---
id: codefind
version: "0.1.7"
license: unclear
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: dormant
---

# codefind — Find code objects and their referents

License: unclear · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 571.8K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Codefind is a low-level introspection and code-patching library that lets you locate Python code objects by their qualified name or filename, find all function instances that share the same code object, and dynamically replace a function's code with another's. It has no runtime dependencies and installs cleanly.

The package is primarily used as a building block for hot-reload and live-coding tools (notably jurigged). It exposes three main operations: find_code() to retrieve a code object from a module, get_functions() to enumerate all functions referencing a given code object, and conform() to swap one function's code for another's. This enables runtime patching of functions and their closures without reloading modules.

Use it for:

- Hot-reload and live-coding frameworks that need to update function implementations without restarting.
- Interactive development environments where you want to patch a function's behavior on the fly.
- Debugging tools that need to locate and inspect code objects by their qualified name.
- Testing frameworks that need to replace function implementations during test execution.
- Closure introspection when you need to find all instances of a closure created by a factory function.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Codefind locates code objects by filename and qualified name, retrieves all functions sharing a code object, and can replace a function's code with another's—enabling runtime code patching.

Yes, if you are building a hot-reload or live-coding tool and accept the maintenance risk. The package is lightweight, has no dependencies, and solves a specific low-level problem well. However, maintenance is dormant, licensing is undeclared, and it is a niche tool—install only if you have a concrete use case and can tolerate lack of active support.

## Install

pip install codefind
uv add codefind
poetry add codefind

## Installing codefind

Before you install: Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Maintenance is dormant—last commit was 2024-09-08 with only 3 repository stars, so expect no active support or updates.

License in practice: License status is unclear; the package declares neither SPDX nor raw license metadata. Verify licensing terms before use in proprietary or restricted contexts.

Quickstart:

pip install codefind
from codefind import find_code, get_functions, conform

def f(x):
    return x + x

code_obj = find_code("f", filename=__file__)
funcs = get_functions(code_obj)
conform(f, lambda x: x * x)  # Replace f's code

Requires Python 3.8 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably across Python 3.8 through current versions despite dormant maintenance.
- Actual license terms—SPDX and raw license fields are null, creating ambiguity for distribution.
- Whether conform() safely handles all closure types and edge cases in production use.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (unclear)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 571.8K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

find code objects by name, locate function code objects, runtime code replacement, function code patching, get functions from code object, dynamic function replacement, code-introspection, hot-reload, runtime-patching

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/codefind) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/codefind/)