{"meta":{"title":"query compile","intro":"Compile or check QL code.","product":"Security and code quality","breadcrumbs":[{"href":"/en/code-security","title":"Security and code quality"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference","title":"Reference"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning","title":"Code scanning"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning/codeql","title":"CodeQL"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning/codeql/codeql-cli-manual","title":"CodeQL CLI manual"},{"href":"/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning/codeql/codeql-cli-manual/query-compile","title":"query compile"}],"documentType":"article"},"body":"# query compile\n\nCompile or check QL code.\n\n> \\[!NOTE]\n> This content describes the most recent release of the CodeQL CLI. For more information about this release, see <https://github.com/github/codeql-cli-binaries/releases>.\n>\n> To see details of the options available for this command in an earlier release, run the command with the <span style=\"white-space: nowrap;\">`--help`</span> option in your terminal.\n\n## Synopsis\n\n```shell copy\ncodeql query compile [--check-only] [--keep-going] [--threads=<num>] [--ram=<MB>] <options>... -- <file>...\n```\n\n## Description\n\nCompile or check QL code.\n\nCompile one or more queries. Usually the main outcome of this command is\nthat the compiled version of the query is written to a *compilation\ncache* where it will be found when the query is later executed. Other\noutput options are mostly for debugging.\n\n## Options\n\n### Primary Options\n\n#### `<file>...`\n\n\\[Mandatory] Queries to compile. Each argument is one of:\n\n* A .ql file to compile.\n* A directory which will be searched recursively for .ql files.\n* A .qls file that defines a particular set of queries.\n* The basename of a \"well-known\" .qls file exported by one of the\n  installed QL packs.\n\n#### `-n, --check-only`\n\nJust check that the QL is valid and print any errors; do not actually\noptimize and store a query plan. This can be much faster than a full\ncompilation.\n\n#### `--[no-]precompile`\n\n\\[Advanced] Save each compiled query as a binary `.qlx` file next to\nthe `.ql` source.\n\nThis is only supposed to be used while preparing a query pack for\ndistribution (in which case it is used automatically by [codeql pack publish](/en/code-security/reference/code-scanning/codeql/codeql-cli-manual/pack-publish)). Once the `.qlx` files exist, later commands that execute queries may ignore\nchanges to the QL source in favor of the precompiled version.\n\nSome rarely used compilation options are incompatible with this and will\nlead to a run-time error.\n\nAvailable since `v2.12.0`.\n\n#### `--[no-]dump-dil`\n\n\\[Advanced] Print the optimized DIL intermediate representation to\nstandard output while compiling.\n\nWhen JSON output is selected, the DIL will be represented as an array of\nsingle-line strings, with some wrapping to identify which query is being\ncompiled.\n\n#### `-k, --[no-]keep-going`\n\nKeep going with compilation even if an error is found.\n\n#### `--[no-]dump-ra`\n\n\\[Advanced] Print the optimized RA query plan to standard output while\ncompiling.\n\nWhen JSON output is selected, the RA will be represented as an array of\nsingle-line strings, with some wrapping to identify which query is being\ncompiled.\n\n#### `--format=<fmt>`\n\nSelect output format, either `text` *(default)* or `json`.\n\n#### `-j, --threads=<num>`\n\nUse this many threads to compile queries.\n\nDefaults to 1. You can pass 0 to use one thread per core on the machine,\nor -*N* to leave *N* cores unused (except still use at least one\nthread).\n\n#### `-M, --ram=<MB>`\n\nSet total amount of RAM the compiler should be allowed to use.\n\n### QL variant and compiler control options\n\n#### `--warnings=<mode>`\n\nHow to handle warnings from the QL compiler. One of:\n\n`hide`: Suppress warnings.\n\n`show` *(default)*: Print warnings but continue with compilation.\n\n`error`: Treat warnings as errors.\n\n#### `--no-debug-info`\n\nDon't emit source location info in RA for debugging.\n\n#### `--[no-]fast-compilation`\n\n\\[Deprecated] \\[Advanced] Omit particularly slow optimization steps.\n\n#### `--no-release-compatibility`\n\n\\[Advanced] Use the newest compiler features, at the cost of\nportability.\n\nFrom time to time, new QL language features and evaluator optimizations\nwill be supported by the QL evaluator a few releases before they are\nenabled by default in the QL compiler. This helps ensure that the\nperformance you experience when developing queries in the newest CodeQL\nrelease can be matched by slightly older releases that may still be in\nuse for Code Scanning or CI integrations.\n\nIf you do not care about your queries being compatible with other\n(earlier or later) CodeQL releases, you can sometimes achieve a small\namount of extra performance by using this flag to enable recent\nimprovements in the compiler early.\n\nIn releases where there are no recent improvements to enable, this\noption silently does nothing. Thus it is safe to set it once and for all\nin your global CodeQL config file.\n\nAvailable since `v2.11.1`.\n\n#### `--[no-]local-checking`\n\nOnly perform initial checks on the part of the QL source that is used.