diff --git a/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.cpp b/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.cpp
index 29b140f1a1..fbc08f410b 100644
--- a/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.cpp
+++ b/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.cpp
@@ -157,3 +157,61 @@ GncOptionDB::commit()
                 });
         });
 }
+
+GncOptionDB*
+gnc_option_db_new(void)
+{
+    return new GncOptionDB;
+}
+
+void
+gnc_register_string_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                           const char* name, const char* key,
+                           const char* doc_string, std::string value)
+{
+    GncOption option{section, name, key, doc_string, value};
+    db->register_option(section, std::move(option));
+}
+
+void
+gnc_register_text_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section, const char* name,
+                         const char* key, const char* doc_string,
+                         std::string value)
+{
+    gnc_register_string_option(db, section, name, key, doc_string, value);
+}
+
+void
+gnc_register_budget_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                           const char* name, const char* key,
+                           const char* doc_string, GncBudget *value)
+{
+    GncOption option{section, name, key, doc_string, QOF_INSTANCE(value)};
+    db->register_option(section, std::move(option));
+}
+
+void
+gnc_register_commodity_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                              const char* name, const char* key,
+                              const char* doc_string, gnc_commodity *value)
+{
+    GncOption option{section, name, key, doc_string, QOF_INSTANCE(value)};
+    db->register_option(section, std::move(option));
+}
+
+
+void
+gnc_register_currency_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                             const char* name, const char* key,
+                             const char* doc_string, gnc_commodity *value)
+{
+    GncOption option{GncOptionValidatedValue<QofInstance*>{
+        section, name, key, doc_string, QOF_INSTANCE(value),
+        [](QofInstance* new_value) -> bool
+            {
+                return GNC_IS_COMMODITY (new_value) &&
+                    gnc_commodity_is_currency(GNC_COMMODITY(new_value));
+            }
+        }};
+    db->register_option(section, std::move(option));
+}
diff --git a/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.hpp b/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.hpp
index 07e3846965..69503c22c6 100644
--- a/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.hpp
+++ b/libgnucash/app-utils/gnc-optiondb.hpp
@@ -66,6 +66,45 @@ private:
     GncOptionSectionPtr m_default_section;
     std::vector<GncOptionSection> m_sections;
     bool m_dirty = false;
+
+    std::function<void*()> m_get_ui_value;
+    std::function<void(void*)> m_set_ui_value;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Create an empty option database.
+ *
+ * It would be nice to use a std::shared_ptr here but Swig doesn't implement
+ * that for Guile.
+ * @return A newly allocated GncOptionDB. Use delete to destroy it.
+ */
+GncOptionDB *gnc_option_db_new(void);
+
+void gnc_register_string_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                                const char* name, const char* key,
+                                const char* doc_string, std::string value);
+
+
+void gnc_register_string_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                                const char* name, const char* key,
+                                const char* doc_string, std::string value);
+
+void gnc_register_text_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                              const char* name, const char* key,
+                              const char* doc_string, std::string value);
+
+void gnc_register_budget_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                                const char* name, const char* key,
+                                const char* doc_string, GncBudget* value);
+
+void gnc_register_commodity_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                                   const char* name, const char* key,
+                                   const char* doc_string,
+                                   gnc_commodity* value);
+
+void gnc_register_currency_option(GncOptionDB* db, const char* section,
+                                  const char* name, const char* key,
+                                  const char* doc_string, gnc_commodity* value);
+
+
 #endif //GNC_OPTIONDB_HPP_
diff --git a/libgnucash/app-utils/test/gtest-gnc-optiondb.cpp b/libgnucash/app-utils/test/gtest-gnc-optiondb.cpp
index d33311bb18..a09659fde7 100644
--- a/libgnucash/app-utils/test/gtest-gnc-optiondb.cpp
+++ b/libgnucash/app-utils/test/gtest-gnc-optiondb.cpp
@@ -56,3 +56,12 @@ TEST(GncOptionDB, test_unregister_option)
     optiondb.unregister_option("foo", "bar");
     EXPECT_TRUE(optiondb.lookup_string_option("foo", "bar").empty());
 }
+
+TEST(GncOptionDB, test_register_string_option)
+{
+    GncOptionDB* db = gnc_option_db_new();
+    gnc_register_string_option(db, "foo", "bar", "baz", "Phony Option",
+                               std::string{"waldo"});
+    EXPECT_STREQ("waldo", db->lookup_string_option("foo", "bar").c_str());
+    delete db;
+}