diff --git a/bin/thumbs/README.md b/bin/thumbs/README.md
index b3765418..87f2dfee 100644
--- a/bin/thumbs/README.md
+++ b/bin/thumbs/README.md
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ copyparty performs buffered reading, so expect multiple `read()` calls, respect
 
 ## examples
 
+* [randomcolor](https://github.com/9001/copyparty/blob/hovudstraum/bin/thumbs/randomcolor.py) generates a random .gif image
+
 
 ## some other known plugins seen on the internets
 
diff --git a/bin/thumbs/randomcolor.py b/bin/thumbs/randomcolor.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..61375cc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/thumbs/randomcolor.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import io
+import os
+import struct
+from base64 import b64decode
+
+
+def create_gif() -> bytes:
+    head = r"R0lGODdhIAAgAIAB"
+    tail = r"AAD/LAAAAAAgACAAAAIehI+py+0Po5y02ouz3rz7D4biSJbmiabqyrbuC5sFADs="
+    #color = struct.pack(">L", random.randrange(0xffffff))  # wow, way too stable
+    color = b"\x00" + os.urandom(3)
+    return b64decode(head) + color + b64decode(tail)
+
+
+def main(abspath, **ka) -> Optional[tuple[str, IO[bytes], int, int, Optional[int]]]:
+    print("hello from randomcolor.py pretending to extract a thumb from " + abspath)
+
+    # need to return a file-like object
+    gif_bytes = create_gif()
+    file_obj = io.BytesIO(gif_bytes)
+
+    # where copyparty should seek to in the "file" to start reading from
+    seek_offset = 0
+    seek_whence = 0
+
+    filesize = None  # auto; read until end
+
+    # "gif" is the file-extension to decode the file as
+    return "gif", file_obj, seek_offset, seek_whence, filesize
diff --git a/copyparty/__main__.py b/copyparty/__main__.py
index a7ca7905..0910be10 100644
--- a/copyparty/__main__.py
+++ b/copyparty/__main__.py
@@ -778,7 +778,7 @@ def get_sects():
             + build_flags_desc(),
         ],
         [
-            "thumb-extractors",
+            "thumb-ex",
             "extract thumbnails from custom file formats with python scripts",
             dedent(
                 """
@@ -1896,7 +1896,7 @@ def add_thumbnail(ap):
 
     ap2.add_argument("--th-spec-cnv", metavar="T", type=u, default="it,itgz,itxz,itz,mdgz,mdxz,mdz,mo3,mod,s3m,s3gz,s3xz,s3z,xm,xmgz,xmxz,xmz,xpk", help="audio formats which provoke https://trac.ffmpeg.org/ticket/10797 (huge ram usage for s3xmodit spectrograms)")
     ap2.add_argument("--au-unpk", metavar="E=F.C", type=u, default="mdz=mod.zip, mdgz=mod.gz, mdxz=mod.xz, s3z=s3m.zip, s3gz=s3m.gz, s3xz=s3m.xz, xmz=xm.zip, xmgz=xm.gz, xmxz=xm.xz, itz=it.zip, itgz=it.gz, itxz=it.xz, cbz=jpg.cbz, epub=jpg.epub, kra=png.kra, ora=png.ora", help="audio/image formats to decompress before passing to ffmpeg")
-    ap2.add_argument("--th-extract", metavar="T", type=u, action="append", help="\033[34mREPEATABLE:\033[0m list of file extensions to thumbnail using a custom plugin (a python script); example: [\033[32mmdf,iso,dmg=/handlers/th_diskimg.py\033[0m]")
+    ap2.add_argument("--th-extract", metavar="T", type=u, action="append", help="\033[34mREPEATABLE:\033[0m list of file extensions to thumbnail using a custom plugin (a python script); example: [\033[32mmdf,iso,dmg=/thumbs/diskimg.py\033[0m], see --help-thumb-ex")
     ap2.add_argument("--th-extr-sz", metavar="M", type=int, default=16, help="max num megabytes to allow \033[33m--th-extract\033[0m plugins to extract from each file")
     ap2.add_argument("--hot-th-extr", action="store_true", help="recompile extractors on each thumbnail extraction -- expensive but convenient when hacking on stuff")
 
diff --git a/copyparty/th_srv.py b/copyparty/th_srv.py
index 02ced1e6..aa2fd67f 100644
--- a/copyparty/th_srv.py
+++ b/copyparty/th_srv.py
@@ -562,12 +562,10 @@ class ThumbSrv(object):
                     ext = ap_extr.rsplit(".", 1)[-1]
 
             if ext in self.args.au_unpk:
-                ap_unpk = au_unpk(self.log, self.args.au_unpk, abspath, vn)
                 ap_unpk = au_unpk(self.log, self.args.au_unpk, ap_extr, vn)
             elif ext in self.thumbable_native:
                 ap_unpk = ap_extr
             else:
-                ap_unpk = abspath
                 ap_unpk = ""
 
             if ap_extr and ap_extr != ap_unpk and ap_extr != abspath:
diff --git a/scripts/genhelp.sh b/scripts/genhelp.sh
index 5d9a7a7c..6e8792b3 100755
--- a/scripts/genhelp.sh
+++ b/scripts/genhelp.sh
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ command -v gsort >/dev/null && {
 
 cd ../dist
 
-kwds='-bind -accounts -auth -auth-ord -flags -handlers -hooks -idp -urlform -exp -rlo -ls -dbd -chmod -pwhash -zm'
+kwds='-bind -accounts -auth -auth-ord -flags -thumb-ex -handlers -hooks -idp -urlform -exp -rlo -ls -dbd -chmod -pwhash -zm'
 
 export PRTY_FULL_HELP=1
 export PRTY_NO_PARAMIKO=1