diff --git a/opal/util/convert-help-files-to-c-code.py b/opal/util/convert-help-files-to-c-code.py
index 38489481371..d8814d9fb1b 100755
--- a/opal/util/convert-help-files-to-c-code.py
+++ b/opal/util/convert-help-files-to-c-code.py
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ def parse_ini_files(file_paths, verbose=False):
         current_section = None
         with open(file_path) as file:
             for line in file:
-                line = line.strip()
-                if line.startswith('#') or not line:
+                line = line.rstrip()
+                if line.startswith('#'):
                     continue
                 if line.startswith('[') and line.endswith(']'):
                     current_section = line[1:-1]
@@ -60,18 +60,24 @@ def parse_ini_files(file_paths, verbose=False):
 def generate_c_code(parsed_data):
     # Generate C code with an array of filenames and their
     # corresponding INI sections.
-    c_code = f"""// THIS FILE IS GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY! EDITS WILL BE LOST!
+    c_code = []
+    c_code.append(f"""// THIS FILE IS GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY! EDITS WILL BE LOST!
 // This file generated by {sys.argv[0]}
 
-"""
+""")
     # Rather than escaping the C code {} in f strings, make this a
     # separate (non-f-string) addition to c_code.
-    c_code += """#include <stdio.h>
+    c_code.append("""#include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+#include "opal/util/argv.h"
+#include "opal/util/show_help.h"
 
 typedef struct {
     const char *section;
-    const char *content;
+    const char **content;
+    char *joined;
 } ini_entry;
 
 typedef struct {
@@ -79,34 +85,44 @@ def generate_c_code(parsed_data):
     ini_entry *entries;
 } file_entry;
 
-"""
+static file_entry help_files[] = {""")
 
     ini_arrays = []
     file_entries = []
 
-    for idx, (filename, sections) in enumerate(parsed_data.items()):
-        var_name = filename.replace('-', '_').replace('.', '_')
-
-        ini_entries = []
-        for section, content_list in sections.items():
-            content = '\n'.join(content_list)
-            c_content = content.replace('"','\\"').replace("\n", '\\n"\n"')
-            ini_entries.append(f'    {{ "{section}", "{c_content}" }}')
-        ini_entries.append(f'    {{ NULL, NULL }}')
-
-        ini_array_name = f"ini_entries_{idx}"
-        ini_arrays.append(f"static ini_entry {ini_array_name}[] = {{\n" + ",\n".join(ini_entries) + "\n};\n")
-        file_entries.append(f'    {{ "{filename}", {ini_array_name} }}')
-    file_entries.append(f'    {{ NULL, NULL }}')
-
-    c_code += "\n".join(ini_arrays) + "\n"
-    c_code += "static file_entry help_files[] = {\n" + ",\n".join(file_entries) + "\n};\n"
-
-    c_code += """
-
+    sp4 = f'{" " * 4}'
+    sp8 = f'{" " * 8}'
+    sp12 = f'{" " * 12}'
+    sp16 = f'{" " * 16}'
+    sp20 = f'{" " * 20}'
+
+    for filename, sections in parsed_data.items():
+        c_code.append(f'{sp4}{{')
+        c_code.append(f'{sp8}.filename = "{filename}",')
+        c_code.append(f'{sp8}.entries = (ini_entry[]) {{')
+
+        for section_name, lines in sections.items():
+            c_code.append(f'{sp12}{{')
+            c_code.append(f'{sp16}.section = "{section_name}",')
+            c_code.append(f'{sp16}.content = (const char*[]) {{')
+            for line in lines:
+                c_string = line.replace('"','\\"').replace("\n", '\\n"\n"')
+                c_code.append(f'{sp20}"{c_string}",')
+            c_code.append(f'{sp20}NULL')
+            c_code.append(f'{sp16}}},')
+            c_code.append(f'{sp12}}}, // End of section {section_name}')
+
+        c_code.append(f'{sp12}{{0}}')
+        c_code.append(f'{sp8}}}, // End of file {filename}')
+        c_code.append(f'{sp4}}},')
+
+    c_code.append(f'{sp4}{{0}}')
+    c_code.append(f'}};')
+
+    c_code.append("""
 const char *opal_show_help_get_content(const char *filename, const char* topic)
 {
-    file_entry *fe;
+    const file_entry *fe;
     ini_entry *ie;
 
     for (int i = 0; help_files[i].filename != NULL; ++i) {
@@ -115,7 +131,10 @@ def generate_c_code(parsed_data):
             for (int j = 0; fe->entries[j].section != NULL; ++j) {
                 ie = &(fe->entries[j]);
                 if (strcmp(ie->section, topic) == 0) {
-                    return ie->content;
+                    if (NULL == ie->joined) {
+                        ie->joined = opal_argv_join((char**)ie->content, '\\n');
+                    }
+                    return ie->joined;
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -123,9 +142,21 @@ def generate_c_code(parsed_data):
 
     return NULL;
 }
-"""
 
-    return c_code
+void opal_show_help_content_free(void)
+{
+    for (int i = 0; help_files[i].filename != NULL; ++i) {
+        for (int j = 0; help_files[i].entries[j].section != NULL; j++) {
+            if (NULL != help_files[i].entries[j].joined) {
+                free(help_files[i].entries[j].joined);
+                help_files[i].entries[j].joined = NULL;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+""")
+
+    return '\n'.join(c_code)
 
 #-------------------------------
 
diff --git a/opal/util/show_help.c b/opal/util/show_help.c
index 33b912a19fb..a4ab63ca614 100644
--- a/opal/util/show_help.c
+++ b/opal/util/show_help.c
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
 /*
  * Private variables
  */
-static const char *default_filename = "help-messages";
 static const char *dash_line
     = "--------------------------------------------------------------------------\n";
 static int output_stream = -1;
@@ -95,6 +94,9 @@ static void opal_show_help_finalize(void)
         opal_argv_free(search_dirs);
         search_dirs = NULL;
     }
+
+    /* free the rendered help strings */
+    opal_show_help_content_free();
 }
 
 static void opal_show_help_output(const char *msg) {
diff --git a/opal/util/show_help.h b/opal/util/show_help.h
index c497dd235cf..1a24b42c79c 100644
--- a/opal/util/show_help.h
+++ b/opal/util/show_help.h
@@ -179,6 +179,14 @@ OPAL_DECLSPEC int opal_show_help_add_dir(const char *directory);
  */
 const char *opal_show_help_get_content(const char *filename, const char* topic);
 
+/**
+ * \internal
+ *
+ * Free up any strings that may have been allocated in when rendering
+ * show_help strings.
+ */
+void opal_show_help_content_free(void);
+
 END_C_DECLS
 
 #endif