sphinxcontrib-devhelp
sphinxcontrib-devhelp is a sphinx extension which outputs Devhelp documents
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need Devhelp output for Sphinx documentation. The package is stable, has no security issues, and zero runtime dependencies. The dormant maintenance status is not a concern for a mature, narrowly-scoped extension—install it when building for Devhelp, skip it otherwise.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later; Sphinx must be installed as a peer dependency (not listed in this package's runtime deps but required for the extension to function).
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2024-07-29 with no commits since 2024-10-25—but the package is marked Production/Stable and part of the official Sphinx ecosystem.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Permissive license (BSD) means you can use, modify, and distribute the package freely with minimal legal constraints.
last release 2024-07-29 (746 days) · last repo commit 2024-10-25 · 3 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 27,601,779 downloads/mo, #855 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sphinxcontrib-devhelp
Then in your Sphinx conf.py:
extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.devhelp']
Build with: sphinx-build -b devhelp source build/devhelp- Whether Sphinx is automatically installed as a dependency or must be manually added to your environment.
- Current compatibility with Devhelp versions and whether the output format remains compatible with modern Devhelp releases.
What it is and what it does
sphinxcontrib-devhelp is a Sphinx extension that adds a builder to output documentation in Devhelp format, a help viewer used primarily in GNOME environments. It transforms Sphinx-built documentation into a format that Devhelp can read and display, allowing developers to browse API docs and guides within that viewer.
The extension is part of the official Sphinx ecosystem and has been stable since its 2019 release. It has no runtime dependencies beyond Sphinx itself and supports Python 3.9 through 3.13. Maintenance is dormant but the package remains in Production/Stable status with no known security vulnerabilities.
Use it for
- Building GNOME-integrated help documentation that can be browsed in Devhelp alongside system libraries.
- Generating offline API reference documentation for projects targeting Linux desktop environments.
- Converting existing Sphinx documentation to Devhelp format for distribution with desktop applications.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need Devhelp output for Sphinx documentation.
The package is stable, has no security issues, and zero runtime dependencies. The dormant maintenance status is not a concern for a mature, narrowly-scoped extension—install it when building for Devhelp, skip it otherwise.
Install
sphinxcontrib-devhelp on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2024-07-29 with no commits since 2024-10-25—but the package is marked Production/Stable and part of the official Sphinx ecosystem.
Requires Python 3.9 or later; Sphinx must be installed as a peer dependency (not listed in this package's runtime deps but required for the extension to function).
License in practice
Permissive license (BSD) means you can use, modify, and distribute the package freely with minimal legal constraints.
Quickstart
pip install sphinxcontrib-devhelp
Then in your Sphinx conf.py:
extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.devhelp']
Build with: sphinx-build -b devhelp source build/devhelpVerify before relying
- Whether Sphinx is automatically installed as a dependency or must be manually added to your environment.
- Current compatibility with Devhelp versions and whether the output format remains compatible with modern Devhelp releases.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Dormant 746 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 27,601,779 / month, #855 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentFramework :: SphinxFramework :: Sphinx :: ExtensionIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: EducationLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: DocumentationTopic :: Documentation :: SphinxTopic :: Text ProcessingTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: sphinxcontrib_devhelp-2.0.0-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “sphinx devhelp output”
- sphinxcontrib-devhelpA Sphinx extension that generates Devhelp documentation output…
- sphinxcontrib-serializinghtmlA Sphinx extension that outputs documentation in serialized HTML…
- sphinxcontrib-programoutputA Sphinx extension that executes arbitrary shell commands and embeds…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Utilities packages
Converts domain names between Unicode and ASCII-compatible encoding (Punycode) according to IDNA 2008 and Unicode Technical Standard 46, with security validation and broader script coverage than the standard library.
Install it if you work with internationalized domain names, need to validate domains, or use HTTP clients that depend on it transitively.
Detects and normalizes text encoding from unknown or ambiguous sources, supporting all IANA character sets that Python's core library provides codecs for, with the ability to register custom codecs.
Setuptools is a Python build backend and package management tool that handles building, distributing, and installing Python packages, including support for C/C++ extension modules.
Pluggy provides a plugin system that lets you define hook specifications and register implementations to be called in sequence, enabling extensible Python applications without tight coupling.
Install it if you're building an extensible application or framework.
Pygments is a syntax highlighter that colorizes source code and text in over 500 languages and formats, outputting to HTML, LaTeX, RTF, SVG, images, or ANSI terminal sequences.
Install it if you need to display or transform source code.
Six provides utility functions to write Python code that runs on both Python 2.7 and Python 3.3+, smoothing over language differences between the two versions.
See also sphinx-argparse · sphinxcontrib-qthelp · sphinxcontrib-serializinghtml · sphinxcontrib-htmlhelp · sphinxcontrib-applehelp · linuxdoc · sphinxcontrib-websupport · sphinx-autobuild · sphinx-autosummary-accessors · sphinx-toolbox