diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/doc_module_paths_unresolved.yml b/changelogs/fragments/doc_module_paths_unresolved.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d0c898a61b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/doc_module_paths_unresolved.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+minor_changes:
+    - when showing defaults for CLI options in manpage/docs/--help avoid converting paths
diff --git a/lib/ansible/cli/arguments/optparse_helpers.py b/lib/ansible/cli/arguments/optparse_helpers.py
index 6ecbd523d0..fadd3e4930 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/cli/arguments/optparse_helpers.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/cli/arguments/optparse_helpers.py
@@ -281,8 +281,10 @@ def add_meta_options(parser):
 
 def add_module_options(parser):
     """Add options for commands that load modules"""
+
+    module_path = C.config.get_configuration_definition('DEFAULT_MODULE_PATH').get('default', '')
     parser.add_option('-M', '--module-path', dest='module_path', default=None,
-                      help="prepend colon-separated path(s) to module library (default=%s)" % C.DEFAULT_MODULE_PATH,
+                      help="prepend colon-separated path(s) to module library (default=%s)" % module_path,
                       action="callback", callback=unfrack_paths, type='str')
 
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/config/manager.py b/lib/ansible/config/manager.py
index df88ad6666..1203357102 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/config/manager.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/config/manager.py
@@ -330,6 +330,18 @@ class ConfigManager(object):
                     pvars.append(var_entry['name'])
         return pvars
 
+    def get_configuration_definition(self, name, plugin_type=None, plugin_name=None):
+
+        ret = {}
+        if plugin_type is None:
+            ret = self._base_defs.get(name, None)
+        elif plugin_name is None:
+            ret = self._plugins.get(plugin_type, {}).get(name, None)
+        else:
+            ret = self._plugins.get(plugin_type, {}).get(plugin_name, {}).get(name, None)
+
+        return ret
+
     def get_configuration_definitions(self, plugin_type=None, name=None):
         ''' just list the possible settings, either base or for specific plugins or plugin '''