diff --git a/src/basic/argv-util.c b/src/basic/argv-util.c
index b0381a6096..2796d5c0b6 100644
--- a/src/basic/argv-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/argv-util.c
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ void save_argc_argv(int argc, char **argv) {
 }
 
 bool invoked_as(char *argv[], const char *token) {
-        const char *progname = secure_getenv("SYSTEMD_INVOKED_AS");
+        const char *progname = empty_to_null(secure_getenv("SYSTEMD_INVOKED_AS"));
 
         if (!progname && argv)
                 progname = argv[0];
diff --git a/src/home/test-homectl-prompts.c b/src/home/test-homectl-prompts.c
index 5429eaaa5e..8e65c864e0 100644
--- a/src/home/test-homectl-prompts.c
+++ b/src/home/test-homectl-prompts.c
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 /* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
 
+#include "sd-json.h"
+
 #include "alloc-util.h"
-#include "format-table.h"
-#include "help-util.h"
 #include "homectl-prompts.h"
 #include "main-func.h"
 #include "options.h"
@@ -11,31 +11,10 @@
 #include "tests.h"
 #include "verbs.h"
 
-static int help(void) {
-        _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *options = NULL, *verbs = NULL;
-        int r;
-
-        r = option_parser_get_help_table(&options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        r = verbs_get_help_table(&verbs);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        (void) table_sync_column_widths(0, options, verbs);
-
-        help_cmdline("[OPTIONS...] VERB [USERNAME]");
-        help_abstract("Exercise homectl prompt functions in isolation.");
-
-        help_section("Verbs");
-        r = table_print_or_warn(verbs);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        help_section("Options");
-        return table_print_or_warn(options);
-}
+COMMAND(
+        "test-homectl-prompts\0",
+        "Exercise homectl prompt functions in isolation.",
+);
 
 VERB(verb_groups, "groups", "[USER]\0", VERB_ANY, 2, 0, "Select groups");
 static int verb_groups(int argc, char *argv[], uintptr_t _data, void *userdata) {
@@ -83,7 +62,10 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char **argv, char ***remaining_args) {
                 switch (c) {
 
                 OPTION_COMMON_HELP:
-                        return help();
+                        return command_print_help();
+
+                OPTION_COMMON_INTROSPECT_CLI:
+                        return introspect_cli(SD_JSON_FORMAT_OFF);
                 }
 
         *remaining_args = option_parser_get_args(&opts);
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/test-journal-append.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/test-journal-append.c
index c71240660d..abdb06b9ef 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/test-journal-append.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/test-journal-append.c
@@ -4,11 +4,13 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
+#include "sd-json.h"
+
 #include "chattr-util.h"
-#include "format-table.h"
 #include "iovec-util.h"
 #include "journal-file-util.h"
 #include "log.h"
+#include "main-func.h"
 #include "mmap-cache.h"
 #include "options.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
@@ -17,6 +19,12 @@
 #include "tests.h"
 #include "time-util.h"
 #include "tmpfile-util.h"
+#include "verbs.h"
+
+COMMAND(
+        "test-journal-append\0",
+        "Append entries to journal files and check corruption handling.",
+);
 
 static int journal_append_message(JournalFile *mj, const char *message) {
         struct iovec iovec;
@@ -141,7 +149,7 @@ static int journal_corrupt_and_append(uint64_t start_offset, uint64_t step) {
         return 0;
 }
 
-int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
+static int run(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         uint64_t start_offset = UINT64_MAX;
         uint64_t iterations = 100;
         uint64_t iteration_step = 1;
@@ -156,24 +164,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         FOREACH_OPTION_OR_RETURN(c, &opts)
                 switch (c) {
 
-                OPTION_COMMON_HELP: {
-                        _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *options = NULL;
-
-                        r = option_parser_get_help_table(&options);
-                        if (r < 0)
-                                return r;
-
-                        printf("Syntax:\n"
-                               "  %s [OPTION...]\n"
-                               "\nOptions:\n",
-                               program_invocation_short_name);
-
-                        r = table_print_or_warn(options);
-                        if (r < 0)
-                                return r;
-
-                        return 0;
-                }
+                OPTION_COMMON_HELP:
+                        return command_print_help();
 
