diff --git a/commands/admin/topic/topic.go b/commands/admin/topic/topic.go
index e2965c4..90bd736 100644
--- a/commands/admin/topic/topic.go
+++ b/commands/admin/topic/topic.go
@@ -117,13 +117,10 @@ func topicListCommand(cl *client.Client) *cobra.Command {
 		Short:   "List all topics",
 		Long:    "List all topics (alias for metadata -t)",
 		Run: func(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) {
-			args := []string{"-t"}
-			if detailed {
-				args = append(args, "-d")
-			}
-			cmd := metadata.Command(cl)
-			cmd.SetArgs(args)
-			cmd.Execute()
+			req := kmsg.NewPtrMetadataRequest()
+			resp, err := req.RequestWith(context.Background(), cl.Client())
+			out.MaybeDie(err, "unable to list topics: %v", err)
+			metadata.PrintTopics(resp.Version, resp.Topics, false, detailed)
 		},
 	}
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&detailed, "detailed", "d", false, "include detailed information about all topic partitions")
diff --git a/commands/metadata/metadata.go b/commands/metadata/metadata.go
index ff02677..e0e5337 100644
--- a/commands/metadata/metadata.go
+++ b/commands/metadata/metadata.go
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ If the brokers section is printed, the controller broker is marked with *.
 				if includeHeader {
 					fmt.Printf("TOPICS\n======\n")
 				}
-				printTopics(resp.Version, resp.Topics, pinternal, detailed)
+				PrintTopics(resp.Version, resp.Topics, pinternal, detailed)
 			}
 		},
 	}
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ func printBrokers(controllerID int32, brokers []kmsg.MetadataResponseBroker) {
 	}
 }
 
-func printTopics(version int16, topics []kmsg.MetadataResponseTopic, pinternal, detailed bool) {
+func PrintTopics(version int16, topics []kmsg.MetadataResponseTopic, pinternal, detailed bool) {
 	sort.Slice(topics, func(i, j int) bool {
 		l := topics[i].Topic
 		r := topics[j].Topic