diff --git a/lib/cli.py b/lib/cli.py
index 17dc47c174d21617eb4b85943ec007fb27e784b0..d351f2f77fffa6f3ce7fbe37a9342894f88dc29d 100644
--- a/lib/cli.py
+++ b/lib/cli.py
@@ -676,6 +676,8 @@ def FormatError(err):
                " job submissions until old jobs are archived\n")
   elif isinstance(err, errors.TypeEnforcementError):
     obuf.write("Parameter Error: %s" % msg)
+  elif isinstance(err, errors.ParameterError):
+    obuf.write("Failure: unknown/wrong parameter name '%s'" % msg)
   elif isinstance(err, errors.GenericError):
     obuf.write("Unhandled Ganeti error: %s" % msg)
   elif isinstance(err, luxi.NoMasterError):
diff --git a/lib/cmdlib.py b/lib/cmdlib.py
index 1c2ffbbec16ecf2d3925ae7c982d402fdffc74d0..28c51f83ff940ed12a4de0be9b6c2b8c08d11731 100644
--- a/lib/cmdlib.py
+++ b/lib/cmdlib.py
@@ -3410,6 +3410,8 @@ class LUQueryInstances(NoHooksLU):
             val = live_data[instance.name].get("memory", "?")
           else:
             val = "-"
+        elif field == "vcpus":
+          val = i_be[constants.BE_VCPUS]
         elif field == "disk_template":
           val = instance.disk_template
         elif field == "ip":
@@ -3493,9 +3495,10 @@ class LUQueryInstances(NoHooksLU):
                 else:
                   assert False, "Unhandled NIC parameter"
           else:
-            assert False, "Unhandled variable parameter"
+            assert False, ("Declared but unhandled variable parameter '%s'" %
+                           field)
         else:
-          raise errors.ParameterError(field)
+          assert False, "Declared but unhandled parameter '%s'" % field
         iout.append(val)
       output.append(iout)
 
diff --git a/scripts/gnt-instance b/scripts/gnt-instance
index def14bd7c7d777124dfb204aa751d44271cd1971..e7990baf6179eef39e645292976913efeb3410db 100755
--- a/scripts/gnt-instance
+++ b/scripts/gnt-instance
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ def ListInstances(opts, args):
       "hvparams": "Hypervisor_parameters",
       "be/memory": "Configured_memory",
       "be/vcpus": "VCPUs",
+      "vcpus": "VCPUs",
       "be/auto_balance": "Auto_balance",
       "disk.count": "Disks", "disk.sizes": "Disk_sizes",
       "nic.count": "NICs", "nic.ips": "NIC_IPs",