AI Config Search Guide

A curated collection of search queries to discover AI coding assistant configurations in public repositories.

Why This Matters

GitHub's code search reveals real-world AI tool configurations that traditional searches miss. While official documentation shows you the format, queries like path:.claude/skills uncover how experienced developers actually configure their tools—patterns and techniques refined in production codebases.

Basics
- Adding Keywords for Domain-Specific Search
- Searching by Filename Pattern
AI Coding Tools
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- Windsurf
- GitHub Copilot
- Codex CLI
- Cline
- Roo Code
- OpenCode
- Aider
- Continue.dev
- Cody (Sourcegraph)
- Amazon Q Developer
Advanced Tricks
Building Queries Step-by-Step
Known Limitations
Contributing
Related Resources

Basics

GitHub's code search supports powerful operators. Here are the essentials:

Operator	Example	Description
`path:`	`path:.claude/skills`	Search in specific path
`path:**/`	`path:**/CLAUDE.md`	Search by filename (any directory)
`repo:`	`repo:owner/name`	Search in specific repository
`org:`	`org:anthropic`	Search in organization's repos
`user:`	`user:username`	Search in user's repos
`language:`	`language:python`	Filter by programming language
`symbol:`	`symbol:functionName`	Search function/class definitions
`content:`	`content:keyword`	Search only in file contents (not paths)
`OR`	`path:.cursor OR path:.claude`	Match either condition
`NOT`	`config NOT path:test`	Exclude matches

For the complete syntax, see GitHub Code Search documentation.

Adding Keywords for Domain-Specific Search

The real power comes from combining path queries with keywords. Add any keyword before the path query to find configurations for specific domains, frameworks, or use cases:

Use Case	Query	What You'll Find
Reddit skills	`reddit path:.claude/skills`	Claude skills for Reddit automation	Try
SwiftUI rules	`swiftui path:**/.cursorrules`	Cursor rules for SwiftUI projects	Try
React configs	`react path:**/.windsurfrules`	Windsurf rules for React	Try
Python conventions	`python path:**/CONVENTIONS.md`	Aider conventions for Python	Try
TypeScript agents	`typescript path:**/AGENTS.md`	Agent instructions for TypeScript	Try
Next.js prompts	`nextjs path:.github/prompts`	Copilot prompts for Next.js	Try

You can use any keyword: framework names (Next.js, Laravel, Rails), languages (Rust, Go, Python), platforms (AWS, Vercel), or domains (e-commerce, auth, API).

Searching by Filename Pattern

The keyword search above looks inside file contents. To search only by filename, use wildcards in the path.

Understanding the pattern:

path:**/.claude/**/*reddit*
      │    │     │    │
      │    │     │    └── *reddit* = filename contains "reddit"
      │    │     └─────── ** = any subdirectory (recursive)
      │    └───────────── .claude = target directory
      └────────────────── ** = in any repository location

Wildcards:

** matches any number of directories (recursive search)
* matches any characters within a filename (but not /)
? matches exactly one character (e.g., path:*.a?c matches file.abc, file.aac)

Path anchoring:

path:src/*.js matches src/app.js and app/src/main.js (unanchored)
path:/src/*.js matches only src/app.js at repository root (anchored with leading /)

Literal matching:

path:"file?" searches for literal file? (glob patterns disabled in quotes)

Nested directory patterns:

The trailing pattern matters for nested searches:

Pattern	Behavior
`path:.claude`	Substring match - any path containing ".claude"
`path:.claude/`	Paths within .claude directory
`path:.claude/skills`	All files in directory AND subdirectories
`path:.claude/skills/*/`	Only files in subdirectories (direct children excluded)

Key insight: path:dir is more comprehensive than path:dir/**/* because the latter only matches files in subdirectories, missing direct children of the directory.

Recommended approach: Use the simpler pattern for comprehensive results:

path:.claude/skills

Use **/* only when you specifically want subdirectory files:

path:.claude/skills/**/*

Build your own query:

path:**/[directory]/**/*[keyword]*

Replace [directory] with the config folder (.claude, .cursor, .roo, etc.) and [keyword] with what you're looking for.