                 OPTION_LONG("start-offset", "OFFSET",
                             "Offset at which to start corrupting the journal "
@@ -220,6 +212,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
                         run_one = true;
                         break;
+
+                OPTION_COMMON_INTROSPECT_CLI:
+                        return introspect_cli(SD_JSON_FORMAT_OFF);
                 }
 
         if (run_one)
@@ -235,12 +230,11 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
                         offset = (start_offset == UINT64_MAX ? 0 : start_offset) + i * iteration_step;
 
                 r = journal_corrupt_and_append(offset, corrupt_step);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return EXIT_FAILURE;
-                if (r > 0)
-                        /* Reached the end of the journal file */
-                        break;
+                if (r != 0)  /* Either error or EXIT_TEST_SKIP */
+                        return r;
         }
 
-        return EXIT_SUCCESS;
+        return 0;
 }
+
+DEFINE_MAIN_FUNCTION_WITH_POSITIVE_FAILURE(run);
diff --git a/src/libudev/test-libudev.c b/src/libudev/test-libudev.c
index 06feb1ffbc..2c09e59d62 100644
--- a/src/libudev/test-libudev.c
+++ b/src/libudev/test-libudev.c
@@ -3,9 +3,10 @@
 #include <sys/epoll.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
+#include "sd-json.h"
+
 #include "devnum-util.h"
 #include "fd-util.h"
-#include "format-table.h"
 #include "libudev-list-internal.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "main-func.h"
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "options.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
 #include "tests.h"
+#include "verbs.h"
 #include "version.h"
 
 static bool arg_monitor = false;
@@ -405,22 +407,10 @@ static void test_list(void) {
         assert_se(!udev_list_entry_get_by_name(e, "ccc"));
 }
 
-static int help(void) {
-        _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *options = NULL;
-        int r;
-
-        r = option_parser_get_help_table(&options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        printf("%s [OPTIONS...]\n\n", program_invocation_short_name);
-
-        r = table_print_or_warn(options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        return 0;
-}
+COMMAND(
+        "test-libudev\0",
+        "Test libudev functions.",
+);
 
 static int parse_args(int argc, char *argv[], const char **syspath, const char **subsystem) {
         assert(argc >= 0);
@@ -434,7 +424,7 @@ static int parse_args(int argc, char *argv[], const char **syspath, const char *
                 switch (c) {
 
                 OPTION_COMMON_HELP:
-                        return help();
+                        return command_print_help();
 
                 OPTION('V', "version", NULL, "Show package version"):
                         printf("%s\n", GIT_VERSION);
@@ -455,6 +445,9 @@ static int parse_args(int argc, char *argv[], const char **syspath, const char *
                 OPTION('m', "monitor", NULL, "Run monitor test"):
                         arg_monitor = true;
                         break;
+
+                OPTION_COMMON_INTROSPECT_CLI:
+                        return introspect_cli(SD_JSON_FORMAT_OFF);
                 }
 
         return 1;
diff --git a/src/network/test-modem-manager-mock.c b/src/network/test-modem-manager-mock.c
index c38a7a43cc..820e22c640 100644
--- a/src/network/test-modem-manager-mock.c
+++ b/src/network/test-modem-manager-mock.c
@@ -13,16 +13,16 @@
 #include "sd-bus.h"
 #include "sd-daemon.h"
 #include "sd-event.h"
+#include "sd-json.h"
 
 #include "alloc-util.h"
 #include "build.h"
-#include "format-table.h"
-#include "help-util.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "main-func.h"
 #include "options.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
+#include "verbs.h"
 
 static char *arg_ifname = NULL;
 static char *arg_ipv4_address = NULL;
@@ -364,20 +364,10 @@ static int filter_handler(sd_bus_message *m, void *userdata, sd_bus_error *error
         return 0;
 }
 
