diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 0c31e7fd8b..c9f7c20f9d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ git-annex (8.20200909) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   * add, addurl, importfeed, import: Added --no-check-gitignore option
     for finer grained control than using --force.
   * addunused: Don't check .gitignores when adding files.
+  * Improve the "Try making some of these repositories available"
+    message, with some hints for the user for what to do.
 
  -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Mon, 14 Sep 2020 18:34:37 -0400
 
diff --git a/Messages.hs b/Messages.hs
index 07b152c24a..d3e63458ad 100644
--- a/Messages.hs
+++ b/Messages.hs
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ module Messages (
 	disableDebugOutput,
 	debugEnabled,
 	commandProgressDisabled,
+	jsonOutputEnabled,
 	outputMessage,
 	withMessageState,
 	prompt,
@@ -288,6 +289,12 @@ commandProgressDisabled = withMessageState $ \s -> return $
 		JSONOutput _ -> True
 		NormalOutput -> concurrentOutputEnabled s
 
+jsonOutputEnabled :: Annex Bool
+jsonOutputEnabled = withMessageState $ \s -> return $
+	case outputType s of
+		JSONOutput _ -> True
+		_ -> False
+
 {- Prevents any concurrent console access while running an action, so
  - that the action is the only thing using the console, and can eg prompt
  - the user.
diff --git a/Remote.hs b/Remote.hs
index b343fac47b..1989f9382c 100644
--- a/Remote.hs
+++ b/Remote.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {- git-annex remotes
  -
- - Copyright 2011-2019 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
+ - Copyright 2011-2020 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
  -
  - Licensed under the GNU AGPL version 3 or higher.
  -}
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ import Annex.UUID
 import Logs.UUID
 import Logs.Trust
 import Logs.Location hiding (logStatus)
+import Logs.Remote
 import Logs.Web
 import Remote.List
 import Remote.List.Util
@@ -337,31 +338,53 @@ remoteLocations locations trusted = do
 
 	return (sortBy (comparing cost) validremotes, validtrustedlocations)
 
-{- Displays known locations of a key. -}
+{- Displays known locations of a key and helps the user take action
+ - to make them accessible. -}
 showLocations :: Bool -> Key -> [UUID] -> String -> Annex ()
 showLocations separateuntrusted key exclude nolocmsg = do
 	u <- getUUID
+	remotes <- remoteList
 	uuids <- keyLocations key
 	untrusteduuids <- if separateuntrusted
 		then trustGet UnTrusted
 		else pure []
-	let uuidswanted = filteruuids uuids (u:exclude++untrusteduuids) 
+	let uuidswanted = filteruuids uuids (u:exclude++untrusteduuids)
 	let uuidsskipped = filteruuids uuids (u:exclude++uuidswanted)
-	ppuuidswanted <- prettyPrintUUIDs "wanted" uuidswanted
-	ppuuidsskipped <- prettyPrintUUIDs "skipped" uuidsskipped
-	let msg = message ppuuidswanted ppuuidsskipped
-	unless (null msg) $
-		showLongNote msg
-	ignored <- remoteList
-		>>= filterM (liftIO . getDynamicConfig . remoteAnnexIgnore . gitconfig)
+	let remoteuuids = map uuid remotes
+	let isremoteuuid x = elem x remoteuuids
+	let (remotesmakeavailable, uuidsothers) = 
+		partition isremoteuuid uuidswanted
+	isspecialremote <- flip M.member <$> remoteConfigMap
+	let (enablespecialremotes, addgitremotes) = 
+		partition isspecialremote uuidsothers
+	
+	-- Add "wanted" field to the JSON. While it's since been split
+	-- up more, this avoids breaking any JSON parsers that expect it.
+	ifM jsonOutputEnabled
+		( void $ prettyPrintUUIDs "wanted" uuidswanted
+		, do
+			ppremotesmakeavailable <- pp "remotes" remotesmakeavailable
+				"Try making some of these remotes available"
+			ppenablespecialremotes <- pp "enableremote" enablespecialremotes
+				"Maybe enable some of these special remotes (git annex initremote ...)"
+			ppaddgitremotes <- pp "repos" addgitremotes
+				"Maybe add some of these git remotes (git remote add ...)"
+			ppuuidsskipped <- pp "skipped" uuidsskipped
+				"Also these untrusted repositories may contain the file"
+			showLongNote $ case ppremotesmakeavailable ++ ppenablespecialremotes ++ ppaddgitremotes ++ ppuuidsskipped of
+				[] -> nolocmsg
+				s -> s
+		)
+	ignored <- filterM (liftIO . getDynamicConfig . remoteAnnexIgnore . gitconfig) remotes
 	unless (null ignored) $
 		showLongNote $ "(Note that these git remotes have annex-ignore set: " ++ unwords (map name ignored) ++ ")"
   where
 	filteruuids l x = filter (`notElem` x) l
-	message [] [] = nolocmsg
-	message rs [] = "Try making some of these repositories available:\n" ++ rs
-	message [] us = "Also these untrusted repositories may contain the file:\n" ++ us
-	message rs us = message rs [] ++ message [] us
+
+	pp jh l h = addheader h <$> prettyPrintUUIDs jh l
+
+	addheader _ [] = []
+	addheader h l = h ++ ":\n" ++ l
 
 showTriedRemotes :: [Remote] -> Annex ()
 showTriedRemotes [] = noop
diff --git a/doc/todo/make___34____Try_making_some_of_these_repositories_available__34___more_informative.mdwn b/doc/todo/make___34____Try_making_some_of_these_repositories_available__34___more_informative.mdwn
index b92e91b160..2978049ab1 100644
--- a/doc/todo/make___34____Try_making_some_of_these_repositories_available__34___more_informative.mdwn
+++ b/doc/todo/make___34____Try_making_some_of_these_repositories_available__34___more_informative.mdwn
@@ -29,5 +29,5 @@ although those remote descriptions/names give an idea for an informed user, they
 """]]
 
 [[!meta author=yoh]]
-[[!tag projects/dandi]]
-[[!tag needsthought]]
+
+> implemented as shown. [[done]] --[[Joey]]