---
name: "gh-search-code"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "github-cli"
version: "2.102.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/gh-search-code"
---

# gh-search-code(1)

Search within code

## NAME

gh-search-code - Search within code

## SYNOPSIS

**gh search code \<query\> \[flags\]**

## DESCRIPTION

Search within code in GitHub repositories.

The search syntax is documented at:

⟨https://docs.github.com/search-github/searching-on-github/searching-code⟩

Note that these search results are powered by what is now a legacy GitHub code search engine. The results might not match what is seen on **github.com**, and new features like regex search are not yet available via the GitHub API.

For more information on handling search queries containing a hyphen, run **gh search --help**.

## OPTIONS

- **--extension** **\<string\>**

  Filter on file extension

- **--filename** **\<string\>**

  Filter on filename

- **-q**, **--jq** **\<expression\>**

  Filter JSON output using a jq expression

- **--json** **\<fields\>**

  Output JSON with the specified fields

- **--language** **\<string\>**

  Filter results by language

- **-L**, **--limit** **\<int\> (default 30)**

  Maximum number of code results to fetch

- **--match** **\<strings\>**

  Restrict search to file contents or file path: {file\|path}

- **--owner** **\<strings\>**

  Filter on owner

- **-R**, **--repo** **\<OWNER/REPO\>**

  Filter on repository, in OWNER/REPO format

- **--size** **\<string\>**

  Filter on size range, in kilobytes

- **-t**, **--template** **\<string\>**

  Format JSON output using a Go template; see "gh help formatting"

- **-w**, **--web**

  Open the search query in the web browser

## JSON FIELDS

**path**, **repository**, **sha**, **textMatches**, **url**

## EXIT CODES

0: Successful execution

1: Error

2: Command canceled

4: Authentication required

NOTE: Specific commands may have additional exit codes. Refer to the command's help for more information.

## EXAMPLE

```
# Search code matching "react" and "lifecycle"
$ gh search code react lifecycle
# Search code matching "error handling"
$ gh search code "error handling"
# Search code using raw search qualifiers as separate arguments
$ gh search code panic path:pkg language:go
# Search code matching "deque" in Python files
$ gh search code deque --language=python
# Search code matching "cli" in repositories owned by microsoft organization
$ gh search code cli --owner=microsoft
# Search code matching "panic" in the GitHub CLI repository
$ gh search code panic --repo cli/cli
# Search code matching keyword "lint" in package.json files
$ gh search code lint --filename package.json
```

## SEE ALSO

**[gh-search(1)](/gh-search/1.md)**