Examples:

Use Case	Query	What You'll Find
Reddit-related files in .claude	`path:/.claude//reddit`	Files with "reddit" in filename	Try
React rules in .cursor	`path:/.cursor//react`	Files with "react" in filename	Try
API-related skills	`path:/.claude/skills//api`	Skill files with "api" in filename	Try

Key difference from keyword search:

reddit path:.claude/skills - finds "reddit" in file contents
path:**/.claude/skills/**/*reddit* - finds "reddit" in filename only

AI Coding Tools

Claude Code

Skills

Config	Query	Description
`.claude/skills/`	`path:.claude/skills`	Skills directory	Try
`SKILL.md`	`path:**/SKILL.md`	Skill definition files	Try

Settings

Config	Query	Description
`.claude/settings.json`	`path:.claude/settings.json`	Project settings	Try
`.claude/settings.local.json`	`path:.claude/settings.local.json`	Local overrides	Try

Context and Memory

Config	Query	Description
`CLAUDE.md`	`path:**/CLAUDE.md`	Project context file	Try
`CLAUDE.local.md`	`path:**/CLAUDE.local.md`	Personal context	Try
`.claude/rules/`	`path:.claude/rules`	Modular rules	Try

Hooks and Automation

Config	Query	Description
`.claude/hooks/`	`path:.claude/hooks`	Lifecycle hooks	Try

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Config	Query	Description
`.mcp.json`	`path:**/.mcp.json`	MCP server config	Try

Agents

Config	Query	Description
`.claude/agents/`	`path:.claude/agents`	Custom subagents	Try

Legacy

Config	Query	Description
`.claude/commands/`	`path:.claude/commands`	Legacy commands	Try
`.claude.json`	`path:**/.claude.json`	Legacy user config	Try

Cursor

Rules

Config	Query	Description
`.cursorrules`	`path:**/.cursorrules`	Legacy rules file	Try
`.cursor/rules/`	`path:.cursor/rules`	Modern rules directory	Try

Hooks and MCP

Config	Query	Description
`.cursor/hooks.json`	`path:.cursor/hooks.json`	Hook automation	Try
`.cursor/mcp.json`	`path:.cursor/mcp.json`	MCP configuration	Try

Ignore Files

Config	Query	Description
`.cursorignore`	`path:**/.cursorignore`	Block AI access	Try
`.cursorindexingignore`	`path:**/.cursorindexingignore`	Exclude from indexing	Try

Agent Instructions

Config	Query	Description
`AGENTS.md`	`path:**/AGENTS.md`	Agent workflow instructions	Try

Windsurf

Rules

Config	Query	Description
`.windsurfrules`	`path:**/.windsurfrules`	Project rules	Try
`global_rules.md`	`path:**/global_rules.md`	Global Cascade rules	Try
`.windsurf/rules/`	`path:.windsurf/rules`	Rules directory	Try

Workflows and Memories

Config	Query	Description
`.windsurf/workflows/`	`path:.windsurf/workflows`	Automation workflows	Try
`.windsurf/memories/`	`path:.windsurf/memories`	Persistent context	Try

MCP

Config	Query	Description
`mcp_config.json`	`path:**/mcp_config.json`	MCP configuration	Try

Ignore

Config	Query	Description
`.codeiumignore`	`path:**/.codeiumignore`	File exclusions	Try

GitHub Copilot

Repository Instructions

Config	Query	Description
`copilot-instructions.md`	`path:**/copilot-instructions.md`	Repository instructions	Try
`.github/instructions/`	`path:.github/instructions`	File-type instructions	Try

Prompts and Agents

Config	Query	Description
`.github/prompts/`	`path:.github/prompts`	Prompt files	Try
`AGENTS.md`	`path:**/AGENTS.md`	Agent configuration	Try

Codex CLI

Configuration

Config	Query	Description
`config.toml` (codex)	`path:.codex/config.toml`	Main configuration	Try
`.codexrc`	`path:**/.codexrc`	Quick overrides	Try

Agent Instructions

Config	Query	Description
`AGENTS.md`	`path:**/AGENTS.md`	Agent guidance	Try
`AGENTS.override.md`	`path:**/AGENTS.override.md`	Override instructions	Try

Skills

Config	Query	Description
`.codex/skills/`	`path:.codex/skills`	Skills directory	Try

Cline

Rules

Config	Query	Description
`.clinerules`	`path:**/.clinerules`	Project rules file	Try
`.clinerules/`	`path:*/.clinerules/.md`	Rules directory	Try

Memory Bank

Config	Query	Description
`memory-bank/`	`path:*/memory-bank/.md`	Memory bank files	Try
`cline_docs/`	`path:*/cline_docs/.md`	Legacy memory folder	Try

Ignore and MCP

Config	Query	Description
`.clineignore`	`path:**/.clineignore`	File exclusions	Try
`cline_mcp_settings.json`	`path:**/cline_mcp_settings.json`	MCP configuration	Try

Roo Code

Modes and Rules

Config	Query	Description
`.roomodes`	`path:**/.roomodes`	Custom mode definitions	Try
`.roo/rules/`	`path:**/.roo/rules`	Rules directory	Try
`.roorules`	`path:**/.roorules`	Legacy rules file	Try