-static int help(void) {
-        _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *options = NULL;
-        int r;
-
-        r = option_parser_get_help_table(&options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        help_cmdline("[OPTIONS...]");
-        help_abstract("Mock ModemManager D-Bus service for testing.");
-
-        help_section("Options");
-        return table_print_or_warn(options);
-}
+COMMAND(
+        "test-modem-manager-mock\0",
+        "Mock ModemManager D-Bus service for testing.",
+);
 
 static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         int r;
@@ -391,7 +381,7 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
                 switch (c) {
 
                 OPTION_COMMON_HELP:
-                        return help();
+                        return command_print_help();
 
                 OPTION_COMMON_VERSION:
                         return version();
@@ -432,6 +422,9 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
                         if (r < 0)
                                 return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to parse IPv6 prefix length: %m");
                         break;
+
+                OPTION_COMMON_INTROSPECT_CLI:
+                        return introspect_cli(SD_JSON_FORMAT_OFF);
                 }
 
         if (!arg_ifname)
diff --git a/src/report/report-sign-tpm2.c b/src/report/report-sign-tpm2.c
index a742639336..10fa62f31b 100644
--- a/src/report/report-sign-tpm2.c
+++ b/src/report/report-sign-tpm2.c
@@ -9,9 +9,7 @@
 #include "dlopen-note.h"
 #include "fd-util.h"
 #include "fileio.h"
-#include "format-table.h"
 #include "fs-util.h"
-#include "help-util.h"
 #include "iovec-util.h"
 #include "json-util.h"
 #include "log.h"
@@ -25,6 +23,14 @@
 #include "tpm2-util.h"
 #include "varlink-io.systemd.Report.Signer.h"
 #include "varlink-util.h"
+#include "verbs.h"
+
+COMMAND(
+        "systemd-report-sign-tpm2\0",
+        "Get an attestation report from a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) "
+        "that includes the hash of the system report.",
+        .man_pages = "systemd-report-sign-tpm2@.service(8)\0",
+);
 
 #define REPORT_SIGN_TPM2_PERSISTENT_DIR "/var/lib/systemd/report.sign.tpm2"
 #define REPORT_SIGN_TPM2_RUNTIME_DIR "/run/systemd/report.sign.tpm2"
@@ -715,27 +721,6 @@ static int vl_server(void) {
         return 0;
 }
 
-static int help(void) {
-        _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *options = NULL;
-        int r;
-
-        r = option_parser_get_help_table(&options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        help_cmdline("[OPTIONS...]");
-        help_abstract("Get an attestation report from a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) "
-                      "that includes the hash of the system report.");
-        help_section("Options");
-
-        r = table_print_or_warn(options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        help_man_page_reference("systemd-report-sign-tpm2@.service", "8");
-        return 0;
-}
-
 static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         int r;
 
@@ -747,9 +732,13 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         FOREACH_OPTION_OR_RETURN(c, &opts)
                 switch (c) {
                 OPTION_COMMON_HELP:
-                        return help();
+                        return command_print_help();
+
                 OPTION_COMMON_VERSION:
                         return version();
+
+                OPTION_COMMON_INTROSPECT_CLI:
+                        return introspect_cli(SD_JSON_FORMAT_OFF);
                 }
 
         if (option_parser_get_n_args(&opts) > 0)
diff --git a/src/shared/format-table.c b/src/shared/format-table.c
index b0c15ca806..88d76b67f0 100644
--- a/src/shared/format-table.c
+++ b/src/shared/format-table.c
@@ -2172,7 +2172,7 @@ static const char* table_data_rgap_underline(const TableData *d) {
         return NULL;
 }
 
-int table_data_requested_width(Table *table, size_t column, size_t *ret) {
+static int table_data_requested_width(Table *table, size_t column, size_t *ret) {
         size_t width = 0;
         int r;
 
@@ -2218,38 +2218,6 @@ int table_set_column_width(Table *t, size_t column, size_t width) {
         return r;
 }
 
