sherlock

Sherlock OSINT Username Search

Hunt down social media accounts by username across 400+ social networks using the Sherlock Project.

When to Use

• User asks to find accounts associated with a username
• User wants to check username availability across platforms
• User is conducting OSINT or reconnaissance research
• User asks "where is this username registered?" or similar

Requirements

• Sherlock CLI installed: pipx install sherlock-project or pip install sherlock-project
• Alternatively: Docker available (docker run -it --rm sherlock/sherlock)
• Network access to query social platforms

Procedure

1. Check if Sherlock is Installed

Before doing anything else, verify sherlock is available:

sherlock --version

If the command fails:

• Offer to install: pipx install sherlock-project (recommended) or pip install sherlock-project
• Do NOT try multiple installation methods — pick one and proceed
• If installation fails, inform the user and stop

2. Extract Username

Extract the username directly from the user's message if clearly stated.

Examples where you should NOT use clarify:

• "Find accounts for nasa" → username is nasa
• "Search for johndoe123" → username is johndoe123
• "Check if alice exists on social media" → username is alice
• "Look up user bob on social networks" → username is bob

Only use clarify if:

• Multiple potential usernames mentioned ("search for alice or bob")
• Ambiguous phrasing ("search for my username" without specifying)
• No username mentioned at all ("do an OSINT search")

When extracting, take the exact username as stated — preserve case, numbers, underscores, etc.

3. Build Command

Default command (use this unless user specifically requests otherwise):

sherlock --print-found --no-color "<username>" --timeout 90

Optional flags (only add if user explicitly requests):

• --nsfw — Include NSFW sites (only if user asks)
• --tor — Route through Tor (only if user asks for anonymity)