docker/cli · error

unknown help topic: %v

Error message

unknown help topic: %v

What it means

Error "unknown help topic: %v" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at cmd/docker/docker.go:221

			return err
		}
		return flagErrorFunc(cmd, err)
	})
}

func setupHelpCommand(dockerCli command.Cli, rootCmd, helpCmd *cobra.Command) {
	origRun := helpCmd.Run
	origRunE := helpCmd.RunE

	helpCmd.Run = nil
	helpCmd.RunE = func(c *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
		if len(args) > 0 {
			helpcmd, err := pluginmanager.PluginRunCommand(dockerCli, args[0], rootCmd)
			if err == nil {
				return helpcmd.Run()
			}
			if !errdefs.IsNotFound(err) {
				return fmt.Errorf("unknown help topic: %v", strings.Join(args, " "))
			}
		}
		if origRunE != nil {
			return origRunE(c, args)
		}
		origRun(c, args)
		return nil
	}
}

func tryRunPluginHelp(dockerCli command.Cli, ccmd *cobra.Command, cargs []string) error {
	root := ccmd.Root()

	cmd, _, err := root.Traverse(cargs)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	helpcmd, err := pluginmanager.PluginRunCommand(dockerCli, cmd.Name(), root)

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at cmd/docker/docker.go:221 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of docker/cli@e9452d6e78 (2026-08-01). Data as JSON: /data/errors/eaff5d96eec554e5.json. Report an issue: GitHub.