Drupaltools Contrib Search

Drupal Contrib Code Search (tresbien.tech)

Search Drupal source code using the tresbien.tech code search engine. This service indexes Drupal core and popular contributed modules, providing fast regex-based code search without authentication.

Base URLs

• Web UI: https://search.tresbien.tech
• API: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search

Base search URL

https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=<QUERY>&num=10&context=3

Parameters:

• q (required) — Search query (regex, see syntax below)
• num (optional) — Maximum number of file results to return
• context (optional) — Number of context lines before/after each match
• maxmatches (optional) — Stop after this many total matches
• chunks (optional, default: true) — Set false for LineMatches format

Input validation

Before building the search URL:

1. Empty term — refuse and ask for a search term.
2. URL-encode the query — spaces become +, regex special chars like (, ), ., $ must be escaped with \ when used literally.
3. Response validation — if the API returns "FilesSkipped": true for all shards or an empty result set, report: "No results found. Try a broader or different term."

Search syntax

Queries are regex by default. The syntax differs from GitLab code search:

Text Search

Field Filters

Regex

Queries are regex by default. Special characters (., (, ), {, etc.) must be escaped with \.

Examples:

• hook_\w+_alter — matches hook_form_alter, hook_node_alter, etc.
• function\s+mymodule_ — matches function declarations in mymodule
• once\( — literal search for once( (parenthesis escaped)
• \$form_state — literal $form_state (dollar sign escaped)

Important: Always Batch Queries

Never loop over individual repos. Always query multiple repositories in a single call using r:^(repo1|repo2|repo3)$ regex alternation:

/v1/search?q=hook_help+r:^(webform|token|pathauto)$&num=10

Bad — 3 separate requests:

• /v1/search?q=hook_help+r:webform
• /v1/search?q=hook_help+r:token
• /v1/search?q=hook_help+r:pathauto

Good — 1 batched request:

• /v1/search?q=hook_help+r:^(webform|token|pathauto)$

Common search patterns with example URLs

Find all uses of a hook

hook_form_alter

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=hook_form_alter&num=10&context=3

Find implementations of a specific interface (PHP only)

implements\s+TokenInterface lang:php

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=implements%5Cs%2BTokenInterface%20lang:php&num=10&context=3

Find a service definition in YAML

"my_module.service" lang:yaml

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=%22my_module.service%22%20lang:yaml&num=10&context=3

Find Block plugins in specific repos

class.*Block lang:php r:^(webform|block_field)$

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=class.*Block%20lang:php%20r:%5E(webform%7Cblock_field)%24&num=10&context=3

Find routing files that reference a specific controller

_controller f:\.routing\.yml$

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=_controller%20f:%5C.routing%5C.yml%24&num=10&context=3

Find modules using a specific Composer package

symfony/http-foundation f:composer\.json$

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=symfony/http-foundation%20f:composer%5C.json%24&num=10&context=3

Search symbol definitions

sym:WebformSubmissionInterface

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=sym:WebformSubmissionInterface&num=10

OR search: two alternative hooks

hook_install OR hook_uninstall

URL: https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search?q=hook_install%20OR%20hook_uninstall&num=10&context=3

Listing indexed repositories

https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search/repo

For specific repos:

https://api.tresbien.tech/v1/search/repo?q=r:^(webform|token|pathauto)$

Each repo entry includes:

• Repository.Name — repo name
• Repository.URL — source URL (e.g., git.drupalcode.org)
• Repository.RawConfig.drupal-core — Drupal core compatibility
• Repository.RawConfig.drupal-usage — install count
• Repository.Branches — indexed branches

Response Structure

ChunkMatches (default)

{
  "Result": {
    "Files": [
      {
        "Repository": "webform",
        "FileName": "webform.module",
        "Branches": ["10.5.x", "10.6.x"],
        "ChunkMatches": [
          {
            "Content": "<base64-encoded chunk content>",
            "ContentStart": {
              "ByteOffset": 1223,
              "LineNumber": 35,
              "Column": 1
            },
            "Ranges": [
              {
                "Start": { "ByteOffset": 1237, "LineNumber": 35, "Column": 15 },
                "End": { "ByteOffset": 1246, "LineNumber": 35, "Column": 24 }
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "MatchCount": 150,
    "FileCount": 12
  }
}

Content is base64-encoded. Decode it to get the actual source code snippet.

LineMatches (chunks=false)

Legacy format with one entry per matched line. Line values are also base64-encoded.

Presenting results

For each result, construct a human-readable link:

https://git.drupalcode.org/project/<REPO_NAME>/-/blob/<BRANCH>/<FILENAME>#L<LINE_NUMBER>

Use the Repository.Branches field from the response to pick a stable branch. The web UI at https://search.tresbien.tech can also be linked directly for interactive browsing.

Always show the user:

1. The repository name and file path.
2. The line number and branch.
3. The decoded code snippet.
4. A direct link to the file on git.drupalcode.org or search.tresbien.tech.

Performance notes

• This API is typically faster than the GitLab API since it searches a pre-built index.
• No authentication token is required.
• Results may not include very small or newly created contrib modules.
• For the most up-to-date results, fall back to drupaltools-code-search (GitLab API).

CLI Tool

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

Usage

# Basic search
./csearch.py "hook_form_alter"

# Limit results
./csearch.py "EntityTypeManager" --limit 5

# Filter by language
./csearch.py "implements TokenInterface" --lang php

# Include context lines
./csearch.py "hook_help" --context 5

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

# Use LineMatches format (faster for simple line searches)
./csearch.py "use Drupal" --no-chunks

Requirements

pip install requests

The CLI tool requires no authentication and automatically:

• Decodes base64 content
• Formats output with colors
• Shows code snippets with line numbers
• Constructs clickable git.drupalcode.org links