diff --git a/msfvenom b/msfvenom
index eac56ab266..2f6803b659 100755
--- a/msfvenom
+++ b/msfvenom
@@ -16,6 +16,13 @@ require 'rex'
 require 'msf/ui'
 require 'msf/base'
 
+# Mad payload generation
+#
+# @example
+#   venom = MsfVenom.new
+#   # ARGV will be parsed destructively!
+#   venom.parse_args(ARGV)
+#   $stdout.puts venom.generate
 class MsfVenom
   class MsfVenomError < StandardError; end
   class UsageError < MsfVenomError; end
@@ -34,6 +41,11 @@ class MsfVenom
     @framework = framework
   end
 
+  # Creates a new framework object.
+  #
+  # @note Ignores any previously cached value
+  # @param (see ::Msf::Simple::Framework.create)
+  # @return [Msf::Framework]
   def init_framework(create_opts={})
     create_opts[:module_types] ||= [
       ::Msf::MODULE_PAYLOAD, ::Msf::MODULE_ENCODER, ::Msf::MODULE_NOP
@@ -41,6 +53,9 @@ class MsfVenom
     @framework = ::Msf::Simple::Framework.create(create_opts.merge('DisableDatabase' => true))
   end
 
+  # Cached framework object
+  #
+  # @return [Msf::Framework]
   def framework
     return @framework if @framework
 
@@ -49,6 +64,10 @@ class MsfVenom
     @framework
   end
 
+  # Initialize the options for this run from ARGV
+  # @param args [Array] Usually ARGV. Parsed destructively.
+  # @return [void]
+  # @raise [UsageError] When given invalid options
   def parse_args(args)
     @opts = {}
     @datastore = {}
@@ -181,6 +200,10 @@ class MsfVenom
     encoders
   end
 
+  # Read a raw payload from stdin (or whatever IO object we're currently
+  # using as stdin, see {#initialize})
+  #
+  # @return [String]
   def payload_stdin
     @in.binmode
     payload = @in.read
@@ -189,7 +212,7 @@ class MsfVenom
 
   def generate_nops(arch, len, nop_mod=nil, nop_opts={})
     nop_opts['BadChars'] ||= ''
-    nop_jpts['SaveRegisters'] ||= [ 'esp', 'ebp', 'esi', 'edi' ]
+    nop_opts['SaveRegisters'] ||= [ 'esp', 'ebp', 'esi', 'edi' ]
 
     if nop_mod
       nop = framework.nops.create(nop_mod)
@@ -267,7 +290,32 @@ class MsfVenom
     "\n" + tbl.to_s + "\n"
   end
 
+  # @return [String] A raw shellcode blob
+  # @return [nil] When commandline options conspire to produce no output
   def generate_raw_payload
+    if @opts[:list]
+      @opts[:list].each do |mod|
+        case mod.downcase
+        when "payloads"
+          @err.puts dump_payloads
+        when "encoders"
+          @err.puts dump_encoders(@opts[:arch])
+        when "nops"
+          @err.puts dump_nops
+        when "all"
+          # Init here so #dump_payloads doesn't create a framework with
+          # only payloads, etc.
+          init_framework
+          @err.puts dump_payloads
+          @err.puts dump_encoders
+          @err.puts dump_nops
+        else
+          raise UsageError, "Invalid module type"
+        end
+      end
+      return
+    end
+
     if @opts[:payload] == 'stdin'
       payload_raw = payload_stdin
       if @opts[:encode] and (@opts[:arch].nil? or @opts[:platform].nil?)
@@ -307,29 +355,8 @@ class MsfVenom
   end
 
 
+  # Main dispatch method to do the right thing with the given options.
   def generate
-    if @opts[:list]
-      @opts[:list].each do |mod|
-        case mod.downcase
-        when "payloads"
-          @err.puts dump_payloads
-        when "encoders"
-          @err.puts dump_encoders(@opts[:arch])
-        when "nops"
-          @err.puts dump_nops
-        when "all"
-          # Init here so #dump_payloads doesn't create a framework with
-          # only payloads, etc.
-          init_framework
-          @err.puts dump_payloads
-          @err.puts dump_encoders
-          @err.puts dump_nops
-        else
-          print_error("Invalid module type")
-        end
-      end
-      return
-    end
 
     # Normalize the options
     @opts[:platform] = ::Msf::Module::PlatformList.transform(@opts[:platform]) if @opts[:platform]
diff --git a/spec/msfvenom_spec.rb b/spec/msfvenom_spec.rb
index 8ded50bb73..08f19dfcae 100644
--- a/spec/msfvenom_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/msfvenom_spec.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,20 @@ require 'msf/core'
 # doesn't end in .rb or .so, so have to load instead of require
 load File.join(Msf::Config.install_root, 'msfvenom')
 
+shared_examples_for "nop dumper" do |block|
+	it "should list known nops" do
+		dump = block.call
+
+		%w!
+			x86/opty2
+			armle/simple
+		!.each do |name|
+			dump.should include(name)
+		end
+	end
+
+end
+
 describe MsfVenom do
 
 	let(:stdin)  { StringIO.new("", "rb") }
@@ -48,15 +62,8 @@ describe MsfVenom do
 	end
 
 	describe "#dump_nops" do
-		it "should list known nops" do
-			dump = venom.dump_nops
-
-			%w!
-				x86/opty2
-				armle/simple
-			!.each do |name|
-				dump.should include(name)
-			end
+		it_behaves_like "nop dumper" do
+			let(:nops) { venom.dump_nops }
 		end
 	end
 
@@ -141,6 +148,25 @@ describe MsfVenom do
 
 		end
 
+		context "with --list" do
+			context "with invalid module type" do
+				let(:args) { %w!--list asdf! }
+				it "should raise UsageError" do
+					expect { venom.generate_raw_payload }.to raise_error(MsfVenom::UsageError)
+				end
+			end
+			context "with nops" do
+				let(:args) { %w!--list nops! }
+				it_behaves_like "nop dumper" do
+					let(:nops) do
+						venom.generate_raw_payload
+						@err.string
+					end
+				end
+			end
+
+		end
+
 		[
 			{ :format => "elf", :arch => "x86" },
 			{ :format => "raw", :arch => "x86" },