---
title: "overlane search"
description: "Find the command for a task: say the task, get the command (local, no credentials, top 5)"
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.overlane.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# overlane search

{/* Generated by apps/docs/scripts/generate.mjs (CLI pages from the command registry in packages/cli). Do not edit; run `pnpm --filter @overlane/docs gen`. */}

Ranks every overlane command against a plain-language task and prints up to 5 matches with usage and an example. The index is local and deterministic: no network, no credentials. Follow with `overlane schema \<command\>` for exact parameters.

## Usage

```sh
overlane search task...
```

## Arguments

| Argument | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `task...` | yes | What you want to do, in your own words |

## Examples

```sh
overlane search "pause the run policy"
overlane search "hand a task to codex"
overlane search "roll back a release"
```

## Behavior

- Effect: `read` (changes nothing).
- Needs credentials: no. Uses the network: no.
- Supports `--dry-run`: no. Accepts `--force`: no.
- Machine-readable description: `overlane schema search`.

## Result

With `--json` (the default when stdout is not a terminal) the command prints this JSON Schema's shape on stdout.

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "query": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "matches": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "command": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "usage": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "summary": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "effect": {
            "type": "string",
            "enum": [
              "read",
              "write",
              "destructive"
            ]
          },
          "example": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "score": {
            "type": "number"
          }
        },
        "required": [
          "command",
          "usage",
          "summary",
          "effect",
          "example",
          "score"
        ],
        "additionalProperties": false
      }
    },
    "fallback": {
      "type": "string"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "query",
    "matches"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": false
}
```

See [exit codes](/cli/#exit-codes) for the status the process returns.

Source: https://docs.overlane.app/cli/search/index.mdx