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jq

agent-ready json output non-interactive

A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor. Essential for parsing, filtering, and transforming JSON output from other CLI tools.

How to install jq

brew install jq

When to use jq

  • Extracting specific fields or values from JSON API responses, e.g., getting 'name' and 'email' from a user list
  • Filtering JSON log files to find entries matching a condition, e.g., logs with error code 500
  • Transforming JSON structures, e.g., reshaping an array of objects or converting to CSV format for further processing

When not to use jq

  • When the data is in non-JSON formats like XML, YAML, or plain text without a consistent structure
  • When the processing logic requires complex control flow, loops, or state management beyond simple filters and transforms (use a scripting language instead)

jq features

  • · JSON filtering and transformation
  • · Pipeline-friendly
  • · Regex support
  • · Math operations
  • · CSV/TSV output

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