diff --git a/include/spdk/jsonrpc.h b/include/spdk/jsonrpc.h
index a29814957..ff9438a7d 100644
--- a/include/spdk/jsonrpc.h
+++ b/include/spdk/jsonrpc.h
@@ -182,16 +182,15 @@ void spdk_jsonrpc_send_error_response_fmt(struct spdk_jsonrpc_request *request,
  * on the request after writing the desired request object to the spdk_json_write_ctx.
  *
  * \param request JSON-RPC request.
- * \param method Name of the RPC method.
- * \param id ID index for the request.
+ * \param id ID index for the request. If < 0 skip ID.
+ * \param method Name of the RPC method. If NULL caller will have to create "method" key.
  *
  * \return JSON write context to write the parameter object to, or NULL if no
  * parameter is necessary.
  */
-struct spdk_json_write_ctx *spdk_jsonrpc_begin_request(
-	struct spdk_jsonrpc_client_request *request,
-	const char *method,
-	int32_t id);
+struct spdk_json_write_ctx *
+spdk_jsonrpc_begin_request(struct spdk_jsonrpc_client_request *request, int32_t id,
+			   const char *method);
 
 /**
  * Complete a JSON-RPC request.
diff --git a/lib/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_client.c b/lib/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_client.c
index e605dd50b..d2cf22068 100644
--- a/lib/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_client.c
+++ b/lib/jsonrpc/jsonrpc_client.c
@@ -167,8 +167,8 @@ jsonrpc_client_write_cb(void *cb_ctx, const void *data, size_t size)
 }
 
 struct spdk_json_write_ctx *
-spdk_jsonrpc_begin_request(struct spdk_jsonrpc_client_request *request, const char *method,
-			   int32_t id)
+spdk_jsonrpc_begin_request(struct spdk_jsonrpc_client_request *request, int32_t id,
+			   const char *method)
 {
 	struct spdk_json_write_ctx *w;
 
@@ -179,8 +179,14 @@ spdk_jsonrpc_begin_request(struct spdk_jsonrpc_client_request *request, const ch
 
 	spdk_json_write_object_begin(w);
 	spdk_json_write_named_string(w, "jsonrpc", "2.0");
-	spdk_json_write_named_int32(w, "id", id);
-	spdk_json_write_named_string(w, "method", method);
+
+	if (id >= 0) {
+		spdk_json_write_named_int32(w, "id", id);
+	}
+
+	if (method) {
+		spdk_json_write_named_string(w, "method", method);
+	}
 
 	return w;
 }
diff --git a/test/rpc_client/rpc_client_test.c b/test/rpc_client/rpc_client_test.c
index a12533c89..68f847132 100644
--- a/test/rpc_client/rpc_client_test.c
+++ b/test/rpc_client/rpc_client_test.c
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ spdk_jsonrpc_client_check_rpc_method(struct spdk_jsonrpc_client *client, char *m
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	w = spdk_jsonrpc_begin_request(request, "get_rpc_methods", 1);
+	w = spdk_jsonrpc_begin_request(request, 1, "get_rpc_methods");
 	spdk_jsonrpc_end_request(request, w);
 	spdk_jsonrpc_client_send_request(client, request);
 	spdk_jsonrpc_client_free_request(request);