run-help

Display help for a command

$ run-help [command]

$ run-help cd

$ run-help grep

Press ESC h or Alt+h at the command line

run-help [command]

run-help is a Zsh function that provides context-sensitive help for commands. When invoked, it determines the type of command and displays the appropriate documentation, whether from man pages, built-in help, or function definitions.
By default in Zsh, run-help is bound to ESC h (or Alt+h), allowing quick access to help while typing a command. The function intelligently handles different command types: it shows man pages for external commands, Zsh documentation for built-ins, and function source for shell functions.
The standard Zsh distribution includes helper functions like run-help-git, run-help-ip, run-help-openssl, and run-help-sudo that provide subcommand-aware help for complex commands. These must be autoloaded to be available.
To enable enhanced run-help functionality in Zsh, add to your .zshrc:

$ autoload -Uz run-help
unalias run-help 2>/dev/null
alias help=run-help

COMMAND

The command, built-in, or function to get help for.

In some Zsh configurations, run-help is aliased to man by default, losing its intelligent behavior. The unalias run-help command removes this alias to restore full functionality. Helper functions for specific commands (run-help-git, etc.) must be autoloaded separately. The function relies on man pages being installed for external command documentation.

run-help has been part of Zsh since early versions, providing an integrated help system within the shell. The function evolved to support modular helpers for complex commands with subcommands. It reflects Zsh's philosophy of providing rich, context-aware user assistance directly from the command line.

man(1), help(1), info(1), whatis(1), apropos(1)