---
title: query format
versions: # DO NOT MANUALLY EDIT. CHANGES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN BY A 🤖
  fpt: '*'
  ghae: '*'
  ghec: '*'
  ghes: '*'
topics:
  - Advanced Security
  - Code scanning
  - CodeQL
type: reference
product: '{% data reusables.gated-features.codeql %}'
autogenerated: codeql-cli
intro: Autoformat QL source code.
redirect_from:
  - /code-security/codeql-cli/manual/query-format
---


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

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

## Synopsis

```shell copy
codeql query format [--output=<file>] [--in-place] [--backup=<ext>] <options>... -- <file>...
```

## Description

Autoformat QL source code.

## Options

### Primary Options

#### `<file>...`

One or more `.ql` or `.qll` source files to autoformat. A dash can be
specified to read from standard input.

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

Write the formatted QL code to this file instead of the standard output
stream. Must not be given if there is more than one input.

#### `-i, --[no-]in-place`

Overwrite each input file with a formatted version of its content.

#### `--[no-]check-only`

Instead of writing output, exit with status 1 if any input files
_differ_ from their correct formatting. A message telling which files
differed will be printed to standard error unless you also give `-qq`.

#### `-b, --backup=<ext>`

When writing a file that already exists, rename the existing file to a
backup by appending this extension to its name. If the backup file
already exists, it will be silently deleted.

#### `--no-syntax-errors`

If an input file is not syntactically correct QL, pretend that it is
already correctly formatted. (Usually such a file causes the command to
terminate with an error message).

### 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.)