diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index dfa5de232..6d092719d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -122,8 +122,9 @@ As before, this is the default when building via ``cargo``, and disabled when bu
 For packagers we continue to recommend CMake.
 
 Note: When fish is built like this, the :envvar:`__fish_data_dir` variable will be empty because that directory no longer has meaning.
-If you need to load files from there,
-use ``status get-file`` or find alternatives (like loading completions for "foo" via ``complete -C"foo "``).
+You should generally not need these files.
+For example, if you want to make sure that completions for "foo" are loaded, use ``complete -C"foo " >/dev/null``  instead).
+The raw files are still exposed via :ref:`status subcommands <status-get-file>`, mainly for fish's internal use, but you can also use them as a last resort.
 
 Remaining benefits of a full installation (as currently done by CMake) are:
 
diff --git a/doc_src/cmds/status.rst b/doc_src/cmds/status.rst
index 55b60e029..38e7feb49 100644
--- a/doc_src/cmds/status.rst
+++ b/doc_src/cmds/status.rst
@@ -110,12 +110,18 @@ The following operations (subcommands) are available:
     This prints information on how fish was build - which architecture, which build system or profile was used, etc.
     This is mainly useful for debugging.
 
+.. _status-get-file:
+
 **get-file** *FILE*
+    NOTE: this subcommand is mainly intended for fish's internal use; let us know if you want to use it elsewhere.
+
     This prints a file embedded in the fish binary at compile time. This includes the default set of functions and completions,
     as well as the man pages and themes. Which files are included depends on build settings.
     Returns 0 if the file was included, 1 otherwise.
 
 **list-files** *FILE*
+    NOTE: this subcommand is mainly intended for fish's internal use; let us know if you want to use it elsewhere.
+
     This lists the files embedded in the fish binary at compile time. Only files where the path starts with the optional *FILE* argument are shown.
     Returns 0 if something was printed, 1 otherwise.