---
title: Browse and Search Options
description: List option categories and their options, or search every ecosystem by ID, label, or alias, and get the CLI flag that selects each option.
translationStatus: pending
updated: 2026-10-06
---

`list` and `search` read the option catalog that ships with the CLI. They answer questions such as
"what auth options exist for Go" and "which category is drizzle in, and what is its flag" without
prompts, a browser, or a project directory. Both commands are read-only and send no telemetry.

## List categories and options

Without a category, `list` prints every option category with its flag and option count.
`--ecosystem` keeps only the categories that ecosystem uses:

```bash
bunx create-better-fullstack@latest list --ecosystem go
```

With a category ID, `list` prints that category's options. Each row shows the option ID, its
label, the exact argument that selects it, and any legacy IDs:

```bash
bunx create-better-fullstack@latest list goAuth --ecosystem go
```

```text
●  Go Auth (goAuth), single select, --go-auth
│
│  id      label                flag              legacy ids
│  casbin  Casbin               --go-auth casbin
│  jwt     golang-jwt           --go-auth jwt
│  goth    Goth                 --go-auth goth
│  oauth2  golang.org/x/oauth2  --go-auth oauth2
│  none    None                 --go-auth none
```

Category IDs are the option catalog's names, such as `orm`, `webFrontend`, or `goAuth`. An unknown
category exits with status 1 and names the valid categories, or the closest match when you typed a
flag name such as `go-auth`.

`bfs_get_schema` names some categories differently: `webFrontend` and `nativeFrontend` are both
`frontend` there, and `backendLibraries` is `effect`. It has no entry for `aiDocs`, `git`,
`install`, or `versionChannel`. The JSON output gives each category's `bfs_get_schema` name as
`schemaCategory`.

## Search across ecosystems

`search` matches text against option IDs, labels, and aliases in every category. Exact matches come
first, then prefix matches, then other substring matches:

```bash
bunx create-better-fullstack@latest search drizzle
```

```text
│  id       label    flag           category  ecosystems  legacy ids
│  drizzle  Drizzle  --orm drizzle  orm       typescript
```

Add `--ecosystem <id>` to search one ecosystem. A search with no matches exits with status 0 and
prints a notice, or an empty `matches` array in JSON mode.

Some categories have no dedicated flag, such as the tooling categories selected through
`--part`. Their rows show `-` as the flag.

## JSON output

Pass `--json` to either command for machine-readable output. JSON mode writes only the JSON
document to stdout, so it is safe to pipe into `jq`. Errors go to stderr with a non-zero exit code.

`list` without a category returns the categories:

```json
{
  "ecosystem": "go",
  "categories": [
    {
      "id": "goAuth",
      "label": "Go Auth",
      "schemaCategory": "goAuth",
      "selectionMode": "single",
      "flag": "--go-auth",
      "ecosystems": ["go"],
      "optionCount": 5
    }
  ]
}
```

`list <category>` returns one `category` object in the same shape plus an `options` array:

```json
{
  "ecosystem": "go",
  "category": { "id": "goAuth", "label": "Go Auth", "...": "..." },
  "options": [{ "id": "casbin", "label": "Casbin", "aliases": [], "flag": "--go-auth casbin" }]
}
```

`search` returns the trimmed query and each match with its category and ecosystems:

```json
{
  "query": "sveltekit",
  "ecosystem": null,
  "matches": [
    {
      "id": "svelte",
      "label": "SvelteKit",
      "aliases": ["sveltekit"],
      "flag": "--frontend svelte",
      "category": "webFrontend",
      "categoryLabel": "Web Frontend",
      "ecosystems": ["typescript"]
    }
  ]
}
```

| Field            | Meaning                                                                                 |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `ecosystem`      | The `--ecosystem` filter, or `null`.                                                    |
| `schemaCategory` | The category name `bfs_get_schema` accepts, or `null` when it has no entry.             |
| `selectionMode`  | `single` or `multiple`. Multiple-select flags accept several space-separated values.    |
| `flag`           | On a category, the flag name. On an option, the full argument. `null` when none exists. |
| `ecosystems`     | Ecosystems whose stacks use the category.                                               |
| `aliases`        | Older IDs for the option. See below.                                                    |

Aliases are IDs an option used to have, such as `sveltekit` for `svelte`. Builder share URLs and
saved builder stacks that still contain one load as the current option, and `search` matches them.
`create` flags do not accept them: pass the value shown in `flag`.

AI agents get the same data from the [`bfs_list_options` and `bfs_search_options`](/docs/ai/mcp/)
MCP tools.

To see what one option requires and excludes, and whether it fits a stack, use
[`explain`](/docs/cli/explain/).