gh-grep

name	gh-grep
description	Search real-world code examples across millions of GitHub repositories using grep.app. This skill should be used when looking for implementation patterns, API usage examples, library integration patterns, or production code references. Supports literal code search, regex patterns, and filtering by language/repo/path.

GitHub Grep

Search for real-world code examples across over a million public GitHub repositories via grep.app.

Base directory for this skill: ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep

When to Use

• Finding implementation patterns for unfamiliar APIs or libraries
• Looking for correct syntax, parameters, or configuration examples
• Discovering production-ready code examples and best practices
• Understanding how different libraries/frameworks work together

Quick Start

Run the Python script (stdlib only, no deps):

python3 ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep/scripts/grep.py --query "<code-pattern>" [options]

Core Options

Option	Description
--query	Literal code pattern (required)
--match-case	Case-sensitive search
--match-whole-words	Match whole words only
--use-regexp	Interpret query as regex
--repo	Filter by repository (e.g., facebook/react)
--path	Filter by file path (e.g., src/components/)
--language	Filter by language; repeat or comma-separate (e.g., TypeScript,TSX)

Global Options

• -t, --timeout <seconds>: Request timeout (default: 30)
• -o, --output <format>: Output format: text (default) | markdown | json | raw

Search Patterns

Important: this tool searches for literal code patterns, not keywords.

Good searches:

• useState( - Find React useState usage
• import React from - Find React import statements
• async function - Find async function declarations

Bad searches:

• react tutorial - Keywords, not code
• best practices - Concepts, not patterns
• how to use - Questions, not code

For detailed pattern examples and regex usage, see references/api_reference.md.

Common Examples

# Find authentication patterns
python3 ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep/scripts/grep.py \
  --query "getServerSession" --language "TypeScript,TSX"

# Find error boundary implementations
python3 ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep/scripts/grep.py \
  --query "ErrorBoundary" --language "TSX"

# Find useEffect cleanup with regex (multiline via (?s))
python3 ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep/scripts/grep.py \
  --query "(?s)useEffect\(\(\) => {.*removeEventListener" --use-regexp

# Find CORS handling in Flask
python3 ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep/scripts/grep.py \
  --query "CORS(" --match-case --language Python

# Search within a specific repository
python3 ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep/scripts/grep.py \
  --query "createContext" --repo facebook/react

# JSON output for programmatic use
python3 ~/.claude/skills/gh-grep/scripts/grep.py \
  --query "useState(" --language TypeScript -o json

Requirements

• Python 3.8+ (stdlib only — no external packages)
• Network access to https://mcp.grep.app/

Resources

• scripts/grep.py - Python CLI calling grep.app's MCP server
• references/api_reference.md - Detailed parameter documentation and regex patterns