HowDoI
Find coding answers from the command line with howdoi, an instant programming help tool.
About HowDoI
HowDoI is an open-source command-line tool hosted on GitHub that provides coding answers without leaving the terminal. You type a question such as how to format a date in bash or print a stack trace in Python, and it returns a code snippet drawn from answers online.
You can install it with pip or Homebrew and run queries directly in the console. Options control how many answers are shown, which answer position to use, and output formats including colorized text, links only, full text, or JSON. You can save answers to a stash for later viewing, clear the cache, and choose between Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo as the search engine. It can also query other StackExchange sites by setting a URL variable.
It suits developers and students who work in the terminal and want quick reference for common programming tasks without switching to a browser.
Key features
- Ask programming questions directly from the command line
- Install using pip or Homebrew
- Control number and position of returned answers
- Output answers as text, links, color, or JSON
- Save, view, and remove answers with stash
- Choose Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo search engine
Best for: Developers and students who work in the terminal and need answers to common coding questions.
Good for
- Works directly in the terminal
- Installs with pip or Homebrew
- Offers multiple output and search options
- Open-source code with usage documentation
Watch out for
- Requires use of the command line
- No graphical interface
HowDoI at a glance
- Website
- github.com/gleitz/howdoi
- Category
- Development › Developer Tools
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Guides for Developer Tools
HowDoI alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
Awesome CLI provides a command-line tool for browsing and exploring Awesome lists.
Open sourcePick
24 alternatives
Add colored output to command-line applications with the yoctocolors package.
Open source
24 alternatives
Schedule and manage shell commands with pueue, a command-line task queue.
Open source
24 alternatives
Record terminal commands and output as shareable videos using VHS, a command-line session recording tool.
Open source
24 alternatives
Search directories recursively for regular expression matches with ripgrep, while respecting gitignore rules.
Open source
24 alternatives
Explore command-line utilities and other tools for Go projects in this repository collection.
Open source
24 alternativesPopular in Developer Tools
Well-known listings from the same topic.
AppDevToolsappdevtools.comCommand Not Foundcommand-not-found.comTestFlighttestflight.apple.com/join/A8GwCnq8Sourcegraphabout.sourcegraph.comProject Wallaceprojectwallace.comCarbon Calculatorwebsitecarbon.com
HowDoI FAQ
What is howdoi?
It is an open-source command-line tool that returns coding answers for questions typed in the terminal.
How do you install howdoi?
You can install it with `pip install howdoi` or `brew install howdoi`.
How do you use howdoi?
Type `howdoi` followed by your question, such as `howdoi format date bash`. You can add options to change the number of answers, format, or search engine.
Is something wrong or out of date?
Tell us and an editor will check it.
Own this website?
Claim this listing
Claim the listing and suggest updates yourself. An editor checks every claim first.