Method

help.get

One Page of the Manual, by Page ID or method name, as Markdown or text, with its Examples for one door.

Returns one Page of the Manual by Page ID (error/unbalanced) or by method name (transaction.post), as Markdown or plain text (format), with its Examples written for one door (door: jsonrpc, cli or mcp). The same Pages are available as MCP resources and through red-ale help. An unknown Page is not-found.

Examples

Example: with no book.

JSON-RPC

Request:

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"help.get","params":{"id":"error/unbalanced"}}

Response:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "result": {
    "id": "error/unbalanced",
    "kind": "error",
    "title": "unbalanced",
    "format": "markdown",
    "door": "jsonrpc",
    "content": "…",
    "…": "…"
  }
}

Request:

{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"help.get","params":{"id":"transaction.post","door":"cli","format":"text"}}

Response:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 2,
  "result": {
    "id": "method/transaction.post",
    "kind": "method",
    "format": "text",
    "door": "cli",
    "…": "…"
  }
}

Command line

red-ale exec --script - <<'EOF'
help.get {"id":"error/unbalanced"}
help.get {"id":"transaction.post","door":"cli","format":"text"}
EOF

It prints:

[
  {
    "id": "error/unbalanced",
    "kind": "error",
    "title": "unbalanced",
    "format": "markdown",
    "door": "jsonrpc",
    "content": "…",
    "…": "…"
  },
  {
    "id": "method/transaction.post",
    "kind": "method",
    "format": "text",
    "door": "cli",
    "…": "…"
  }
]

MCP tool call

Tool call:

{"name":"help.get","arguments":{"id":"error/unbalanced"}}

Result:

{
  "structuredContent": {
    "id": "error/unbalanced",
    "kind": "error",
    "title": "unbalanced",
    "format": "markdown",
    "door": "jsonrpc",
    "content": "…",
    "…": "…"
  }
}

Tool call:

{"name":"help.get","arguments":{"id":"transaction.post","door":"cli","format":"text"}}

Result:

{
  "structuredContent": {
    "id": "method/transaction.post",
    "kind": "method",
    "format": "text",
    "door": "cli",
    "…": "…"
  }
}

Effect: read.

Params

Params of help.get.

  • id (string, required): The Page ID (method/transaction.post), or a method's, error code's or report template's name (transaction.post, unbalanced, Balance Sheet).
  • format (PageFormat): markdown (the default) or text.
  • door (PageDoor): Which door the Examples are shown for: jsonrpc (the default), cli or mcp.

Result

Result of help.get.

  • id (string, required): The Page ID.
  • kind (PageKind, required): What the Page is about.
  • title (string, required): The title.
  • summary (string, required): One line on what it covers.
  • related (array of string, required): The Page IDs of related Pages.
  • from (string or null): The section of GnuCash's documentation the Page adapts, if any.
  • format (PageFormat, required): The format of content.
  • door (PageDoor, required): The door content shows Examples for.
  • content (string, required): The Page, ending with its licence notice.