Add Makefile option to skip installing docs

[Raimo33]

Add Makefile option to skip installing docs and manpages.

install -m 644 doc/lightning-cli.1 doc/lightning-reckless.1 /tmp/lightning_install/share/man/man1
install -m 644 doc/lightningd-config.5 /tmp/lightning_install/share/man/man5
install -m 644 doc/lightning-addgossip.7 doc/lightning-addpsbtoutput.7 doc/lightning-askrene-age.7 doc/lightning-askrene-bias-channel.7 doc/lightning-askrene-create-layer.7 doc/lightning-askrene-remove-layer.7 doc/lightning-askrene-create-channel.7 doc/lightning-askrene-update-channel.7 doc/lightning-askrene-disable-node.7 doc/lightning-askrene-inform-channel.7 doc/lightning-askrene-listlayers.7 doc/lightning-askrene-listreservations.7 doc/lightning-askrene-reserve.7 doc/lightning-askrene-unreserve.7 doc/lightning-autoclean-once.7 doc/lightning-autoclean-status.7 doc/lightning-batching.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-channelsapy.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-dumpincomecsv.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-editdescriptionbyoutpoint.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-editdescriptionbypaymentid.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-inspect.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-listaccountevents.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-listbalances.7 doc/lightning-bkpr-listincome.7 doc/lightning-blacklistrune.7 doc/lightning-check.7 doc/lightning-checkmessage.7 doc/lightning-checkrune.7 doc/lightning-close.7 doc/lightning-commando.7 doc/lightning-connect.7 doc/lightning-createinvoice.7 doc/lightning-createonion.7 doc/lightning-createrune.7 doc/lightning-datastore.7 doc/lightning-datastoreusage.7 doc/lightning-decode.7 doc/lightning-decodepay.7 doc/lightning-deldatastore.7 doc/lightning-delforward.7 doc/lightning-delinvoice.7 doc/lightning-delpay.7 doc/lightning-deprecations.7 doc/lightning-dev-forget-channel.7 doc/lightning-dev-splice.7 doc/lightning-disableinvoicerequest.7 doc/lightning-disableoffer.7 doc/lightning-disconnect.7 doc/lightning-emergencyrecover.7 doc/lightning-enableoffer.7 doc/lightning-exposesecret.7 doc/lightning-feerates.7 doc/lightning-fetchinvoice.7 doc/lightning-fundchannel_cancel.7 doc/lightning-fundchannel_complete.7 doc/lightning-fundchannel.7 doc/lightning-fundchannel_start.7 doc/lightning-funderupdate.7 doc/lightning-fundpsbt.7 doc/lightning-getemergencyrecoverdata.7 doc/lightning-getinfo.7 doc/lightning-getlog.7 doc/lightning-getroute.7 doc/lightning-getroutes.7 doc/lightning-help.7 doc/lightning-injectonionmessage.7 doc/lightning-injectpaymentonion.7 doc/lightning-invoice.7 doc/lightning-invoicerequest.7 doc/lightning-keysend.7 doc/lightning-listaddresses.7 doc/lightning-listchannels.7 doc/lightning-listclosedchannels.7 doc/lightning-listconfigs.7 doc/lightning-listdatastore.7 doc/lightning-listforwards.7 doc/lightning-listfunds.7 doc/lightning-listhtlcs.7 doc/lightning-listinvoicerequests.7 doc/lightning-listinvoices.7 doc/lightning-listnodes.7 doc/lightning-listoffers.7 doc/lightning-listpays.7 doc/lightning-listpeerchannels.7 doc/lightning-listpeers.7 doc/lightning-listsendpays.7 doc/lightning-listtransactions.7 doc/lightning-makesecret.7 doc/lightning-multifundchannel.7 doc/lightning-multiwithdraw.7 doc/lightning-newaddr.7 doc/lightning-notifications.7 doc/lightning-offer.7 doc/lightning-openchannel_abort.7 doc/lightning-openchannel_bump.7 doc/lightning-openchannel_init.7 doc/lightning-openchannel_signed.7 doc/lightning-openchannel_update.7 doc/lightning-parsefeerate.7 doc/lightning-pay.7 doc/lightning-ping.7 doc/lightning-plugin.7 doc/lightning-preapproveinvoice.7 doc/lightning-preapprovekeysend.7 doc/lightning-reckless.7 doc/lightning-recoverchannel.7 doc/lightning-recover.7 doc/lightning-renepay.7 doc/lightning-renepaystatus.7 doc/lightning-reserveinputs.7 doc/lightning-sendcustommsg.7 doc/lightning-sendinvoice.7 doc/lightning-sendonion.7 doc/lightning-sendpay.7 doc/lightning-sendpsbt.7 doc/lightning-setchannel.7 doc/lightning-setconfig.7 doc/lightning-setpsbtversion.7 doc/lightning-showrunes.7 doc/lightning-signinvoice.7 doc/lightning-signmessage.7 doc/lightning-signpsbt.7 doc/lightning-splice_init.7 doc/lightning-splice_signed.7 doc/lightning-splice_update.7 doc/lightning-staticbackup.7 doc/lightning-stop.7 doc/lightning-txdiscard.7 doc/lightning-txprepare.7 doc/lightning-txsend.7 doc/lightning-unreserveinputs.7 doc/lightning-upgradewallet.7 doc/lightning-utxopsbt.7 doc/lightning-waitanyinvoice.7 doc/lightning-waitblockheight.7 doc/lightning-waitinvoice.7 doc/lightning-wait.7 doc/lightning-waitsendpay.7 doc/lightning-withdraw.7 doc/lightning-xpay.7 doc/lightning-listsqlschemas.7 doc/lightning-sql.7 doc/lightningd-rpc.7 /tmp/lightning_install/share/man/man7
install -m 644 doc/lightningd.8 doc/lightning-hsmtool.8 /tmp/lightning_install/share/man/man8
install -m 644 README.md LICENSE /tmp/lightning_install/share/doc/c-lightning

This option would be useful in lightweight builds and in the Docker image, where docs are completely useless.

I propose adding a simple make target called something like install-nodoc

[ShahanaFarooqui]

Including manpages can be helpful for Docker image users as well.

[Raimo33]

arguably. I'm not too familiar with how you want this docker container to be run, but I figured it just exposes RPC and network ports for lightnings and mounts data volume. that's its way of communicating with the host. not docker exec.

in other words, docs and manpages can be useful in the container only if the user attaches a shell into it via docker exec. which I deem useless and not the standard desired use case of the container. because you have the RPC ports to interact with it.

The user typically does not need to docker exec into the container or use a shell inside it. Instead, the container runs lightningd in the foreground via the ENTRYPOINT script, and clients connect to it over RPC (JSON-RPC) on the exposed ports (e.g., 9835).

This aligns well with:

• Running the Lightning node as a backend service.
• Integrating with external wallets, UIs, or management tools through RPC.
• Automated deployments or orchestration where interactive access isn’t necessary.

If debugging or manual intervention is needed, you could still docker exec in, but that's secondary and not the main use case.

am I wrong?

[ShahanaFarooqui]

You are not wrong, and your reasoning makes sense in most cases. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if some users access manpages via docker exec too. That said, online documentation is always an alternative and saving 45 minutes in build time does seem like a huge win.

Let us keep this issue open for a while to allow others to share their perspectives before removing them.