Remote Scan (CLI Analysis)

Remote scanning allows you to analyze code on your local machine or build server and push the results to the BrowserStack Code Quality server.

The Fast Way: Pipeline Script

The easiest way to perform a remote scan is to use the auto-generated script from the UI.

1. Navigate to your Repository List.
2. Click the Three Dots (...) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Pipeline Script.
4. Copy the generated script and execute it directly in your terminal at the root of your project.

Click to enlarge

The Manual Way: Step-by-Step

If you need to integrate the scanner into a custom pipeline, follow these three steps.

Step 1: Download the Scanner

Download and extract the CLI tool to your workspace. You can download directly using the link or the command below:

Download browserstack-codequality-scanner.tar.gz

curl https://v1.embold.io/nfs/CLI/browserstack-codequality-scanner.tar.gz -o scanner.tar.gz
tar xvf scanner.tar.gz

Step 2: Configure Scan Settings

Before running a scan, you can customize what gets analysed. From the repository settings in the UI you can:

• Enable or disable individual rules — tune the rule set to your team's standards
• Add file / folder exclusions — skip generated code, third-party libraries, or test fixtures

→ See Advanced Scan Configuration for a full walkthrough.

Step 3: Get Repository Configuration

Download your specific repository-configuration.json. To find your Repository UID (RepoUID)

curl --location --request GET "https://{{EMBOLD_SERVER_URL}}/api/v1/repositories/{REPUID}/scans/config/download" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer {YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN}" \
-o repository-configuration.json

Step 4: Execute the Scan

Viewing Available Commands and Options

To see all top-level commands supported by the scanner:

./browserstack-codequality-scanner/bin/embold-scanner --help

Output:

Embold Commands:
1. analyse
2. embold-trace
3. local-analyse
4. gated-commit

Run 'embold-scanner COMMAND --help' for more information on a command.

To see all options available for the analyse command:

./browserstack-codequality-scanner/bin/embold-scanner analyse --help

Running the Scan

Run the analyzer using the following command. Replace the placeholder values with your server details.

./browserstack-codequality-scanner/bin/embold-scanner analyse \
  -u https://{{EMBOLD_SERVER_URL}} \
  -t $EMBOLD_TOKEN \
  -r {YOUR_REPO_UID} \
  -b . \
  -c ./repository-configuration.json \
  -d ./embold-data \
  -l ./embold-log \
  -sh ./embold-scanner-home

Minimum required flags: -u, -t, and -c.

Command Argument Reference

The table below lists all flags supported by the analyse command (as shown by analyse --help).

Flag	Long Form	Description
-u	--url	Server URL: Your BrowserStack Code Quality instance URL.
-t	--token	Access Token: Generated under Settings > Access Tokens.
-c	--scan-config-file	Config Path: Path to your repository-configuration.json or YAML scan settings file.
-r	--repository-uid	Repository UID: Unique ID for the target repository in the Code quality UI.
-b	--repository-base-dir	Base Path: Root directory of the source code to scan (usually .).
-bc	--repository-base-dir	Build Commands: embold-trace build commands.
-am	--analysis-mode	Analysis Mode: Override the analysis mode.
-d	--data-dir	Data Directory: Temporary working directory for scan data.
-sh	--scanner-home	Scanner Home: Path to the embold-scanner-home directory.
-l	--scanner-logs	Logs Directory: Directory where scanner logs are written.
-s	--snapshot-label	Snapshot Label: Label for the snapshot published to the Code quality UI. Accepts an environment variable.
-sp	--scan-profile	Scan Profile: Path to a scan profile XML file.
-si	--session-id	Session ID: Session identifier for the scan run.
-ssu	--skip-source-upload	Skip Source Upload: Flag to skip uploading source files.
-lf	--list-file-path	List File Path: Path to a file containing a list of files to scan.
-rn	--revision-number	Revision Number: SCM revision (commit hash or number).
-ci	--component-uid	Component UID: SCM component identifier.
-sd	--snapshot-id	Snapshot ID: ID of an existing snapshot to update.
-vd	--vcs_details	VCS Details: Version control system details.
-st	--scm-token	SCM Token: Required for license scans on private repositories.
-qg	--quality-gate-status	Quality Gate: Show quality gate status after scan.
-nc	--new-code	New Code: Analyse new code only (currently supports code coverage).
-sc	--starting-commit	Starting Commit: Starting commit reference for new code coverage.
-pu	----publish	Publish: Continue scan and publish results even on non-fatal errors.
-v	--verbose	Enable verbose (debug) logging.
-h	--help	Display help for the analyse command.

Performance Tuning

When running CLI analysis the scanner executes on your local machine or CI/CD agent — so memory and thread settings must be configured there, not on the server.

• Memory — Control the analysis engine heap via the ANALYSER_XMX environment variable (e.g., export ANALYSER_XMX=-Xmx8g). Size this according to your repository's lines of code and the available RAM on the agent.
  → See Memory Settings Guide for size recommendations and examples.

• Threads — Speed up analysis by increasing the thread count via EMB_ANALYSER_THREADS and EMB_PARSER_THREADS (e.g., export EMB_ANALYSER_THREADS=6). Match the thread count to the number of CPU cores available on the machine.
  → See Multi-Threaded Execution for a full guide.

Troubleshooting

• Permissions: Ensure the bin/embold-scanner file has execute permissions (chmod +x).
• Java: The scanner requires Java 1.8+ (check your environment with java -version).
• Network: Ensure your build agent can reach the server URL provided in the -u flag.
• Out of Memory: If the scan fails with heap errors, increase ANALYSER_XMX and ensure the machine has sufficient RAM. See Memory Settings Guide.

Related Documentation

Repository Configuration

• ️ Projects & Repositories - Create projects and find Repository UID
• ️ Repository Settings - Advanced scan configuration and exclusions
• Access Tokens - Generate tokens for CLI authentication

CI/CD Integration

• CI/CD Pipeline Integration - Native CI/CD platform plugins
• Pipeline Script Generator - Auto-generated scan commands
• ️ Quality Gate Enforcement - Automated quality standards for pipelines

Analysis & Workflows

• Analysis Overview - Different scanning approaches and workflows
• Language Support - Supported programming languages and frameworks
• Scans & Snapshots - Understanding analysis results

Performance & Configuration

• Memory Settings Guide - Optimize scanner performance
• ️ Environment Variables - Configuration options
• Multi-Threaded Execution - Speed up analysis with parallel processing

Help & Support

• FAQ - Common CLI questions and troubleshooting
• Release Notes - Latest CLI features and updates
• ️ Docker Deployment - Containerized analysis environment