How `--only-used` and `--no-clear` CLI Flags Affect Holehe's Output

The --only-used flag filters Holehe's output to show only sites where the email address is registered, while --no-clear prevents the terminal from being cleared before displaying results.

Holehe is an open-source tool by megadose that checks whether an email address is registered across multiple websites. Its command-line interface uses argparse in holehe/core.py to control output behavior. These two flags directly impact what you see and how your terminal is prepared before results appear.

--only-used Filter: Show Only Confirmed Accounts

The --only-used flag is defined at line 84 of holehe/core.py. By default, this option is false, meaning Holehe prints every site it checks with status indicators:

• [+] — email exists (used)
• [-] — email does not exist (unused)
• [x] — rate limited
• [!] — error

When you pass --only-used, the printing loop at lines 122–136 skips all non-positive results. It only displays entries where results["exists"] == True. This dramatically reduces noise when you only care about confirmed account registrations.

# Default: show all sites with their status

holehe user@example.com

# Filtered: show only sites where the email is registered

holehe user@example.com --only-used

--no-clear Flag: Preserve Terminal History

The --no-clear flag is defined at line 88 of holehe/core.py with dest="noclear". Before printing results, the print_result function checks this argument:

• Default (false): Clears the terminal using the ANSI sequence "\033[H\033[J" at line 114
• When true (--no-clear): Prints a blank line instead at line 115, keeping previous terminal output visible

This flag is essential when piping output to log files or when you need to maintain context from earlier commands.

# Default: clear screen before showing results

holehe user@example.com

# Preserve terminal history

holehe user@example.com --no-clear

# Pipe to file without losing previous terminal output

holehe user@example.com --no-clear > results.txt

Combining Both Flags

You can stack both options to get filtered results without clearing your terminal:

holehe user@example.com --no-clear --only-used

This combination is particularly useful for automated scripts where you want clean, actionable output appended to existing logs.

Source Code Implementation Details

Both flags are implemented in the same file with clear separation of concerns:

Location	Purpose
holehe/core.py lines 84–90	CLI argument definitions using argparse
holehe/core.py line 114	ANSI clear sequence execution
holehe/core.py line 115	Blank line alternative for --no-clear
holehe/core.py lines 122–136	Output filtering logic for --only-used

The holehe/__init__.py file serves as the package entry point by calling main(), which triggers the argument parsing sequence that consumes these flags.

Summary

• --only-used — Filters output to display only sites where results["exists"] == True, hiding unused, rate-limited, and error results
• --no-clear — Prevents the ANSI terminal clear sequence, preserving previous command output by printing a blank line instead
• Both flags are defined in holehe/core.py using standard argparse patterns
• Flags can be combined for scripted workflows and log preservation

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the --only-used and --no-clear flags defined in Holehe?

Both flags are defined in holehe/core.py using argparse. The --only-used flag appears at line 84 with dest="onlyused", and --no-clear appears at line 88 with dest="noclear". These definitions control how the arguments are parsed and passed to the output functions.

What does the --only-used flag actually filter out?

The --only-used flag filters based on the exists key in each result dictionary. When enabled, Holehe skips printing any site where the email is unused ([-]), rate-limited ([x]), or errored ([!]). Only positive matches ([+]) appear in the terminal output.

Why would I use --no-clear instead of the default behavior?

Use --no-clear when you need to preserve terminal history for context, when piping output to files or other commands, or when running Holehe in automated scripts where erasing previous output would disrupt logging. The flag replaces the ANSI clear sequence with a simple blank line.

Can I use both flags together with other Holehe options?

Yes. Both flags are independent boolean options that can be combined with any standard Holehe invocation. They also work correctly when output is redirected to files or piped to other tools.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}