diff --git a/src/generators/command.ts b/src/generators/command.ts
index 459d8a0a..305c5139 100644
--- a/src/generators/command.ts
+++ b/src/generators/command.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,11 @@ export interface CommandGeneratorOptions extends Generator.GeneratorOptions {
   unit: boolean;
 }
 
-export function addTopics(newCmd: string, commands: string[] = []): Record<string, Topic> {
+export function addTopics(
+  newCmd: string,
+  existingTopics: Record<string, Topic>,
+  commands: string[] = []
+): Record<string, Topic> {
   const updated: Record<string, Topic> = {};
 
   const paths: string[] = [];
@@ -45,12 +49,14 @@ export function addTopics(newCmd: string, commands: string[] = []): Record<strin
             subtopics: existing,
           }
         : {
-            description: `description for ${p}`,
+            description: get(existingTopics, `${p}.description`, `description for ${p}`),
             subtopics: existing,
           };
       set(updated, p, merged);
     } else {
-      const entry = isExternal ? { external: true } : { description: `description for ${p}` };
+      const entry = isExternal
+        ? { external: true }
+        : { description: get(existingTopics, `${p}.description`, `description for ${p}`) };
       set(updated, p, entry);
     }
   }
@@ -77,11 +83,11 @@ export default class Command extends Generator {
       const commandSnapshotUrl = 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/salesforcecli/cli/main/command-snapshot.json';
       const commandSnapshot = await got(commandSnapshotUrl).json<Array<{ command: string }>>();
       const commands = commandSnapshot.map((c) => c.command.replace(/:/g, '.'));
-      const newTopics = addTopics(this.options.name, commands);
+      const newTopics = addTopics(this.options.name, this.pjson.oclif.topics, commands);
       this.pjson.oclif.topics = { ...this.pjson.oclif.topics, ...newTopics };
       this.internalPlugin = true;
     } else {
-      const newTopics = addTopics(this.options.name);
+      const newTopics = addTopics(this.options.name, this.pjson.oclif.topics);
       this.pjson.oclif.topics = { ...this.pjson.oclif.topics, ...newTopics };
     }
 
diff --git a/test/commands/dev/generate/command.nut.ts b/test/commands/dev/generate/command.nut.ts
index c2bc618b..9077fef0 100644
--- a/test/commands/dev/generate/command.nut.ts
+++ b/test/commands/dev/generate/command.nut.ts
@@ -100,11 +100,30 @@ describe('dev generate command NUTs', () => {
     });
 
     describe('generated command under existing topic', () => {
-      const name = 'deploy:awesome:stuff';
-      const command = `dev generate command --name ${name} --force --nuts --unit`;
-
       before(async () => {
-        execCmd(command, { ensureExitCode: 0, cli: 'sf', cwd: session.project.dir });
+        execCmd('dev generate command --name deploy:awesome:stuff --force --nuts --unit', {
+          ensureExitCode: 0,
+          cli: 'sf',
+          cwd: session.project.dir,
+        });
+
+        execCmd('dev generate command --name hello:every:one --force --nuts --unit', {
+          ensureExitCode: 0,
+          cli: 'sf',
+          cwd: session.project.dir,
+        });
+      });
+
+      it('should add new subtopics in package.json', async () => {
+        const packageJson = readJson<PackageJson>(path.join(session.project.dir, 'package.json'));
+        expect(packageJson.oclif.topics.hello).to.deep.equal({
+          description: 'Commands to say hello.',
+          subtopics: {
+            every: {
+              description: 'description for hello.every',
+            },
+          },
+        });
       });
 
       it('should add new topics in package.json', async () => {