-int _table_sync_column_widths(size_t column, Table *a, ...) {
-        size_t max = 0;
-        va_list ap;
-        int r = 0;
-
-        assert(a);
-
-        /* Make the specified column have the same width in the tables. */
-
-        va_start(ap, a);
-        for (Table *t = a; t; t = va_arg(ap, Table*)) {
-                size_t w;
-
-                r = table_data_requested_width(t, column, &w);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        break;
-
-                max = MAX(max, w);
-        }
-        va_end(ap);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to query table column width: %m");
-
-        r = 0;
-        va_start(ap, a);
-        for (Table *t = a; t; t = va_arg(ap, Table*))
-                RET_GATHER(r, table_set_column_width(t, column, max));
-        va_end(ap);
-
-        return r;
-}
-
 int table_sync_all_column_widths(size_t column, Table **a) {
         size_t max = 0;
         int r;
diff --git a/src/shared/format-table.h b/src/shared/format-table.h
index 8087abfb9e..0907eeb698 100644
--- a/src/shared/format-table.h
+++ b/src/shared/format-table.h
@@ -144,11 +144,7 @@ int table_set_reverse(Table *t, size_t column, bool b);
 int table_hide_column_from_display_internal(Table *t, ...);
 #define table_hide_column_from_display(t, ...) table_hide_column_from_display_internal(t, __VA_ARGS__, SIZE_MAX)
 
-int table_data_requested_width(Table *table, size_t column, size_t *ret);
-
 int table_set_column_width(Table *t, size_t column, size_t width);
-int _table_sync_column_widths(size_t column, Table *a, ...);
-#define table_sync_column_widths(column, a, ...) _table_sync_column_widths(column, a, __VA_ARGS__, NULL)
 int table_sync_all_column_widths(size_t column, Table **a);
 
 int table_print_full(Table *t, FILE *f, bool flush);
diff --git a/src/shared/help-util.c b/src/shared/help-util.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 8968ba1377..0000000000
--- a/src/shared/help-util.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,74 +0,0 @@
-/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
-
-#include <stdlib.h>
-
-#include "alloc-util.h"
-#include "ansi-color.h"
-#include "help-util.h"
-#include "path-util.h"
-#include "pretty-print.h"
-
-/* These are helpers for putting together --help texts in a uniform way with a common output style. Each
- * function generates a separate part of the --help text:
- *
- *   1. help_cmdline() outputs a brief summary of the command line syntax. This shall be used at least once,
- *      in some cases multiple times. This generally comes first in the output.
- *
- *   2. help_abstract() outputs a brief prose abstract of the command, should carry a single line of text
- *      that gives the user a hint what this tool does. Use only once, right after the last help_cmdline().
- *
- *   3. help_section() can be used to format multiple sections of the --help text. It should be used at least
- *      once for an "Options:" section, but can be used more than once, for programs with many
- *      options/verbs. The first invocation should come right after help_abstract().
- *
- *   4. Finally, help_man_page_reference() adds a final line linking the man page of the tool. This should be
- *      used only once, and terminates the --help text.
- *
- *   Switches and verbs documentation should be inserted after each help_section(). For that ideally use
- *   options.[ch] APIs. */
-
-void help_cmdline(const char *arguments) {
-        const char *progname =
-                last_path_component(secure_getenv("SYSTEMD_INVOKED_AS"))
-                ?: program_invocation_short_name;
-
-        assert(arguments);
-
-        printf("%s>%s %s %s\n",
-               ansi_grey(),
-               ansi_normal(),
-               progname,
-               arguments);
-}
-
-void help_abstract(const char *text) {
-        assert(text);
-
-        printf("\n%s%s%s%s\n",
-               ansi_highlight(),
-               ansi_add_italics(),
-               text,
-               ansi_normal());
-}
-
-void help_section(const char *title) {
-        assert(title);
-
-        printf("\n%s%s:%s\n",
-               ansi_underline(),
-               title,
-               ansi_normal());
-}
-
-void help_man_page_reference(const char *page, const char *section) {
-        assert(page);
-        assert(section);
-
-        /* Displaying --help texts generally should not fail, hence let's fall back to a simple string in
-         * case of OOM. */
-        _cleanup_free_ char *link = NULL;
-        if (terminal_urlify_man(page, section, &link) < 0)
-                printf("\nSee the %s(%s) man page for details.\n", page, section);
-        else
-                printf("\nSee the %s for details.\n", link);
-}
diff --git a/src/shared/help-util.h b/src/shared/help-util.h
deleted file mode 100644
index 380487213f..0000000000
--- a/src/shared/help-util.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
-#pragma once
-
-void help_cmdline(const char *arguments);
-
-void help_abstract(const char *text);
-
-void help_section(const char *title);
-
-void help_man_page_reference(const char *page, const char *section);
diff --git a/src/shared/meson.build b/src/shared/meson.build
index ee395ffbe1..a8cea5b931 100644
--- a/src/shared/meson.build
+++ b/src/shared/meson.build
@@ -95,7 +95,6 @@ shared_sources = files(
         'gnutls-util.c',
         'gpt.c',
         'group-record.c',
-        'help-util.c',
         'hibernate-util.c',
         'hostname-setup.c',
         'hwdb-util.c',
diff --git a/src/shared/options.c b/src/shared/options.c
index 72fc93245f..f92eabc1e6 100644
--- a/src/shared/options.c
+++ b/src/shared/options.c
@@ -516,86 +516,6 @@ const Option* options_find_namespace(
         return NULL; /* not found :/ */
 }
 
