside --format markdown printed JSON and
     # dropped the markdown without a word.
     output = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group()
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ def main() -> None:
         help="platform YAML directory (default: %(default)s)",
     )
     parser.add_argument(
-        "--target",
+        "--target", "-t",
         help="read the models generate_truth --target wrote, each under the "
         "target as its platform files it",
     )
diff --git a/scripts/export_native.py b/scripts/export_native.py
index 1ccddb68..ac90473f 100644
--- a/scripts/export_native.py
+++ b/scripts/export_native.py
@@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ def main() -> None:
     )
     group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group(required=True)
     group.add_argument("--all", action="store_true", help="every platform")
-    group.add_argument("--platform", type=platform_arg, help="a single platform")
+    group.add_argument("--platform", "-p", type=platform_arg, help="a single platform")
     parser.add_argument(
         "--output-dir", default="exports",
         help="directory the updated platform files go to (default: %(default)s)",
diff --git a/scripts/generate_truth.py b/scripts/generate_truth.py
index 96ecda21..f2b9ce62 100644
--- a/scripts/generate_truth.py
+++ b/scripts/generate_truth.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ def parse_args(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> argparse.Namespace:
     )
     group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group(required=True)
     group.add_argument("--all", action="store_true", help="all registered platforms")
-    group.add_argument("--platform", type=platform_arg, help="single platform name")
+    group.add_argument("--platform", "-p", type=platform_arg, help="single platform name")
     parser.add_argument(
         "--output-dir",
         default=DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DIR,
diff --git a/scripts/refresh_data_dirs.py b/scripts/refresh_data_dirs.py
index f1f0c4b5..e4358d84 100644
--- a/scripts/refresh_data_dirs.py
+++ b/scripts/refresh_data_dirs.py
@@ -576,7 +576,9 @@ def main() -> None:
     parser.add_argument(
         "--dry-run", action="store_true", help="Preview without downloading"
     )
-    parser.add_argument("--platform", type=platform_arg, help="Only refresh entries for this platform")
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--platform", "-p", type=platform_arg, help="Only refresh entries for this platform"
+    )
     parser.add_argument(
         "--registry", default=DEFAULT_REGISTRY, help="Path to _data_dirs.yml"
     )
diff --git a/scripts/slots.py b/scripts/slots.py
index 6a5668bc..0eedb249 100644
--- a/scripts/slots.py
+++ b/scripts/slots.py
@@ -897,7 +897,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         "the file a platform baseline would ship.",
     )
     parser.add_argument(
-        "--platform", type=platform_arg,
+        "--platform", "-p", type=platform_arg,
         help="one platform instead of all",
     )
     parser.add_argument(
@@ -918,7 +918,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         help="with all platforms, the archived ones too (RetroPie)",
     )
     parser.add_argument(
-        "--target", help="judge only the cores a hardware target builds",
+        "--target", "-t", help="judge only the cores a hardware target builds",
     )
     parser.add_argument(
         "--strict",
diff --git a/tests/test_tool_messages.py b/tests/test_tool_messages.py
index 977772a3..5fcd1379 100644
--- a/tests/test_tool_messages.py
+++ b/tests/test_tool_messages.py
@@ -145,6 +145,33 @@ class TheVerifySummaryCountsDiscrepancies(unittest.TestCase):
             self.assertIn(part, message)
 
 
+class OneSpellingPerOption(unittest.TestCase):
+    """verify.py -p batocera worked and slots.py -p batocera was refused."""
+
+    SHORT = {"--platform": "-p", "--target": "-t"}
+    # migrate.py's --target is the directory files move to, not a hardware target.
+    OTHER_MEANING = {("migrate.py", "--target")}
+
+    def test_every_script_takes_the_short_forms(self):
+        import ast  # noqa: PLC0415
+
+        missing = []
+        for path in sorted((REPO_ROOT / "scripts").rglob("*.py")):
+            tree = ast.parse(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+            for node in ast.walk(tree):
+                if not (isinstance(node, ast.Call)
+                        and getattr(node.func, "attr", None) == "add_argument"):
+                    continue
+                flags = [a.value for a in node.args
+                         if isinstance(a, ast.Constant) and isinstance(a.value, str)]
+                for long, short in self.SHORT.items():
+                    if (path.name, long) in self.OTHER_MEANING:
+                        continue
+                    if long in flags and short not in flags:
+                        missing.append(f"{path.relative_to(REPO_ROOT)}:{node.lineno} {long}")
+        self.assertEqual(missing, [])
+
+
 class ThePipelineCountsItsRealSteps(unittest.TestCase):
     """Labels read N/8 for a run of 24 steps, and the summary used keys
     the log never printed."""