GitHub Search

Quick Commands

Direct API Search (Web-Exact Results)

For complex queries where gh search repos gives different results than web:

bash
1# Template - URL-encodes query automatically
2gh api "search/repositories?q=$(printf '%s' 'YOUR_QUERY_HERE' | jq -sRr @uri)&sort=updated&per_page=30" --jq '.items[].full_name'

Example - Multi-language with exclusions:

bash
1gh api "search/repositories?q=$(printf '%s' 'stars:>500 language:rust language:go language:TypeScript language:javascript -topic:ethereum -topic:cryptocurrency -topic:blockchain -topic:bitcoin -topic:web3' | jq -sRr @uri)&sort=updated&per_page=10" --jq '.items[].full_name'

Why use this?

• gh search repos is a convenience wrapper with its own query parsing
• gh api search/repositories hits the raw API, matching web behavior exactly
• Required when combining: multiple languages + topic exclusions + star filters

Common jq extractions:

Patterns

Finding Repositories

When you see: User wants to find projects/repos by criteria Use: gh search repos

bash
1# Basic search with stars
2gh search repos "stars:>500 language:rust" --sort=stars --limit=50
3
4# Multiple languages (OR logic)
5gh search repos "language:rust language:go language:typescript"
6
7# Exclude topics
8gh search repos "stars:>1000 -topic:cryptocurrency -topic:blockchain"
9
10# By topic
11gh search repos "topic:cli topic:terminal stars:>100"
12
13# Recently updated
14gh search repos "language:python pushed:>2024-01-01"

Output formats:

bash
1--json name,url,description,stargazersCount  # JSON output
2--web                                         # Open in browser

Finding Code Examples

When you see: User wants to know how to use a library Use: gh search code

bash
1# Find usage patterns
2gh search code "from zod import" --limit=20
3gh search code "import { z } from 'zod'" --limit=20
4
5# In specific file types
6gh search code "useQuery" extension:tsx --limit=30
7
8# In specific paths
9gh search code "tanstack/query" path:src/ extension:ts
10
11# Exact phrase
12gh search code '"createTRPCRouter"' extension:ts

Pro tip: Combine with repo filter for focused results:

bash
1gh search code "pattern" repo:owner/repo

Finding Issues/Discussions

When you see: User looking for bug reports, feature requests, or discussions Use: gh search issues or gh search prs

bash
1# Open issues with label
2gh search issues "is:open label:bug repo:facebook/react"
3
4# PRs by author
5gh search prs "author:username is:merged"
6
7# Issues mentioning error
8gh search issues '"connection refused" language:go'

Query Qualifiers Reference

Repo Search

Code Search

Common Flags

Common Use Cases

"Find popular X repos"

bash
1gh search repos "language:X stars:>500" --sort=stars --limit=50

"How do people use library Y"

bash
1gh search code "import Y" extension:ts --limit=30
2gh search code "from Y import" extension:py --limit=30

"Find repos like Z but exclude crypto"

bash
1gh search repos "topic:Z -topic:cryptocurrency -topic:blockchain -topic:web3"

"Find recent active projects"

bash
1gh search repos "language:go pushed:>2024-06-01 stars:>100" --sort=updated

Tips

1. Quote the query when it contains special chars: gh search repos "stars:>500"
2. Multiple languages = OR: language:rust language:go matches either
3. Use --json for scripting: --json name,url,stargazersCount
4. Date ranges: pushed:2024-01-01..2024-06-01
5. Numeric ranges: stars:100..500
6. Use gh api for complex queries: When gh search repos gives unexpected results, use gh api search/repositories?q=... for exact web parity