Which Tool — Command Path Locator#

Find the absolute path of executable commands by searching the system PATH. Essential for verifying installations, debugging "command not found" errors, detecting conflicting versions, and scripting command discovery.

Quick Start#

bash

# Find where a command is installed
which-tool python

# Find multiple commands at once
which-tool python git docker

# Find all matching paths (not just the first)
which-tool -a node

Usage#

bash

which-tool COMMAND [COMMAND...] [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -a, --all          Show all matching paths, not just the first
  -s, --silent       Exit silently (exit code only, no output)
  --readable         Show only readable executables
  --skip-aliases     Skip shell aliases, search real PATH only
  --json             Output as JSON array
  --resolve-symlinks Show real path after resolving symlinks

Examples#

bash

# Check if a command exists
which-tool python3

# Find all Python installations
which-tool -a python3

# Check multiple tools before running a script
which-tool git node npm docker

# Silent check for scripts (use exit code)
which-tool -s required-tool && echo "Found"

# Resolve actual binary through symlinks
which-tool --resolve-symlinks node

# JSON output for automated checks
which-tool python java go --json

Features#

• Standard PATH search — follows shell PATH order
• All matches — -a flag to see every matching path
• Silent mode — exit code only, for script conditionals
• Symlink resolution — see the real target binary
• Multiple commands — batch check in one call
• JSON output — structured results for automation
• Readable check — filter to actually executable files