# holehe

> Check if an email address is registered across 120+ online platforms.

Holehe is an open-source OSINT tool that queries over 120 websites to determine if an email is attached to an existing account. It relies primarily on password recovery endpoints, allowing researchers to inspect account existence without notifying or alerting the target user. It can be run directly from the command line, in Docker, or imported into Python scripts.

Website: https://github.com/megadose/holehe

## What it is for

- Identify which social networks and web services a target email address is registered on
- Gather secondary recovery email hints or obfuscated phone numbers during OSINT investigations
- Embed email footprint checks into custom Python intelligence pipelines

## Features

- Scans over 120 platforms including Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and GitHub
- Checks forgotten password and registration endpoints without sending notifications to the target
- Returns partial recovery email addresses and phone numbers when exposed by services
- Flags rate-limited services clearly in terminal output
- Can be used as a CLI tool or imported as an asynchronous Python module
- Available as a Docker image or standard pip package

## Pricing

Open source

## Details

- Type: GitHub repo
- Category: [Development](https://xiry.app/topics/development.md)
- Open source: yes
- Platforms: Command line, Code library, Linux, macOS, Windows
- For: OSINT analysts, cybersecurity researchers, and digital investigators
- Alternative to: socialscan, Sherlock
- Tags: osint, security, email, reconnaissance, investigation, python, cli

## Why it was saved

- [@d3ndr1t30x, 23 March 2024](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C42fAmmrito/): Enables security researchers and investigators to discover which online platforms an email is associated with without alerting the target user.

## Related

- [Argus](https://xiry.app/resources/argus): Python interactive CLI toolkit for automated OSINT, network reconnaissance, and security checks (GitHub repo, Open source)
- [AIMap](https://xiry.app/resources/aimap): Discovery and security testing platform for exposed internet-facing AI endpoints. (Web app, Open source)
- [gitGraber](https://xiry.app/resources/gitgraber): Real-time GitHub monitoring tool to find leaked credentials and API tokens (GitHub repo, Open source)
- [BabelStrike](https://xiry.app/resources/babelstrike): Transliterate non-Latin names and generate username wordlists for security assessments (GitHub repo, Open source)
- [Browser Use Agent Sandbox Architecture](https://xiry.app/resources/browser-use-agent-sandbox-architecture): Architecture pattern for securely running code-executing agents inside isolated micro-VMs (Framework, Free)
- [Gmail Creator Pro](https://xiry.app/resources/gmail-creator-pro): Python CLI automation script for bulk Gmail account creation using Selenium (GitHub repo, Free)

Updated 3 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/holehe

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