Memory and MCP

Config	Query	Description
`memory-bank/`	`path:**/memory-bank/productContext.md`	Memory bank context	Try
`.roo/mcp.json`	`path:**/.roo/mcp.json`	MCP configuration	Try

Ignore

Config	Query	Description
`.rooignore`	`path:**/.rooignore`	File exclusions	Try

OpenCode

Configuration

Config	Query	Description
`opencode.json`	`path:**/opencode.json`	Main configuration	Try
`opencode.jsonc`	`path:**/opencode.jsonc`	JSON with comments config	Try
`.opencode.json`	`path:**/.opencode.json`	Alternative config	Try

Agents and Modes

Config	Query	Description
`.opencode/agent/`	`path:**/.opencode/agent`	Agent definitions	Try
`.opencode/mode/`	`path:**/.opencode/mode`	Mode configurations	Try
`.opencode/command/`	`path:**/.opencode/command`	Custom commands	Try

Plugins

Config	Query	Description
`.opencode/plugin/`	`path:**/.opencode/plugin`	Plugin files	Try

Aider

Configuration

Config	Query	Description
`.aider.conf.yml`	`path:**/.aider.conf.yml`	Main configuration	Try
`.aiderignore`	`path:**/.aiderignore`	Exclusion patterns	Try

Conventions

Config	Query	Description
`CONVENTIONS.md`	`path:**/CONVENTIONS.md`	Coding standards	Try

History

Config	Query	Description
`.aider.chat.history.md`	`path:**/.aider.chat.history.md`	Chat history	Try
`.aider.input.history`	`path:**/.aider.input.history`	Input history	Try

Advanced

Config	Query	Description
`.aider.model.settings.yml`	`path:**/.aider.model.settings.yml`	Model settings	Try

Continue.dev

Configuration

Config	Query	Description
`config.yaml` (continue)	`path:.continue/config.yaml`	Primary config	Try
`config.json` (continue)	`path:.continue/config.json`	Legacy config	Try
`.continuerc.json`	`path:**/.continuerc.json`	Workspace override	Try

Rules

Config	Query	Description
`.continuerules`	`path:**/.continuerules`	Rules file	Try
`.continue/rules/`	`path:.continue/rules`	Rules directory	Try

Agents and MCP

Config	Query	Description
`.continue/agents/`	`path:.continue/agents`	Agent configs	Try
`.continue/mcpServers/`	`path:.continue/mcpServers`	MCP configs	Try

Cody (Sourcegraph)

Configuration

Config	Query	Description
`cody.json` (vscode)	`path:.vscode/cody.json`	Custom commands	Try
`.codyignore`	`path:**/.codyignore`	File exclusions	Try
`.cody/ignore`	`path:.cody/ignore`	Alt ignore location	Try

Amazon Q Developer

Project Rules

Config	Query	Description
`.amazonq/rules/`	`path:.amazonq/rules`	Project rules	Try

Agents and MCP

Config	Query	Description
`.amazonq/agents/`	`path:.amazonq/agents`	Agent configs	Try
`.amazonq/mcp.json`	`path:.amazonq/mcp.json`	MCP config	Try

Advanced Tricks

Multi-Tool Search

Find any AI tool configuration in one query:

path:.claude OR path:.cursor OR path:.windsurf OR path:.continue

Excluding Noise

Find real configurations, not test fixtures:

path:**/.cursorrules NOT path:test NOT path:fixture NOT path:example

Regex Patterns

Search for version patterns in config files:

/version.*[0-9]+\.[0-9]+/ path:**/*.json

Claude Code regex examples:

Pattern	Query	Finds
Markdown headings	`/^## [A-Z]./ path:*/CLAUDE.md`	Section headers in CLAUDE.md	Try
Directives	`/IMPORTANT:\|NOTE:\|NEVER:/ path:**/CLAUDE.md`	Important instructions	Try
YAML frontmatter	`/^---\n.*name:/ path:.claude/skills`	Skill definitions with metadata	Try
Tool permissions	`/"allowedTools"\s:\s\[/ path:.claude/settings`	Settings with tool restrictions	Try
MCP servers	`/"mcpServers"\s:\s\{/ path:**/.mcp.json`	MCP server configurations	Try
Hook events	`/"hooks"\s:\s\{\s*"[a-zA-Z]+"/ path:.claude`	Hook event definitions	Try
Agent definitions	`/^---\n.*description:/ path:.claude/agents`	Custom agents with YAML frontmatter	Try

Combining Keywords with Boolean

Find TypeScript OR JavaScript related rules:

