--- a/hgsubversion/__init__.py
+++ b/hgsubversion/__init__.py
@@ -37,8 +37,6 @@ demandimport.ignore.extend([
     'svn.ra',
     ])
 
-from svn import core
-
 import svncommands
 import util
 import svnrepo
@@ -107,44 +105,6 @@ def uisetup(ui):
         pass
 
 
-def svn(ui, repo, subcommand, *args, **opts):
-    '''see detailed help for list of subcommands'''
-
-    # guess command if prefix
-    if subcommand not in svncommands.table:
-        candidates = []
-        for c in svncommands.table:
-            if c.startswith(subcommand):
-                candidates.append(c)
-        if len(candidates) == 1:
-            subcommand = candidates[0]
-
-    # override subversion credentials
-    for key in ('username', 'password'):
-        if key in opts:
-            ui.setconfig('hgsubversion', key, opts[key])
-
-    try:
-        commandfunc = svncommands.table[subcommand]
-        return commandfunc(ui, args=args, repo=repo, **opts)
-    except core.SubversionException, e:
-        if e.apr_err == core.SVN_ERR_RA_SERF_SSL_CERT_UNTRUSTED:
-            raise hgutil.Abort('It appears svn does not trust the ssl cert for this site.\n'
-                     'Please try running svn ls on that url first.')
-        raise
-    except TypeError:
-        tb = traceback.extract_tb(sys.exc_info()[2])
-        if len(tb) == 1:
-            ui.status('Bad arguments for subcommand %s\n' % subcommand)
-        else:
-            raise
-    except KeyError, e:
-        tb = traceback.extract_tb(sys.exc_info()[2])
-        if len(tb) == 1:
-            ui.status('Unknown subcommand %s\n' % subcommand)
-        else:
-            raise
-svn.__doc__ = svncommands._helpgen()
 
 def reposetup(ui, repo):
     if repo.local():
@@ -166,7 +126,7 @@ commands.optionalrepo += ' svn'
 
 cmdtable = {
     "svn":
-        (svn,
+        (svncommands.svn,
          [('u', 'svn-url', '', 'path to the Subversion server.'),
           ('', 'stupid', False, 'be stupid and use diffy replay.'),
           ('A', 'authors', '', 'username mapping filename'),

--- a/hgsubversion/svncommands.py
+++ b/hgsubversion/svncommands.py
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ from mercurial import node
 from mercurial import util as hgutil
 from mercurial import error
 
+from svn import core
+
 import maps
 import svnwrap
 import svnrepo
@@ -397,6 +399,45 @@ def _helpgen():
         ret.append(" :%s: %s" % (name, short_description))
     return '\n'.join(ret) + '\n'
 
+def svn(ui, repo, subcommand, *args, **opts):
+    '''see detailed help for list of subcommands'''
+
+    # guess command if prefix
+    if subcommand not in table:
+        candidates = []
+        for c in table:
+            if c.startswith(subcommand):
+                candidates.append(c)
+        if len(candidates) == 1:
+            subcommand = candidates[0]
+        else:
+            raise error.AmbiguousCommand(subcommand, candidates)
+
+    # override subversion credentials
+    for key in ('username', 'password'):
+        if key in opts:
+            ui.setconfig('hgsubversion', key, opts[key])
+
+    try:
+        commandfunc = table[subcommand]
+        return commandfunc(ui, args=args, repo=repo, **opts)
+    except core.SubversionException, e:
+        if e.apr_err == core.SVN_ERR_RA_SERF_SSL_CERT_UNTRUSTED:
+            raise hgutil.Abort('It appears svn does not trust the ssl cert for this site.\n'
+                     'Please try running svn ls on that url first.')
+        raise
+    except TypeError:
+        tb = traceback.extract_tb(sys.exc_info()[2])
+        if len(tb) == 1:
+            ui.status('Bad arguments for subcommand %s\n' % subcommand)
+        else:
+            raise
+    except KeyError, e:
+        tb = traceback.extract_tb(sys.exc_info()[2])
+        if len(tb) == 1:
+            ui.status('Unknown subcommand %s\n' % subcommand)
+        else:
+            raise
 
 table = {
     'genignore': genignore,
@@ -408,3 +449,4 @@ table = {
     'updateexternals': svnexternals.updateexternals,
     'verify': verify,
 }
+svn.__doc__ = _helpgen()