diff --git a/fish.go b/fish.go
index 481b665e85..320dfc6c69 100644
--- a/fish.go
+++ b/fish.go
@@ -151,9 +151,10 @@ func fishSubcommandHelper(binary string, command *Command, siblings []*Command)
 		for _, sibling := range siblings {
 			siblingNames = append(siblingNames, sibling.Names()...)
 		}
+		ancestry := commandAncestry(command)
 		fishHelper = fmt.Sprintf(
-			"__fish_seen_subcommand_from %s; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from %s",
-			strings.Join(command.Names(), " "),
+			"%s; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from %s",
+			ancestry,
 			strings.Join(siblingNames, " "),
 		)
 	}
@@ -163,14 +164,26 @@ func fishSubcommandHelper(binary string, command *Command, siblings []*Command)
 func fishFlagHelper(binary string, command *Command) string {
 	fishHelper := fmt.Sprintf("__fish_%s_no_subcommand", binary)
 	if len(command.Lineage()) > 1 {
-		fishHelper = fmt.Sprintf(
-			"__fish_seen_subcommand_from %s",
-			strings.Join(command.Names(), " "),
-		)
+		fishHelper = commandAncestry(command)
 	}
 	return fishHelper
 }
 
+func commandAncestry(command *Command) string {
+	var ancestry []string
+	ancestors := command.Lineage()
+	for i := len(ancestors) - 2; i >= 0; i-- {
+		ancestry = append(
+			ancestry,
+			fmt.Sprintf(
+				"__fish_seen_subcommand_from %s",
+				strings.Join(ancestors[i].Names(), " "),
+			),
+		)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(ancestry, "; and ")
+}
+
 func escapeSingleQuotes(input string) string {
 	return strings.ReplaceAll(input, `'`, `\'`)
 }
diff --git a/testdata/expected-fish-full.fish b/testdata/expected-fish-full.fish
index e02a659efb..b69e8e51d5 100644
--- a/testdata/expected-fish-full.fish
+++ b/testdata/expected-fish-full.fish
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@ complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c' -l flag -s fl -s f -
 complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c' -f -l another-flag -s b -d 'another usage text'
 complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c' -f -l help -s h -d 'show help'
 complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss help h' -a 'sub-config' -d 'another usage test'
-complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss' -f -l sub-flag -s sub-fl -s s -r
-complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss' -f -l sub-command-flag -s s -d 'some usage text'
-complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss' -f -l help -s h -d 'show help'
-complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from help h' -a 'help' -d 'Shows a list of commands or help for one command'
+complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c; and __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss' -f -l sub-flag -s sub-fl -s s -r
+complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c; and __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss' -f -l sub-command-flag -s s -d 'some usage text'
+complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c; and __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss' -f -l help -s h -d 'show help'
+complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c; and __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from help h' -a 'help' -d 'Shows a list of commands or help for one command'
 complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from config c; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-config s ss help h' -a 'help' -d 'Shows a list of commands or help for one command'
 complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_greet_no_subcommand' -a 'info' -d 'retrieve generic information'
 complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from info i in' -f -l help -s h -d 'show help'
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u' -l flag -s fl -s f -r
 complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u' -f -l another-flag -s b -d 'another usage text'
 complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u' -f -l help -s h -d 'show help'
 complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su help h' -a 'sub-usage' -d 'standard usage text'
-complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su' -f -l sub-command-flag -s s -d 'some usage text'
-complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su' -f -l help -s h -d 'show help'
-complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from help h' -a 'help' -d 'Shows a list of commands or help for one command'
+complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u; and __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su' -f -l sub-command-flag -s s -d 'some usage text'
+complete -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u; and __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su' -f -l help -s h -d 'show help'
+complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u; and __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from help h' -a 'help' -d 'Shows a list of commands or help for one command'
 complete -x -c greet -n '__fish_seen_subcommand_from usage u; and not __fish_seen_subcommand_from sub-usage su help h' -a 'help' -d 'Shows a list of commands or help for one command'