(typescript OR javascript) path:**/.cursorrules

Organization-Wide Search

Find all Claude configs in a specific organization:

path:.claude org:your-org-name

Filtering by Repository Properties

Exclude forks and archived repositories for cleaner results:

path:**/.cursorrules NOT is:fork NOT is:archived

Available is: filters: archived, fork, vendored, generated

Case-Sensitive Search

Use regex with case-sensitivity flag disabled:

/(?-i)MyComponent/ path:.cursor/rules

Exact Filename Match

Match only the exact filename (not partial path matches):

path:/(^|\/)CLAUDE\.md$/

Symbol Search

Find function or class definitions:

symbol:handleRequest language:typescript path:.claude

Language-Filtered Config Search

Find Python-specific configurations:

language:markdown python path:.cursor/rules

Building Queries Step-by-Step

Start broad, then narrow down. Here's how to explore Claude Code configurations:

Step 1: Start with the tool's directory
        path:.claude
        > See all Claude Code configs (settings, rules, skills, hooks...)

Step 2: Narrow to a specific config type
        path:.claude/skills
        > Only skill files

Step 3: Add a keyword to find specific skills
        api path:.claude/skills
        > Skills related to API development

Step 4: Use OR for related terms
        (api OR rest OR graphql) path:.claude/skills
        > Catches different API styles

Another example: Exploring Cursor configurations

Step 1: path:.cursor                                   > All Cursor configs
Step 2: path:.cursor/rules                             > Only rules
Step 3: typescript path:.cursor/rules                  > TypeScript-related rules
Step 4: (typescript OR javascript) path:.cursor/rules  > Both TS and JS

Filter cheatsheet:

Filter	Purpose	Example
`path:`	Search in path	`path:.claude/skills`
`path:**/`	Any directory	`path:**/CLAUDE.md`
`language:`	Filter by language	`language:python`
`symbol:`	Function/class definitions	`symbol:MyClass`
`content:`	Only file contents	`content:api`
`is:`	Repository properties	`NOT is:fork`
`OR`	Match alternatives	`(react OR vue)`
`NOT`	Exclude	`NOT path:node_modules`

Note: Filters like stars:, pushed:, and fork: only work in repository search, not code search.

Known Limitations

Search Scope

Only the default branch is indexed (not other branches or tags)
Private repositories are not visible unless you have access
Deleted or old configs in commit history cannot be searched
You must be logged in to search code in public repositories

Query Limits

Query length: max 1000 characters
Boolean operators: max 5 AND, OR, or NOT per query
Results: 20 per page, max 5 pages (100 results viewable even if thousands match)
Code search doesn't support stars:, pushed:, fork: filters (these only work in repository search)

Tip: If your search returns too many results, narrow it down with additional keywords, path filters, or regex patterns to find what you need within the 100-result limit.

File Indexing Limits

Files over 350 KB are excluded
Empty files are not indexed
Binary files (PDF, images, etc.) are excluded
Only UTF-8 encoded files are indexed
Lines over 1024 characters are truncated

Other Notes

The filename: qualifier is deprecated; use path:**/filename instead
Identical files across repos may be collapsed (click "Show identical files" to expand)
Very large repositories may not be fully indexed
Regex look-around assertions ((?=...), (?!...)) are not supported

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Related Resources

GitHub Code Search Syntax - Official documentation
Claude Code Configuration - Official .claude folder documentation
AGENTS.md Standard - Open standard for AI agent instructions
Sourcegraph - Advanced code search with fewer limits
grep.app - Fast regex search across GitHub

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 4 Commits
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

AI Config Search Guide

Why This Matters

Contents

Basics

Adding Keywords for Domain-Specific Search

Searching by Filename Pattern

AI Coding Tools

Claude Code

Skills

Settings

Context and Memory

Hooks and Automation

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Agents

Legacy

Cursor

Rules

Hooks and MCP

Ignore Files

Agent Instructions

Windsurf

Rules

Workflows and Memories

MCP

Ignore

GitHub Copilot

Repository Instructions

Prompts and Agents

Codex CLI

Configuration

Agent Instructions

Skills

Cline

Rules

Memory Bank

Ignore and MCP

Roo Code

Modes and Rules

Memory and MCP

Ignore

OpenCode

Configuration

Agents and Modes

Plugins

Aider

Configuration

Conventions

History

Advanced

Continue.dev

Configuration

Rules

Agents and MCP

Cody (Sourcegraph)

Configuration

Amazon Q Developer

Project Rules

Agents and MCP

Advanced Tricks

Multi-Tool Search

Excluding Noise

Regex Patterns

Combining Keywords with Boolean

Organization-Wide Search

Filtering by Repository Properties

Case-Sensitive Search

Exact Filename Match

Symbol Search

Language-Filtered Config Search

Building Queries Step-by-Step

Known Limitations

Search Scope

Query Limits

File Indexing Limits

Other Notes

Contributing