diff --git a/mercurial/help.py b/mercurial/help.py
--- a/mercurial/help.py
+++ b/mercurial/help.py
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@
     """Return a delayed loader for help/topic.txt."""
 
     def loader(ui):
-        docdir = os.path.join(util.datapath, b'help')
+        docdir = os.path.join(util.datapath, b'helptext')
         if subdir:
             docdir = os.path.join(docdir, subdir)
         path = os.path.join(docdir, topic + b".txt")
diff --git a/mercurial/helptext/__init__.py b/mercurial/helptext/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
diff --git a/mercurial/help/bundlespec.txt b/mercurial/helptext/bundlespec.txt
rename from mercurial/help/bundlespec.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/bundlespec.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/color.txt b/mercurial/helptext/color.txt
rename from mercurial/help/color.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/color.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/common.txt b/mercurial/helptext/common.txt
rename from mercurial/help/common.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/common.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/config.txt b/mercurial/helptext/config.txt
rename from mercurial/help/config.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/config.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/dates.txt b/mercurial/helptext/dates.txt
rename from mercurial/help/dates.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/dates.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/deprecated.txt b/mercurial/helptext/deprecated.txt
rename from mercurial/help/deprecated.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/deprecated.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/diffs.txt b/mercurial/helptext/diffs.txt
rename from mercurial/help/diffs.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/diffs.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/environment.txt b/mercurial/helptext/environment.txt
rename from mercurial/help/environment.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/environment.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/extensions.txt b/mercurial/helptext/extensions.txt
rename from mercurial/help/extensions.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/extensions.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/filesets.txt b/mercurial/helptext/filesets.txt
rename from mercurial/help/filesets.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/filesets.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/flags.txt b/mercurial/helptext/flags.txt
rename from mercurial/help/flags.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/flags.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/glossary.txt b/mercurial/helptext/glossary.txt
rename from mercurial/help/glossary.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/glossary.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/hg-ssh.8.txt b/mercurial/helptext/hg-ssh.8.txt
rename from mercurial/help/hg-ssh.8.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/hg-ssh.8.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/hg.1.txt b/mercurial/helptext/hg.1.txt
rename from mercurial/help/hg.1.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/hg.1.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/hgignore.5.txt b/mercurial/helptext/hgignore.5.txt
rename from mercurial/help/hgignore.5.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/hgignore.5.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/hgignore.txt b/mercurial/helptext/hgignore.txt
rename from mercurial/help/hgignore.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/hgignore.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/hgrc.5.txt b/mercurial/helptext/hgrc.5.txt
rename from mercurial/help/hgrc.5.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/hgrc.5.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/hgweb.txt b/mercurial/helptext/hgweb.txt
rename from mercurial/help/hgweb.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/hgweb.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/helptext/internals/__init__.py b/mercurial/helptext/internals/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/bundle2.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/bundle2.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/bundle2.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/bundle2.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/bundles.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/bundles.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/bundles.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/bundles.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/cbor.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/cbor.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/cbor.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/cbor.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/censor.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/censor.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/censor.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/censor.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/changegroups.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/changegroups.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/changegroups.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/changegroups.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/config.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/config.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/config.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/config.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/extensions.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/extensions.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/extensions.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/extensions.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/linelog.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/linelog.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/linelog.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/linelog.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/mergestate.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/mergestate.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/mergestate.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/mergestate.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/requirements.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/requirements.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/requirements.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/requirements.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/revlogs.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/revlogs.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/revlogs.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/revlogs.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/wireprotocol.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/wireprotocol.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/wireprotocol.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/wireprotocol.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/wireprotocolrpc.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/wireprotocolrpc.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/wireprotocolrpc.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/wireprotocolrpc.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/internals/wireprotocolv2.txt b/mercurial/helptext/internals/wireprotocolv2.txt
rename from mercurial/help/internals/wireprotocolv2.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/internals/wireprotocolv2.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/merge-tools.txt b/mercurial/helptext/merge-tools.txt
rename from mercurial/help/merge-tools.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/merge-tools.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/pager.txt b/mercurial/helptext/pager.txt
rename from mercurial/help/pager.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/pager.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/patterns.txt b/mercurial/helptext/patterns.txt
rename from mercurial/help/patterns.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/patterns.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/phases.txt b/mercurial/helptext/phases.txt
rename from mercurial/help/phases.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/phases.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/revisions.txt b/mercurial/helptext/revisions.txt
rename from mercurial/help/revisions.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/revisions.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/scripting.txt b/mercurial/helptext/scripting.txt
rename from mercurial/help/scripting.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/scripting.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/subrepos.txt b/mercurial/helptext/subrepos.txt
rename from mercurial/help/subrepos.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/subrepos.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/templates.txt b/mercurial/helptext/templates.txt
rename from mercurial/help/templates.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/templates.txt
diff --git a/mercurial/help/urls.txt b/mercurial/helptext/urls.txt
rename from mercurial/help/urls.txt
rename to mercurial/helptext/urls.txt
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1191,6 +1191,8 @@
     'mercurial',
     'mercurial.cext',
     'mercurial.cffi',
+    'mercurial.helptext',
+    'mercurial.helptext.internals',
     'mercurial.hgweb',
     'mercurial.interfaces',
     'mercurial.pure',
@@ -1535,11 +1537,11 @@
 packagedata = {
     'mercurial': [
         'locale/*/LC_MESSAGES/hg.mo',
-        'help/*.txt',
-        'help/internals/*.txt',
         'default.d/*.rc',
         'dummycert.pem',
-    ]
+    ],
+    'mercurial.helptext': ['*.txt',],
+    'mercurial.helptext.internals': ['*.txt',],
 }
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test-check-config.t b/tests/test-check-config.t
--- a/tests/test-check-config.t
+++ b/tests/test-check-config.t
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
   > EOF
 
   $ cat > files << EOF
-  > mercurial/help/config.txt
+  > mercurial/helptext/config.txt
   > $TESTTMP/testfile.py
   > EOF