-int _option_parser_get_help_table_full(
-                const Option options[],
-                const Option options_end[],
-                const char *namespace,
-                const char *group,
-                Table **ret) {
-        int r;
-
-        // TODO: drop this function and all its wrappers
-
-        assert(ret);
-
-        _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *table = table_new("names", "help");
-        if (!table)
-                return log_oom();
-
-        bool in_ns = namespace == NULL;  /* Are we currently in the section of the array that forms namespace
-                                          * <namespace>? The first part is the default unnamed namespace, so
-                                          * if the namespace was not specified, we are in it. */
-
-        bool in_group = group == NULL;  /* Are we currently in the section of the array that forms group
-                                         * <group>? The first part is the default group, so if the group was
-                                         * not specified, we are in it. */
-
-        const Option *opt;
-        for (opt = options; opt < options_end; opt++) {
-                bool ns_marker = FLAGS_SET(opt->flags, OPTION_NAMESPACE_MARKER);
-                if (!in_ns) {
-                        in_ns = ns_marker && streq(namespace, opt->long_code);
-                        continue;
-                }
-                if (ns_marker)
-                        break;  /* End of namespace */
-
-                bool group_marker = FLAGS_SET(opt->flags, OPTION_GROUP_MARKER);
-                if (!in_group) {
-                        in_group = group_marker && streq(group, opt->long_code);
-                        continue;
-                }
-                if (group_marker)
-                        break;  /* End of group */
-
-                if (!opt->help)
-                        /* No help string — we do not show the option */
-                        continue;
-
-                _cleanup_free_ char *s = option_get_synopsis(opt, " ", /* show_metavar= */ true);
-                if (!s)
-                        return log_oom();
-
-                /* We indent the option string by two spaces. We could set the minimum cell width and
-                 * right-align for a similar result, but that'd be more work. This is only used for
-                 * display. */
-                bool shift_left = opt->short_code != 0 || FLAGS_SET(opt->flags, OPTION_HELP_ENTRY_VERBATIM);
-                const char *prefix = shift_left ? "  " : "     ";
-                _cleanup_free_ char *t = strjoin(prefix, s);
-                if (!t)
-                        return log_oom();
-
-                r = table_add_many(table, TABLE_STRING, t);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return table_log_add_error(r);
-
-                _cleanup_strv_free_ char **split = strv_split(opt->help, /* separators= */ NULL);
-                if (!split)
-                        return log_oom();
-
-                r = table_add_many(table, TABLE_STRV_WRAPPED, split);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return table_log_add_error(r);
-        }
-
-        assert(!table_isempty(table));  /* The namespace or group were not found. Something is off. */
-
-        table_set_header(table, false);
-        *ret = TAKE_PTR(table);
-        assert(opt - options < INT_MAX);
-        return opt - options;
-}
-
 int options_get_help_table_group(
                 const Option options[],
                 const Option options_end[],
@@ -605,7 +525,6 @@ int options_get_help_table_group(
         int r;
 
         assert(ret);
-        assert(ret_group);
 
