diff --git a/help.js b/help.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..024b4ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/help.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+
+module.exports = {
+  description: 'gossip ssb messages without replicating the entire feed, aka "Out of Order"',
+  commands: {
+    get: {
+      type: 'async',
+      description: 'get a message',
+      args: {
+        id: {
+          type: 'MessageId',
+          description: 'the identity of the message to get',
+          optional: false
+        },
+        timeout: {
+          type: 'number',
+          description: 'number of milliseconds to wait for this message, default: 5000, or as set in `config.ooo.timeout`. If timeout is zero it will wait forever.',
+          optional: true
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index b68f659..ed78f00 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ exports.name = 'ooo'
 exports.version = '1.0.0'
 exports.manifest = {
   stream: 'duplex',
-  get: 'async'
+  get: 'async',
+  help: 'sync'
 }
 exports.permissions = {
   anonymous: {allow: ['stream']}
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ exports.init = function (sbot, config) {
 
   function get (opts, cb) {
     var id = isMsg(opts) ? opts : opts.id
-    var timeout = conf.timeout == null ? 5000 : conf.timeout
+    var timeout = opts.timeout != null ? opts.timeout : conf.timeout == null ? 5000 : conf.timeout
     var timer
     if(timeout > 0)
       timer = setTimeout(function () {
@@ -134,7 +135,10 @@ exports.init = function (sbot, config) {
       //called by muxrpc, so remote id is set as this.id
       return gq.createStream(this.id)
     },
-    get: get
+    get: get,
+    help: function () {
+      return require('./help')
+    }
   }
 }