diff --git a/parse_test.go b/parse_test.go
index 00b0875..c2544fd 100644
--- a/parse_test.go
+++ b/parse_test.go
@@ -19,15 +19,20 @@ func setenv(t *testing.T, name, val string) {
 }
 
 func parse(cmdline string, dest interface{}) error {
+	_, err := pparse(cmdline, dest)
+	return err
+}
+
+func pparse(cmdline string, dest interface{}) (*Parser, error) {
 	p, err := NewParser(Config{}, dest)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	var parts []string
 	if len(cmdline) > 0 {
 		parts = strings.Split(cmdline, " ")
 	}
-	return p.Parse(parts)
+	return p, p.Parse(parts)
 }
 
 func TestString(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/subcommand.go b/subcommand.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b73e933
--- /dev/null
+++ b/subcommand.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package arg
+
+// Subcommand returns the user struct for the subcommand selected by
+// the command line arguments most recently processed by the parser.
+// The return value is always a pointer to a struct. If no subcommand
+// was specified then it returns the top-level arguments struct. If
+// no command line arguments have been processed by this parser then it
+// returns nil.
+func (p *Parser) Subcommand() interface{} {
+	if p.lastCmd == nil || p.lastCmd.parent == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return p.readable(p.lastCmd.dest).Interface()
+}
+
+// SubcommandNames returns the sequence of subcommands specified by the
+// user. If no subcommands were given then it returns an empty slice.
+func (p *Parser) SubcommandNames() []string {
+	if p.lastCmd == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// make a list of ancestor commands
+	var ancestors []string
+	cur := p.lastCmd
+	for cur.parent != nil { // we want to exclude the root
+		ancestors = append(ancestors, cur.name)
+		cur = cur.parent
+	}
+
+	// reverse the list
+	out := make([]string, len(ancestors))
+	for i := 0; i < len(ancestors); i++ {
+		out[i] = ancestors[len(ancestors)-i-1]
+	}
+	return out
+}
diff --git a/subcommand_test.go b/subcommand_test.go
index fdc3ff4..c34ab01 100644
--- a/subcommand_test.go
+++ b/subcommand_test.go
@@ -41,9 +41,11 @@ func TestMinimalSubcommand(t *testing.T) {
 	var args struct {
 		List *listCmd `arg:"subcommand"`
 	}
-	err := parse("list", &args)
+	p, err := pparse("list", &args)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.NotNil(t, args.List)
+	assert.Equal(t, args.List, p.Subcommand())
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"list"}, p.SubcommandNames())
 }
 
 func TestNoSuchSubcommand(t *testing.T) {
@@ -52,7 +54,7 @@ func TestNoSuchSubcommand(t *testing.T) {
 	var args struct {
 		List *listCmd `arg:"subcommand"`
 	}
-	err := parse("invalid", &args)
+	_, err := pparse("invalid", &args)
 	assert.Error(t, err)
 }
 
@@ -62,9 +64,11 @@ func TestNamedSubcommand(t *testing.T) {
 	var args struct {
 		List *listCmd `arg:"subcommand:ls"`
 	}
-	err := parse("ls", &args)
+	p, err := pparse("ls", &args)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.NotNil(t, args.List)
+	assert.Equal(t, args.List, p.Subcommand())
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"ls"}, p.SubcommandNames())
 }
 
 func TestEmptySubcommand(t *testing.T) {
@@ -73,9 +77,11 @@ func TestEmptySubcommand(t *testing.T) {
 	var args struct {
 		List *listCmd `arg:"subcommand"`
 	}
-	err := parse("", &args)
+	p, err := pparse("", &args)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Nil(t, args.List)
+	assert.Nil(t, p.Subcommand())
+	assert.Empty(t, p.SubcommandNames())
 }
 
 func TestTwoSubcommands(t *testing.T) {
@@ -87,10 +93,12 @@ func TestTwoSubcommands(t *testing.T) {
 		Get  *getCmd  `arg:"subcommand"`
 		List *listCmd `arg:"subcommand"`
 	}
-	err := parse("list", &args)
+	p, err := pparse("list", &args)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Nil(t, args.Get)
 	assert.NotNil(t, args.List)
+	assert.Equal(t, args.List, p.Subcommand())
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"list"}, p.SubcommandNames())
 }
 
 func TestSubcommandsWithOptions(t *testing.T) {
@@ -185,35 +193,43 @@ func TestNestedSubcommands(t *testing.T) {
 
 	{
 		var args root
-		err := parse("grandparent parent child", &args)
+		p, err := pparse("grandparent parent child", &args)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.NotNil(t, args.Grandparent)
 		require.NotNil(t, args.Grandparent.Parent)
 		require.NotNil(t, args.Grandparent.Parent.Child)
+		assert.Equal(t, args.Grandparent.Parent.Child, p.Subcommand())
+		assert.Equal(t, []string{"grandparent", "parent", "child"}, p.SubcommandNames())
 	}
 
 	{
 		var args root
-		err := parse("grandparent parent", &args)
+		p, err := pparse("grandparent parent", &args)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.NotNil(t, args.Grandparent)
 		require.NotNil(t, args.Grandparent.Parent)
 		require.Nil(t, args.Grandparent.Parent.Child)
+		assert.Equal(t, args.Grandparent.Parent, p.Subcommand())
+		assert.Equal(t, []string{"grandparent", "parent"}, p.SubcommandNames())
 	}
 
 	{
 		var args root
-		err := parse("grandparent", &args)
+		p, err := pparse("grandparent", &args)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.NotNil(t, args.Grandparent)
 		require.Nil(t, args.Grandparent.Parent)
+		assert.Equal(t, args.Grandparent, p.Subcommand())
+		assert.Equal(t, []string{"grandparent"}, p.SubcommandNames())
 	}
 
 	{
 		var args root
-		err := parse("", &args)
+		p, err := pparse("", &args)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.Nil(t, args.Grandparent)
+		assert.Nil(t, p.Subcommand())
+		assert.Empty(t, p.SubcommandNames())
 	}
 }