         _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *table = NULL;
 
@@ -674,7 +593,8 @@ int options_get_help_table_group(
         }
 
         *ret = TAKE_PTR(table);
-        *ret_group = group;
+        if (ret_group)
+                *ret_group = group;
 
         assert(opt - options < INT_MAX);
         return opt - options;
diff --git a/src/shared/options.h b/src/shared/options.h
index 5b971879c8..83e72188b4 100644
--- a/src/shared/options.h
+++ b/src/shared/options.h
@@ -99,10 +99,6 @@ assert_cc(sizeof(Option) % sizeof(void*) == 0);
         /* This option is internal-only for now and not shown in --help */ \
         OPTION_LONG("introspect-cli", NULL, /* help= */ NULL)
 
-/* For programs which do not do option parsing, but check the argv array directly. */
-#define OPTION_COMMON_INTROSPECT_CLI_ENTRY                              \
-        _OPTION_ENTRY(__COUNTER__, /* fl= */ 0, /* sc= */ 0, "introspect-cli", /* mv= */ NULL, /* d= */ 0u, /* h= */ NULL)
-
 #define OPTION_COMMON_NO_PAGER                                          \
         OPTION_LONG("no-pager", NULL, "Do not start a pager")
 
@@ -281,21 +277,6 @@ const Option* options_find_namespace(
                 const Option options_end[],
                 const char *namespace);
 
-int _option_parser_get_help_table_full(
-                const Option options[],
-                const Option options_end[],
-                const char *namespace,
-                const char *group,
-                Table **ret);
-#define option_parser_get_help_table_full(namespace, group, ret)        \
-        _option_parser_get_help_table_full(__start_SYSTEMD_OPTIONS, __stop_SYSTEMD_OPTIONS, namespace, group, ret)
-#define option_parser_get_help_table_ns(ns, ret)                        \
-        option_parser_get_help_table_full(ns, /* group= */ NULL, ret)
-#define option_parser_get_help_table_group(group, ret)                  \
-        option_parser_get_help_table_full(/* namespace= */ NULL, group, ret)
-#define option_parser_get_help_table(ret)                               \
-        option_parser_get_help_table_group(/* group= */ NULL, ret)
-
 int options_get_help_table_group(
                 const Option options[],
                 const Option options_end[],
diff --git a/src/shared/service-util.h b/src/shared/service-util.h
index e63f8fe9b0..e35b7838b5 100644
--- a/src/shared/service-util.h
+++ b/src/shared/service-util.h
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ int _service_parse_argv(
 
 /* The service is expected to define a COMMAND() with .option_namespace = "service" and the option
  * groups matching the features it supports: "Options" always, "Bus introspection" iff bus_objects
- * is passed, "Runtime scope" iff runtime_scope is passed. The macro captures the calling binary's
- * verb section, where that COMMAND is found, while the options are defined in
- * service_parse_argv_full() itself. */
+ * is passed, "Runtime scope" iff runtime_scope is passed. The macro inserts the calling binary's
+ * verb section, where that COMMAND is found, while the options are defined in _service_parse_argv().
+ */
 #define service_parse_argv(bus_objects, runtime_scope, argc, argv)      \
         _service_parse_argv(                                            \
                         __start_SYSTEMD_VERBS, __stop_SYSTEMD_VERBS,    \
diff --git a/src/shared/verbs.c b/src/shared/verbs.c
index 920b4e0458..c79659467b 100644
--- a/src/shared/verbs.c
+++ b/src/shared/verbs.c
@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@
 #include "env-util.h"
 #include "extract-word.h"
 #include "format-table.h"
-#include "help-util.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "nulstr-util.h"
 #include "options.h"
 #include "pager.h"
+#include "path-util.h"
 #include "pretty-print.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
 #include "strv.h"
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ const Verb* _verbs_find_command(
         return NULL;
 }
 
