Introduction
Understanding organizationsUnderstanding componentsManage organizationsManage componentsManage component Jira integrations
Set up your first organizationUnderstanding users and teamsUnderstanding role-based access controlManage usersManage teamsConfigure role-based access controlRBAC permissions reference
Understanding authentication in CloudBees UnifySet up multifactor authenticationConfigure SAML single sign-onConfigure OIDC authenticationConfigure network security policiesNetwork security reference
Understanding platform configurationUnderstanding environmentsManage properties and secretsManage environmentsTrack environment inventoryConfigure containersSet up preconfigured actionsConfigure notifications
Accessibility policy referenceShared responsibility model referenceSubscription and services agreementSupport policiesSupported browsers and external tools
Introduction
Understanding feature managementUnderstanding Configuration as CodeGet started with feature managementCreate and manage feature flagsConfigure feature flag targetingOrganize feature flagsImplement feature flag governanceConfiguration as Code reference
Understanding flag impressions and activity statusUnderstanding flag healthUnderstanding code referencesReview and clean up feature flagsSet up code references
Understanding Jira integration for feature flagsSet up the Jira integrationLink Jira tickets to feature flags
Understanding multiple SDK keysBuild your first mobile app with feature flagsBuild your first feature-flagged web applicationBuild your first feature-flagged backend serviceInstall client-side SDKsInstall server-side SDKsConfigure multiple SDK keysMobile SDK referenceWeb SDK referenceBackend SDK referenceClient SDK referenceFlag implementation reference
Introduction
Understanding CI workflowsCreate a build workflowCreate and manage workflowsCreate reusable workflowsTest and validate containers in workflowsCheck out source codeTrigger workflows remotelyWorkflow syntax referenceJobs syntax referenceSteps syntax referenceServices syntax reference
Monitor workflow runsView test results in runsView evidence in runsView deployments in runsManage workflow artifactsPublish test resultsPublish evidence itemsGenerate a software bill of materialsManage ServiceNow change requests
Configure workflow credentialsConfigure AWS credentialsConfigure container registry credentialsConfigure Git credentialsIntegrate external secret providers
Understanding GitHub Actions integrationSet up GitHub Actions integrationDisplay GitHub Actions workflows and runsRegister GHA build artifactsPublish GHA deployed artifactsPublish GHA test resultsPublish GHA evidence itemsTrigger CloudBees workflows from GitHub ActionsScan with GitHub Actions
Understanding CloudBees CI and Jenkins® integrationConnect CI and Jenkins controllersMonitor CI and Jenkins buildsRegister CI build artifactsRegister CI deployed artifactsPublish CI test resultsConfigure CI security scanningCI and Jenkins integration reference
Build and publish container imagesUnderstanding external CI/CD integrationsRun external CI/CD jobsExternal CI/CD action reference
Introduction
Understanding release orchestrationManage applicationsCreate deployer workflowsCreate staged workflowsCreate and manage releasesOrchestrate multi-workflow releasesRelease management reference
Understanding artifact managementRegister and track artifactsStore and retrieve artifactsPromote artifactsGenerate a software bill of materialsArtifact management reference
Deploy with HelmDeploy to KubernetesContainer deployment reference
Deploy to AWSAWS deployment reference
Deploy with enterprise platformsExecute remote deployment commandsEnterprise deployment reference
Verify deployments with New RelicDeployment verification reference

Understanding code references

2 minute read
Code references currently supports GitHub repositories only. It performs a basic text search across .ts, .tsx, and .go files using the GitHub Search API; it does not parse code or detect semantic usage. Results may include matches inside comments, strings, or unrelated code, and may miss usages in unsupported file types.

Code references show where a feature flag is referenced in your source code by searching the repositories linked to your application.

Before viewing code references, link components to an application. For setup instructions, refer to Set up code references.

This page explains how the search works, what it can and cannot detect, and how code references connect to flag cleanup.

What code references are

The Code references tab on a flag displays the files in your connected repositories where that flag name appears. Results are scoped to the application you are viewing: CloudBees Unify searches only the repositories associated with that application’s components, not your entire organization.

This scoping is intentional. Feature flags are evaluated in the context of a specific application, so the relevant code is the code that belongs to that application’s components.

How the search works

CloudBees Unify uses the GitHub Search API to search for the flag name as a plain text string across .ts, .tsx, and .go files in the connected repositories. Results are returned as file-level links that open the relevant GitHub search view in a new tab. CloudBees Unify does not link to specific lines within files. GitHub handles result highlighting.

If no repository filter is selected, the search runs across all repositories connected to the application’s components. Selecting a specific repository narrows the results to that repository only.

Limitations to be aware of

Because the search is text-based rather than parsed or semantic, results require interpretation. A match may appear inside a comment, a string literal, or unrelated code that happens to share the flag name. Conversely, flag usages in file types not covered by the search (anything other than .ts, .tsx, and .go) will not appear in results.

The current implementation supports GitHub repositories only.

These limitations mean code references provide a strong signal about where a flag is likely referenced, but not a guarantee. Before concluding that a flag is safe to remove, review the results in GitHub to confirm the matches represent actual flag evaluations.

Code references and flag cleanup

Code references are most valuable during flag cleanup. A flag that the health view marks as stale or inactive may still appear in code, particularly if the SDK calls have not yet been removed from the codebase. Checking code references before deleting a flag surfaces these cases and prevents breaking changes.

Note that a flag cannot be deleted if other flags depend on it. Dependencies of this kind also appear on the Code references tab.

For guidance on the full cleanup process, refer to Review and clean up feature flags.

Understanding flag health
Review and clean up feature flags