{"meta":{"title":"generate query-help","intro":"Generate end-user query help from .qhelp files.","product":"Security and code quality","breadcrumbs":[{"href":"/en/code-security","title":"Security and code quality"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference","title":"Reference"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning","title":"Code scanning"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning/codeql","title":"CodeQL"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning/codeql/codeql-cli-manual","title":"CodeQL CLI manual"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning/codeql/codeql-cli-manual/generate-query-help","title":"generate query-help"}],"documentType":"article"},"body":"# generate query-help\n\nGenerate end-user query help from .qhelp files.\n\n> [!NOTE]\n> This content describes the most recent release of the CodeQL CLI. For more information about this release, see https://github.com/github/codeql-cli-binaries/releases.\n>\n> To see details of the options available for this command in an earlier release, run the command with the <span style=\"white-space: nowrap;\">`--help`</span> option in your terminal.\n\n## Synopsis\n\n```shell copy\ncodeql generate query-help --format=<format> [--output=<dir|file>] <options>... -- <qhelp|mdhelp|query|dir|suite>...\n```\n\n## Description\n\nGenerate end-user query help from .qhelp files.\n\n## Options\n\n### Primary Options\n\n#### `<qhelp|mdhelp|query|dir|suite>...`\n\n\\[Mandatory] Query help files to render. Each argument is one of:\n\n* A .qhelp file to render.\n* A .md file to render.\n* A .ql file with a corresponding .qhelp or .md file to render.\n* A directory that will be searched recursively for .ql files with\n  corresponding .qhelp or .md files.\n* A .qls file that defines a particular set of queries.\n* The basename of a \"well-known\" .qls file exported by one of the\n  installed QL packs.\n\n#### `--format=<format>`\n\n\\[Mandatory] The format in which to render the documentation. One of:\n\n`markdown`: GitHub flavored markdown.\n\n`sarif-latest`: Static Analysis Results Interchange Format (SARIF), a\nJSON-based format for describing static analysis results. This format\noption uses the most recent supported version (v2.1.0). This option is\nnot suitable for use in automation as it will produce different versions\nof SARIF between different CodeQL versions.\n\n`sarifv2.1.0`: SARIF v2.1.0.\n\n#### `-o, --output=<dir|file>`\n\nA path to write the rendered documentation to. Usually this is a\ndirectory into which the rendered output will be written.\n\nIf only a single .qhelp or .ql file is provided, and no directory exists\nat the output path, the output will be written to a single file at that\npath.\n\nIf no output path is provided, only a single .qhelp or .ql file will be\naccepted, and the output will be written to stdout.\n\nIf an output directory is used, filenames _within_ the output directory\nwill be derived from the .qhelp file names.\n\n#### `--warnings=<mode>`\n\nHow to handle warnings from the query help renderer. One of:\n\n`hide`: Suppress warnings.\n\n`show` _(default)_: Print warnings but continue with rendering.\n\n`error`: Treat warnings as errors.\n\n#### `--no-sarif-minify`\n\n\\[SARIF formats only] Produce pretty-printed SARIF output. By default,\nSARIF output is minified to reduce the size of the output file.\n\n### Options for finding QL packs (which may be necessary to resolve query suites)\n\n#### `--search-path=<dir>[:<dir>...]`\n\nA list of directories under which QL packs may be found. Each directory\ncan either be a QL pack (or bundle of packs containing a\n`.codeqlmanifest.json` file at the root) or the immediate parent of one\nor more such directories.\n\nIf the path contains more than one directory, their order defines\nprecedence between them: when a pack name that must be resolved is\nmatched in more than one of the directory trees, the one given first\nwins.\n\nPointing this at a checkout of the open-source CodeQL repository ought\nto work when querying one of the languages that live there.\n\nIf you have checked out the CodeQL repository as a sibling of the\nunpacked CodeQL toolchain, you don't need to give this option; such\nsibling directories will always be searched for QL packs that cannot be\nfound otherwise. (If this default does not work, it is strongly\nrecommended to set up `--search-path` once and for all in a per-user\nconfiguration file).\n\n(Note: On Windows the path separator is `;`).\n\n#### `--additional-packs=<dir>[:<dir>...]`\n\nIf this list of directories is given, they will be searched for packs\nbefore the ones in `--search-path`. The order between these doesn't\nmatter; it is an error if a pack name is found in two different places\nthrough this list.\n\nThis is useful if you're temporarily developing a new version of a pack\nthat also appears in the default path. On the other hand, it is _not\nrecommended_ to override this option in a config file; some internal\nactions will add this option on the fly, overriding any configured\nvalue.\n\n(Note: On Windows the path separator is `;`).\n\n### Options for configuring the CodeQL package manager\n\n#### `--registries-auth-stdin`\n\nAuthenticate to GitHub Enterprise Server Container registries by passing\na comma-separated list of \\<registry\\_url>=\\<token> pairs.\n\nFor example, you can pass\n`https://containers.GHEHOSTNAME1/v2/=TOKEN1,https://containers.GHEHOSTNAME2/v2/=TOKEN2`\nto authenticate to two GitHub Enterprise Server instances.\n\nThis overrides the CODEQL\\_REGISTRIES\\_AUTH and GITHUB\\_TOKEN environment\nvariables. If you only need to authenticate to the github.com Container\nregistry, you can instead authenticate using the simpler\n`--github-auth-stdin` option.\n\n#### `--github-auth-stdin`\n\nAuthenticate to the github.com Container registry by passing a\ngithub.com GitHub Apps token or personal access token via standard\ninput.\n\nTo authenticate to GitHub Enterprise Server Container registries, pass\n`--registries-auth-stdin` or use the CODEQL\\_REGISTRIES\\_AUTH environment\nvariable.\n\nThis overrides the GITHUB\\_TOKEN environment variable.\n\n### Common options\n\n#### `-h, --help`\n\nShow this help text.\n\n#### `-J=<opt>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Give option to the JVM running the command.\n\n(Beware that options containing spaces will not be handled correctly.)\n\n#### `-v, --verbose`\n\nIncrementally increase the number of progress messages printed.\n\n#### `-q, --quiet`\n\nIncrementally decrease the number of progress messages printed.\n\n#### `--verbosity=<level>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Explicitly set the verbosity level to one of errors,\nwarnings, progress, progress+, progress++, progress+++. Overrides `-v`\nand `-q`.\n\n#### `--logdir=<dir>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Write detailed logs to one or more files in the given\ndirectory, with generated names that include timestamps and the name of\nthe running subcommand.\n\n(To write a log file with a name you have full control over, instead\ngive `--log-to-stderr` and redirect stderr as desired.)\n\n#### `--common-caches=<dir>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Controls the location of cached data on disk that will\npersist between several runs of the CLI, such as downloaded QL packs and\ncompiled query plans. If not set explicitly, this defaults to a\ndirectory named `.codeql` in the user's home directory; it will be\ncreated if it doesn't already exist.\n\nAvailable since `v2.15.2`."}