-int _verbs_get_help_table(
+static int verbs_get_help_table(
                 const Verb verbs[],
                 const Verb verbs_end[],
                 const char *group,
@@ -292,13 +292,8 @@ int _verbs_get_help_table(
 
         const Verb *verb;
         for (verb = verbs; verb < verbs_end; verb++) {
-                /* Binaries with one or more VERB_COMMAND entries call this function
-                 * through print_verb_option_help() which provides a verbs slice that
-                 * starts after the VERB_COMMAND entry.
-                 *
-                 * In unconverted binaries, this function is called directly. */
-                // TODO: make this function static after everything has been converted.
-
+                /* This function is called through print_verb_option_help(), which provides a verbs
+                 * slice that starts after the VERB_COMMAND entry. */
                 if (FLAGS_SET(verb->flags, VERB_COMMAND_MARKER))
                         break;
 
@@ -364,7 +359,7 @@ static int print_verb_option_help(
                 const char *group = FLAGS_SET(verb->flags, VERB_GROUP_MARKER) ? verb->verb : NULL;
 
                 _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *table = NULL;
-                r = _verbs_get_help_table(verb, verbs_end, group, &table);
+                r = verbs_get_help_table(verb, verbs_end, group, &table);
                 if (r < 0)
                         return r;
 
@@ -518,6 +513,29 @@ static const Verb* verbs_find_cmd_verbs(const Verb *cmdverb, const Verb verbs_en
         return actual;
 }
 
+static void help_cmdline(const char *arguments) {
+        assert(arguments);
+
+        const char *progname =
+                empty_to_null(last_path_component(secure_getenv("SYSTEMD_INVOKED_AS")))
+                ?: program_invocation_short_name;
+
+        printf("%s>%s %s %s\n",
+               ansi_grey(),
+               ansi_normal(),
+               progname,
+               arguments);
+}
+
+void help_section(const char *title) {
+        assert(title);
+
+        printf("\n%s%s:%s\n",
+               ansi_underline(),
+               title,
+               ansi_normal());
+}
+
 int _command_print_help_full(
                 const Verb verbs[],
                 const Verb verbs_end[],
@@ -617,12 +635,22 @@ int _command_print_verb_help(
         }
 
         if (verb->option_namespace) {
+                const Option *optns = options_find_namespace(options, options_end, verb->option_namespace);
+                if (!optns)
+                        return log_error_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EUCLEAN),
+                                               "Option namespace %s not found.", verb->option_namespace);
+
                 _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *table = NULL;
-                r = _option_parser_get_help_table_full(options, options_end, verb->option_namespace,
-                                                       /* group= */ NULL, &table);
+                r = options_get_help_table_group(
+                                optns, options_end,
+                                /* option_groups= */ NULL,
+                                &table,
+                                /* ret_group= */ NULL);
                 if (r < 0)
                         return r;
 
+                /* Note: we assume that only one option group is used for a verb. If this ever
+                 * stops being true, the code here would need to be adjusted to loop over groups. */
                 help_section("Options");
                 r = table_print_or_warn(table);
                 if (r < 0)
diff --git a/src/shared/verbs.h b/src/shared/verbs.h
index 3453c5e72a..a1eb671490 100644
--- a/src/shared/verbs.h
+++ b/src/shared/verbs.h
@@ -140,28 +140,7 @@ int _dispatch_verb(char **args, const Verb verbs[], const Verb verbs_end[], void
 #define dispatch_verb(args, userdata) \
         _dispatch_verb(args, __start_SYSTEMD_VERBS, __stop_SYSTEMD_VERBS, userdata)
 
