Drupaltools Code Search

Drupal Contrib Code Search

Search all Drupal contributed modules on git.drupalcode.org using the GitLab Blobs API.

Notice that `<TERM>`` is the keywords we search for. This is the code selection I have provided.

Base search URL

https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=<TERM>&per_page=100&page=1

Always append these exclusions to avoid duplicates (modules bundled inside other projects):

-path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

Full base command:

curl -sS \
  --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: $DRUPALORG_GITLAB_TOKEN" \
  "https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=<TERM>%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1"

Input validation

Before building the search URL:

1. Empty term - refuse and ask for a search term.
2. Term is only Drupal core paths (e.g. core/lib/) - warn the user; these are excluded by default.
3. URL-encode the term - spaces → %20, " → %22, | → %7C, + → %2B, * stays *.
4. Response validation - if the API returns non-200 or an empty array [], report it clearly:
   • 401 → "Token invalid or expired."
   • 403 → "Token lacks read_api scope."
   • 404 → "Group not found - check group ID 2."
   • Empty array → "No results found. Try a broader or different term."

Search syntax

Syntax	Description	Example
"exact phrase"	Exact match	"hook_form_alter"
~	Fuzzy match	EntityTypeManger~
|	OR	hook_install | hook_update_N
+	AND (both terms required)	plugin +annotation
-	Exclude term	cache -backend
*	Wildcard / partial	EntityType*
\	Escape special char	\*md
filename:	Filter by filename pattern	filename:*.routing.yml
path:	Filter by repo path	path:src/Plugin/Block/
extension:	Filter by file extension (exact)	extension:php

Optimizations

• Prefer return URLs for a specific branch or git tag and not for a random UUID version. For example this URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/project/webform_views/-/blob/1ec1904a3035027cc056d46ad941db4d8b1e7a85/src/Plugin/views/field/WebformSubmissionNotesEditField.php#L7 should return the first default branch equivalent which is https://git.drupalcode.org/project/webform_views/-/blob/8.x-5.x/src/Plugin/views/field/WebformSubmissionNotesEditField.php?ref_type=heads#L7 in this case.

Common search patterns with example URLs

Find all uses of a hook

hook_form_alter -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=hook_form_alter%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

Find implementations of a specific interface (PHP only)

implements TokenInterface extension:php -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=implements%20TokenInterface%20extension:php%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

Find a service definition in YAML

"my_module.service" extension:yml -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=%22my_module.service%22%20extension:yml%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

Find Block plugins

path:src/Plugin/Block/ extension:php -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=path:src/Plugin/Block/%20extension:php%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

Find routing files that reference a specific controller

_controller filename:*.routing.yml -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=_controller%20filename:*.routing.yml%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

Find modules using a specific Composer package

symfony/http-foundation -filename:composer.lock -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=symfony/http-foundation%20-filename:composer.lock%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

Find schema definitions for a config key

"field.field." filename:*.schema.yml -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=%22field.field.%22%20filename:*.schema.yml%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

OR search: two alternative hooks

hook_install | hook_uninstall -path:web/* -path:core/* -path:docroot -path:modules/contrib/*

URL: https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/groups/2/search?scope=blobs&search=hook_install%20%7C%20hook_uninstall%20-path:web/*%20-path:core/*%20-path:docroot%20-path:modules/contrib/*&per_page=100&page=1

Pagination

The API returns up to 100 results per page. To fetch the next page, increment page=:

&per_page=100&page=2

If the result count equals per_page, there may be more pages.

Presenting results

Each result contains:

• project_id - GitLab project (module) ID
• ref - branch
• filename - file path in the repo
• startline - line number of the match
• data - snippet of matched content

Construct a human-readable link:

https://git.drupalcode.org/project/<MODULE_NAME>/-/blob/<REF>/<FILENAME>#L<STARTLINE>

To get <MODULE_NAME>, use:

curl -sS --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: $DRUPALORG_GITLAB_TOKEN" "https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/projects/<project_id>"

and read the path_with_namespace or name field.

Getting stable branch/tag URLs

The API returns commit hashes (ref) which create unstable URLs. To get the default branch:

curl -sS --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: $DRUPALORG_GITLAB_TOKEN" \
  "https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/projects/<project_id>/repository/branches" | jq -r '.[0].name // "main"'

For the latest release tag:

curl -sS --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: $DRUPALORG_GITLAB_TOKEN" \
  "https://git.drupalcode.org/api/v4/projects/<project_id>/repository/tags" | jq -r '[.[] | select(.name | test("^[0-9]"))][0].name'

Then construct stable URLs:

https://git.drupalcode.org/project/<MODULE_NAME>/-/blob/<BRANCH_OR_TAG>/<FILENAME>?ref_type=heads#L<STARTLINE>

Always show the user:

1. The direct full link to the file on git.drupalcode.org.
2. The matching snippet from data.
3. The module name (not just the project ID).

---

CLI Tool

A Python CLI tool dsearch.py is available for quick searches without invoking this skill.

Usage

# Basic search
./dsearch.py "WebformSubmissionInterface"

# Limit results
./dsearch.py "hook_form_alter" --limit 5

# Filter by file extension
./dsearch.py "EntityTypeManager" --extension php

# Output as JSON
./dsearch.py "WebformHandler" --json

# Show all results (up to 100)
./dsearch.py "FormElement" --all

# Use faster unstable URLs (commit hashes)
./dsearch.py "TokenInterface" --no-branch

The CLI tool reads DRUPALORG_GITLAB_TOKEN from .env and automatically:

• Fetches module names
• Gets default branches for stable URLs
• Formats output with colors
• Shows code snippets