\n\n#### `--no-metadata-verification`\n\nDon't check embedded query metadata in QLDoc comments for validity.\n\n#### `--compilation-cache-size=<MB>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Override the default maximum size for a compilation cache\ndirectory.\n\n#### `--fail-on-ambiguous-relation-name`\n\n\\[Advanced] Fail compilation if an ambiguous relation name is generated\nduring compilation.\n\n### Options to set up compilation environment\n\n#### `--search-path=<dir>[:<dir>...]`\n\nA list of directories under which QL packs may be found. Each directory\ncan either be a QL pack (or bundle of packs containing a\n`.codeqlmanifest.json` file at the root) or the immediate parent of one\nor more such directories.\n\nIf the path contains more than one directory, their order defines\nprecedence between them: when a pack name that must be resolved is\nmatched in more than one of the directory trees, the one given first\nwins.\n\nPointing this at a checkout of the open-source CodeQL repository ought\nto work when querying one of the languages that live there.\n\nIf you have checked out the CodeQL repository as a sibling of the\nunpacked CodeQL toolchain, you don't need to give this option; such\nsibling directories will always be searched for QL packs that cannot be\nfound otherwise. (If this default does not work, it is strongly\nrecommended to set up `--search-path` once and for all in a per-user\nconfiguration file).\n\n(Note: On Windows the path separator is `;`).\n\n#### `--additional-packs=<dir>[:<dir>...]`\n\nIf this list of directories is given, they will be searched for packs\nbefore the ones in `--search-path`. The order between these doesn't\nmatter; it is an error if a pack name is found in two different places\nthrough this list.\n\nThis is useful if you're temporarily developing a new version of a pack\nthat also appears in the default path. On the other hand, it is *not\nrecommended* to override this option in a config file; some internal\nactions will add this option on the fly, overriding any configured\nvalue.\n\n(Note: On Windows the path separator is `;`).\n\n#### `--library-path=<dir>[:<dir>...]`\n\n\\[Advanced] An optional list of directories that will be added to the\nraw import search path for QL libraries. This should only be used if\nyou're using QL libraries that have not been packaged as QL packs.\n\n(Note: On Windows the path separator is `;`).\n\n#### `--dbscheme=<file>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Explicitly define which dbscheme queries should be compiled\nagainst. This should only be given by callers that are extremely sure\nwhat they're doing.\n\n#### `--compilation-cache=<dir>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Specify an additional directory to use as a compilation\ncache.\n\n#### `--no-default-compilation-cache`\n\n\\[Advanced] Don't use compilation caches in standard locations such as\nin the QL pack containing the query or in the CodeQL toolchain\ndirectory.\n\n### Options for configuring the CodeQL package manager\n\n#### `--registries-auth-stdin`\n\nAuthenticate to GitHub Enterprise Server Container registries by passing\na comma-separated list of \\<registry\\_url>=\\<token> pairs.\n\nFor example, you can pass\n`https://containers.GHEHOSTNAME1/v2/=TOKEN1,https://containers.GHEHOSTNAME2/v2/=TOKEN2`\nto authenticate to two GitHub Enterprise Server instances.\n\nThis overrides the CODEQL\\_REGISTRIES\\_AUTH and GITHUB\\_TOKEN environment\nvariables. If you only need to authenticate to the github.com Container\nregistry, you can instead authenticate using the simpler\n`--github-auth-stdin` option.\n\n#### `--github-auth-stdin`\n\nAuthenticate to the github.com Container registry by passing a\ngithub.com GitHub Apps token or personal access token via standard\ninput.\n\nTo authenticate to GitHub Enterprise Server Container registries, pass\n`--registries-auth-stdin` or use the CODEQL\\_REGISTRIES\\_AUTH environment\nvariable.\n\nThis overrides the GITHUB\\_TOKEN environment variable.\n\n### Common options\n\n#### `-h, --help`\n\nShow this help text.\n\n#### `-J=<opt>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Give option to the JVM running the command.\n\n(Beware that options containing spaces will not be handled correctly.)\n\n#### `-v, --verbose`\n\nIncrementally increase the number of progress messages printed.\n\n#### `-q, --quiet`\n\nIncrementally decrease the number of progress messages printed.\n\n#### `--verbosity=<level>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Explicitly set the verbosity level to one of errors,\nwarnings, progress, progress+, progress++, progress+++. Overrides `-v`\nand `-q`.\n\n#### `--logdir=<dir>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Write detailed logs to one or more files in the given\ndirectory, with generated names that include timestamps and the name of\nthe running subcommand.\n\n(To write a log file with a name you have full control over, instead\ngive `--log-to-stderr` and redirect stderr as desired.)\n\n#### `--common-caches=<dir>`\n\n\\[Advanced] Controls the location of cached data on disk that will\npersist between several runs of the CLI, such as downloaded QL packs and\ncompiled query plans. If not set explicitly, this defaults to a\ndirectory named `.codeql` in the user's home directory; it will be\ncreated if it doesn't already exist.\n\nAvailable since `v2.15.2`."}