diff --git a/mercurial/minirst.py b/mercurial/minirst.py
--- a/mercurial/minirst.py
+++ b/mercurial/minirst.py
@@ -697,6 +697,10 @@ def maketable(data, indent=0, header=Fal
     for row in data:
         l = []
         for w, v in zip(widths, row):
+            if '\n' in v:
+                # only remove line breaks and indentation, long lines are
+                # handled by the next tool
+                v = ' '.join(e.lstrip() for e in v.split('\n'))
             pad = ' ' * (w - encoding.colwidth(v))
             l.append(v + pad)
         out.append(indent + ' '.join(l) + "\n")
diff --git a/tests/test-help.t b/tests/test-help.t
--- a/tests/test-help.t
+++ b/tests/test-help.t
@@ -657,7 +657,10 @@ Test command without options
   >     pass
   > 
   > cmdtable = {
-  >     "nohelp": (nohelp, [], "hg nohelp"),
+  >     "nohelp": (nohelp, [('', 'longdesc', 3, 'x'*90),
+  >                         ('n', '', None, 'normal desc'),
+  >                         ('', 'newline', '', 'line1\nline2'),
+  >                        ], "hg nohelp"),
   > }
   > 
   > commands.norepo += ' nohelp'
@@ -672,6 +675,13 @@ Test command with no help text
   
   (no help text available)
   
+  options:
+  
+      --longdesc VALUE xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
+                       xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (default: 3)
+   -n --               normal desc
+      --newline VALUE  line1 line2
+  
   use "hg -v help nohelp" to show the global options
 
   $ hg help -k nohelp
diff --git a/tests/test-minirst.py b/tests/test-minirst.py
--- a/tests/test-minirst.py
+++ b/tests/test-minirst.py
@@ -244,3 +244,14 @@ table = ''.join(rst)
 print table
 
 debugformats('table', table)
+
+data = [['s', 'long', 'line\ngoes on here'],
+        ['', 'xy', 'tried to fix here\n        by indenting']]
+
+rst = minirst.maketable(data, 1, False)
+table = ''.join(rst)
+
+print table
+
+debugformats('table+nl', table)
+
diff --git a/tests/test-minirst.py.out b/tests/test-minirst.py.out
--- a/tests/test-minirst.py.out
+++ b/tests/test-minirst.py.out
@@ -773,3 +773,34 @@ html format:
 </table>
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+ = ==== ======================================
+ s long line goes on here                     
+   xy   tried to fix here by indenting        
+ = ==== ======================================
+
+== table+nl ==
+60 column format:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ s long line goes on here
+   xy   tried to fix here by indenting
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+30 column format:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ s long line goes on here
+   xy   tried to fix here by
+        indenting
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+html format:
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+<table>
+<tr><td>s</td>
+<td>long</td>
+<td>line goes on here</td></tr>
+<tr><td></td>
+<td>xy</td>
+<td>tried to fix here by indenting</td></tr>
+</table>
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+