-int _verbs_get_help_table(
-                const Verb verbs[],
-                const Verb verbs_end[],
-                const char *group,
-                Table **ret);
-#define verbs_get_help_table_group(group, ret)                          \
-        _verbs_get_help_table(__start_SYSTEMD_VERBS, __stop_SYSTEMD_VERBS, group, ret)
-#define verbs_get_help_table(ret)                                       \
-        verbs_get_help_table_group(/* group= */ NULL, ret)
-
-#define _VERB_COMMON_HELP_IMPL(impl)                                    \
-        static int verb_help(int argc, char **argv, uintptr_t data, void *userdata) { \
-                return impl();                                          \
-        }
-
-#define VERB_COMMON_HELP(impl)                                          \
-        VERB(verb_help, "help", NULL, VERB_ANY, VERB_ANY, 0, "Show this help"); \
-        _VERB_COMMON_HELP_IMPL(impl)
-
-#define VERB_COMMON_HELP_HIDDEN(impl)                                   \
-        VERB(verb_help, "help", NULL, VERB_ANY, VERB_ANY, 0, NULL);     \
-        _VERB_COMMON_HELP_IMPL(impl)
+void help_section(const char *title);
 
 #define VERB_COMMON_HELP_AUTO_FULL(program, help)                       \
         VERB_FULL(verb_help_auto, "help", NULL, VERB_ANY, VERB_ANY, 0, /* dat= */ (uintptr_t) program, /* help= */ help)
diff --git a/src/test/test-chase-manual.c b/src/test/test-chase-manual.c
index 410522ceb1..e3d83a6026 100644
--- a/src/test/test-chase-manual.c
+++ b/src/test/test-chase-manual.c
@@ -1,36 +1,25 @@
 /* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
 
+#include "sd-json.h"
+
 #include "chase.h"
 #include "fd-util.h"
-#include "format-table.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "main-func.h"
 #include "options.h"
 #include "strv.h"
 #include "tests.h"
+#include "verbs.h"
 
 static const char *arg_root = NULL;
 static int arg_flags = 0;
 static bool arg_open = false;
 
-static int help(void) {
-        _cleanup_(table_unrefp) Table *options = NULL;
-        int r;
-
-        r = option_parser_get_help_table(&options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        printf("%s [OPTIONS...] path...\n"
-               "\nExercise chase() function on specified paths.\n\n",
-               program_invocation_short_name);
-
-        r = table_print_or_warn(options);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        return 0;
-}
+COMMAND(
+        "test-chase-manual\0",
+        "Exercise chase() function on specified paths.",
+        .argspec = "PATH…\0",
+);
 
 static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[], char ***ret_args) {
         assert(argc >= 0);
@@ -43,7 +32,7 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[], char ***ret_args) {
                 switch (c) {
 
                 OPTION_COMMON_HELP:
-                        return help();
+                        return command_print_help();
 
                 OPTION_LONG("root", "PATH", "Operate below specified root directory"):
                         arg_root = opts.arg;
@@ -64,6 +53,9 @@ static int parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[], char ***ret_args) {
                 OPTION_LONG_DATA("warn",           NULL, CHASE_WARN,           "Emit a warning on error"):
                         arg_flags |= opts.opt->data;
                         break;
+
+                OPTION_COMMON_INTROSPECT_CLI:
+                        return introspect_cli(SD_JSON_FORMAT_OFF);
                 }
 
         *ret_args = option_parser_get_args(&opts);
diff --git a/src/udev/udevadm-test-builtin.c b/src/udev/udevadm-test-builtin.c
index cd8985cae7..384c53a8b7 100644
--- a/src/udev/udevadm-test-builtin.c
+++ b/src/udev/udevadm-test-builtin.c
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 
 #include "device-private.h"
 #include "device-util.h"
-#include "help-util.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "options.h"
 #include "udev-builtin.h"
diff --git a/test/units/TEST-74-AUX-UTILS.introspect-cli.sh b/test/units/TEST-74-AUX-UTILS.introspect-cli.sh
index 8c6e0e0ad3..00bde6b6b7 100755
--- a/test/units/TEST-74-AUX-UTILS.introspect-cli.sh
+++ b/test/units/TEST-74-AUX-UTILS.introspect-cli.sh
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ INTROSPECTABLE=(
     systemd-report-cgroup
     systemd-report-files
     systemd-report-sign-plain
+    systemd-report-sign-tpm2
     systemd-report-sign-tsm
     systemd-resolved
     systemd-run