diff --git a/engine/src/flutter/ci/format.sh b/engine/src/flutter/ci/format.sh
index de00b6d3a6..93f0be6c47 100755
--- a/engine/src/flutter/ci/format.sh
+++ b/engine/src/flutter/ci/format.sh
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ done
 
 if [[ $FAILED_CHECKS -ne 0 ]]; then
   echo ""
-  echo "ERROR: Some files are formatted incorrectly. To fix, apply diffs above via patch -p0."
+  echo "ERROR: Some files are formatted incorrectly. To fix, run \`./ci/format.sh | patch -p0\` from the flutter/engine/src/flutter directory."
   exit 1
 fi