Mearman Search npm Registry
Search the npm registry for packages by keyword, name, or description.
Usage
npx tsx scripts/search.ts <query> [options]
Arguments
| Argument | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
query |
Yes | Search query (can be package name, keyword, or description text) |
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--size=N |
Number of results to return (default: 20, max: 250) |
--from=N |
Offset for pagination (default: 0) |
--no-cache |
Bypass cache and fetch fresh data from API |
Output
Found 1,234 packages for "http"
1. express (4.18.2)
Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework
Score: 0.98 (quality: 0.95, popularity: 1.0, maintenance: 0.99)
https://www.npmjs.com/package/express
2. axios (1.6.0)
Promise based HTTP client for the browser and node.js
Score: 0.97 (quality: 0.94, popularity: 1.0, maintenance: 0.98)
https://www.npmjs.com/package/axios
Script Execution (Preferred)
npx tsx scripts/search.ts <query> [options]
Options:
--size=N- Number of results to return (default: 20, max: 250)--from=N- Offset for pagination (default: 0)--no-cache- Bypass cache and fetch fresh data from API
Run from the npm-registry plugin directory: ~/.claude/plugins/cache/npm-registry/
Search API
GET https://registry.npmjs.org/-/v1/search
Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
text |
Yes | string | Search query (can be package name, keyword, or description text) |
size |
No | number | Number of results to return (default: 20, max: 250) |
from |
No | number | Offset for pagination (default: 0) |
Examples
Search for HTTP-related packages:
https://registry.npmjs.org/-/v1/search?text=http&size=10
Search with pagination:
https://registry.npmjs.org/-/v1/search?text=react&size=20&from=20
Response Format
Each result contains:
package.name- Package namepackage.version- Latest versionpackage.description- Package descriptionpackage.keywords- Array of keywords (if available)package.author- Author informationpackage.links- URLs to npm, homepage, repository, bugsscore.final- Overall score (0-1)score.detail.quality- Quality score (0-1)score.detail.popularity- Popularity score (0-1)score.detail.maintenance- Maintenance score (0-1)searchScore- Relevance to search query
Search Tips
- Keyword search: Use common keywords like "http", "database", "testing"
- Specific packages: Type the package name directly
- Combine terms: Use multiple words for more specific results
- Author search: Search by author name to find their packages
Caching
Search results are cached for 1 hour. The npm registry search index is updated frequently but package metadata changes less often.
Use the --no-cache flag to bypass the cache and fetch fresh results.
Related
- Use
npm-infoto get detailed package metadata - Use
npm-existsto quickly check if a package name is available - Use
npm-downloadsto view download statistics
Error Handling
If the search returns no results, try:
- Using more general search terms
- Checking for typos in the query
- Exploring alternative keywords
Rate limiting: The npm registry may rate limit excessive requests. If you encounter rate limiting, wait a few minutes before trying again.