Fixed: "zsh: no matches found" for a URL with a ? or a --include=*.cs Option

curl http://localhost:5190/demo/enum?status=placed and grep -rn 'class' src --include=*.cs both failed with zsh: no matches found, and neither program ever ran. Commands like these work in bash, and they appear that way in a lot of tutorials. In zsh, you have to quote them.

What I Was Doing

I was searching a project for a word, and calling an API, in zsh, the default shell on macOS:

Terminal

grep -rn 'class' src --include=*.cs
curl -s http://localhost:5190/demo/enum?status=placed

What I Expected

Search results, and a response.

What I Got

Output

% grep -rn 'class' src --include=*.cs
zsh: no matches found: --include=*.cs

Output

% curl -s http://localhost:5190/demo/enum?status=placed
zsh: no matches found: http://localhost:5190/demo/enum?status=placed

What I Checked

Who printed it. The message starts with zsh:. So neither grep nor curl was involved.

The same command in bash.

Terminal

bash -c "grep -rn 'class' src --include=*.cs"

Output

src/Sample.cs:1:class A {}

The docs. * and ? are file patterns, and the shells disagree on what to do when no file matches. The zsh manual says of its NOMATCH option, which is on by default: "If a pattern for filename generation has no matches, print an error, instead of leaving it unchanged in the argument list." The bash manual says: "If no matching filenames are found, and the shell option nullglob is disabled, the word is left unchanged."

Why It Happens

zsh looks at each word before running the command. --include=*.cs has a *, and a URL with a query string has a ?. So they're patterns, and no file has those names. zsh reports it and stops, where bash would pass them on as they are.

The Fix

Quote the word, which works in every shell:

Terminal

grep -rn 'class' src --include='*.cs'
curl -s 'http://localhost:5190/demo/enum?status=placed'

There are two zsh-only alternatives. noglob turns patterns off for one command, and setopt nonomatch makes zsh act like bash from then on:

Terminal

noglob grep -rn 'class' src --include=*.cs

After the Fix

Output

% grep -rn 'class' src --include='*.cs'
src/Sample.cs:1:class A {}

noglob and setopt nonomatch gave the same result.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	What happens	Do this instead
Putting setopt nonomatch in ~/.zshrc and forgetting	A real typo in a file pattern goes to the program	Quote what you mean
Quoting only part of a URL	A later ? or * still counts	Quote all of it
Using double quotes around $ in a URL	The shell fills in variables	Use single quotes

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
A file with that name exists, and the option gets the wrong value	The pattern matched it	Quote it
zsh: ===== not found	A word starting with =	The fix
The URL's & starts a background job	& means that to the shell	Quote it

Conclusion

In zsh, an unquoted word with * or ? must match a file, or the command doesn't run. Quote URLs and patterns you mean for the program.

Additional Resources

• zsh Options — NOMATCH.
• zsh Precommand Modifiers — noglob.

Related

• Fixed: "zsh: ===== not found" When a Word Starts with = in zsh
• Fixed: "xargs: command line cannot be assembled, too long" on macOS
• How to Test a Race Condition in a Web API from the Terminal