content/code-security/codeql-cli/codeql-cli-manual/generate-query-help.md

---
title: generate query-help
versions: # DO NOT MANUALLY EDIT. CHANGES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN BY A 🤖
  fpt: '*'
  ghec: '*'
  ghes: '*'
topics:
  - Code Security
  - Code scanning
  - CodeQL
type: reference
product: '{% data reusables.gated-features.codeql %}'
autogenerated: codeql-cli
intro: Generate end-user query help from .qhelp files.
redirect_from:
  - /code-security/codeql-cli/manual/generate-query-help
---

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<!-- markdownlint-disable GHD030 -->

<!-- Content after this section is automatically generated -->

{% data reusables.codeql-cli.man-pages-version-note %}

## Synopsis

```shell copy
codeql generate query-help --format=<format> [--output=<dir|file>] <options>... -- <qhelp|mdhelp|query|dir|suite>...
```

## Description

Generate end-user query help from .qhelp files.

## Options

### Primary Options

#### `<qhelp|mdhelp|query|dir|suite>...`

\[Mandatory] Query help files to render. Each argument is one of:

* A .qhelp file to render.
* A .md file to render.
* A .ql file with a corresponding .qhelp or .md file to render.
* A directory that will be searched recursively for .ql files with
  corresponding .qhelp or .md files.
* A .qls file that defines a particular set of queries.
* The basename of a "well-known" .qls file exported by one of the
  installed QL packs.

#### `--format=<format>`

\[Mandatory] The format in which to render the documentation. One of:

`markdown`: GitHub flavored markdown.

`sarif-latest`: Static Analysis Results Interchange Format (SARIF), a
JSON-based format for describing static analysis results. This format
option uses the most recent supported version (v2.1.0). This option is
not suitable for use in automation as it will produce different versions
of SARIF between different CodeQL versions.

`sarifv2.1.0`: SARIF v2.1.0.

#### `-o, --output=<dir|file>`

A path to write the rendered documentation to. Usually this is a
directory into which the rendered output will be written.

If only a single .qhelp or .ql file is provided, and no directory exists
at the output path, the output will be written to a single file at that
path.

If no output path is provided, only a single .qhelp or .ql file will be
accepted, and the output will be written to stdout.

If an output directory is used, filenames _within_ the output directory
will be derived from the .qhelp file names.

#### `--warnings=<mode>`

How to handle warnings from the query help renderer. One of:

`hide`: Suppress warnings.

`show` _(default)_: Print warnings but continue with rendering.

`error`: Treat warnings as errors.

#### `--no-sarif-minify`

\[SARIF formats only] Produce pretty-printed SARIF output. By default,
SARIF output is minified to reduce the size of the output file.

### Options for finding QL packs (which may be necessary to resolve query suites)

#### `--search-path=<dir>[:<dir>...]`

A list of directories under which QL packs may be found. Each directory
can either be a QL pack (or bundle of packs containing a
`.codeqlmanifest.json` file at the root) or the immediate parent of one
or more such directories.

If the path contains more than one directory, their order defines
precedence between them: when a pack name that must be resolved is
matched in more than one of the directory trees, the one given first
wins.

Pointing this at a checkout of the open-source CodeQL repository ought
to work when querying one of the languages that live there.

If you have checked out the CodeQL repository as a sibling of the
unpacked CodeQL toolchain, you don't need to give this option; such
sibling directories will always be searched for QL packs that cannot be
found otherwise. (If this default does not work, it is strongly
recommended to set up `--search-path` once and for all in a per-user
configuration file).

(Note: On Windows the path separator is `;`).

#### `--additional-packs=<dir>[:<dir>...]`

If this list of directories is given, they will be searched for packs
before the ones in `--search-path`. The order between these doesn't
matter; it is an error if a pack name is found in two different places
through this list.

This is useful if you're temporarily developing a new version of a pack
that also appears in the default path. On the other hand, it is _not
recommended_ to override this option in a config file; some internal
actions will add this option on the fly, overriding any configured
value.

(Note: On Windows the path separator is `;`).

### Options for configuring the CodeQL package manager

#### `--registries-auth-stdin`

Authenticate to GitHub Enterprise Server Container registries by passing
a comma-separated list of \<registry\_url>=\<token> pairs.

For example, you can pass
`https://containers.GHEHOSTNAME1/v2/=TOKEN1,https://containers.GHEHOSTNAME2/v2/=TOKEN2`
to authenticate to two GitHub Enterprise Server instances.

This overrides the CODEQL\_REGISTRIES\_AUTH and GITHUB\_TOKEN environment
variables. If you only need to authenticate to the github.com Container
registry, you can instead authenticate using the simpler
`--github-auth-stdin` option.

#### `--github-auth-stdin`

Authenticate to the github.com Container registry by passing a
github.com GitHub Apps token or personal access token via standard
input.

To authenticate to GitHub Enterprise Server Container registries, pass
`--registries-auth-stdin` or use the CODEQL\_REGISTRIES\_AUTH environment
variable.

This overrides the GITHUB\_TOKEN environment variable.

### Common options

#### `-h, --help`

Show this help text.

#### `-J=<opt>`

\[Advanced] Give option to the JVM running the command.

(Beware that options containing spaces will not be handled correctly.)

#### `-v, --verbose`

Incrementally increase the number of progress messages printed.

#### `-q, --quiet`

Incrementally decrease the number of progress messages printed.

#### `--verbosity=<level>`

\[Advanced] Explicitly set the verbosity level to one of errors,
warnings, progress, progress+, progress++, progress+++. Overrides `-v`
and `-q`.

#### `--logdir=<dir>`

\[Advanced] Write detailed logs to one or more files in the given
directory, with generated names that include timestamps and the name of
the running subcommand.

(To write a log file with a name you have full control over, instead
give `--log-to-stderr` and redirect stderr as desired.)

#### `--common-caches=<dir>`

\[Advanced] Controls the location of cached data on disk that will
persist between several runs of the CLI, such as downloaded QL packs and
compiled query plans. If not set explicitly, this defaults to a
directory named `.codeql` in the user's home directory; it will be
created if it doesn't already exist.

Available since `v2.15.2`.