Add a --help option to all the commands, as the one non-accidental way to trigger the usage messages. $ scp --help $ ssh --help etc. Already works like $ cat --help except for the "unknown option" and error $? value. $ ssh --help unknown option -- - usage: ssh [-46AaCfGgKkMNnqsTtVvXxYy] [-B bind_interface] [-b bind_address] [-c cipher_spec] [-D [bind_address:]port] [-E log_file] [-e escape_char] [-F configfile] [-I pkcs11] [-i identity_file] [-J [user@]host[:port]] [-L address] [-l login_name] [-m mac_spec] [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option] [-p port] [-Q query_option] [-R address] [-S ctl_path] [-W host:port] [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]] destination [command] $ echo $? 255 Anyway, all other modern Unix commands have --help or -h etc. Yes, even if they have man pages.
Sorry, we are not going to support GNU-style long getopt options. OpenSSH comes from a different tradition.
close bugs that were resolved in OpenSSH 8.5 release cycle