diff --git a/checks/sast.go b/checks/sast.go
index 1cedc4e099c..2a433334df4 100644
--- a/checks/sast.go
+++ b/checks/sast.go
@@ -23,9 +23,10 @@ import (
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/rhysd/actionlint"
+
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/checker"
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/checks/fileparser"
-	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/clients"
 	sce "github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/errors"
 	"github.com/ossf/scorecard/v4/finding"
 )
@@ -187,19 +188,18 @@ func sastToolInCheckRuns(c *checker.CheckRequest) (int, error) {
 }
 
 func codeQLInCheckDefinitions(c *checker.CheckRequest) (int, error) {
-	searchRequest := clients.SearchRequest{
-		Query: "github/codeql-action/analyze",
-		Path:  "/.github/workflows",
-	}
-	resp, err := c.RepoClient.Search(searchRequest)
+	var workflowPaths []string
+	err := fileparser.OnMatchingFileContentDo(c.RepoClient, fileparser.PathMatcher{
+		Pattern:       ".github/workflows/*",
+		CaseSensitive: false,
+	}, searchGitHubActionWorkflowCodeQL, &workflowPaths)
 	if err != nil {
-		return checker.InconclusiveResultScore,
-			sce.WithMessage(sce.ErrScorecardInternal, fmt.Sprintf("Client.Search.Code: %v", err))
+		return checker.InconclusiveResultScore, err
 	}
 
-	for _, result := range resp.Results {
+	for _, path := range workflowPaths {
 		c.Dlogger.Debug(&checker.LogMessage{
-			Path:   result.Path,
+			Path:   path,
 			Type:   finding.FileTypeSource,
 			Offset: checker.OffsetDefault,
 			Text:   "CodeQL detected",
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ func codeQLInCheckDefinitions(c *checker.CheckRequest) (int, error) {
 
 	// TODO: check if it's enabled as cron or presubmit.
 	// TODO: check which branches it is enabled on. We should find main.
-	if resp.Hits > 0 {
+	if len(workflowPaths) > 0 {
 		c.Dlogger.Info(&checker.LogMessage{
 			Text: "SAST tool detected: CodeQL",
 		})
@@ -221,6 +221,49 @@ func codeQLInCheckDefinitions(c *checker.CheckRequest) (int, error) {
 	return checker.MinResultScore, nil
 }
 
+// Check file content.
+var searchGitHubActionWorkflowCodeQL fileparser.DoWhileTrueOnFileContent = func(path string,
+	content []byte,
+	args ...interface{},
+) (bool, error) {
+	if !fileparser.IsWorkflowFile(path) {
+		return true, nil
+	}
+
+	if len(args) != 1 {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf(
+			"searchGitHubActionWorkflowCodeQL requires exactly 1 arguments: %w", errInvalid)
+	}
+
+	// Verify the type of the data.
+	paths, ok := args[0].(*[]string)
+	if !ok {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf(
+			"searchGitHubActionWorkflowCodeQL expects arg[0] of type *[]string: %w", errInvalid)
+	}
+
+	workflow, errs := actionlint.Parse(content)
+	if len(errs) > 0 && workflow == nil {
+		return false, fileparser.FormatActionlintError(errs)
+	}
+
+	for _, job := range workflow.Jobs {
+		for _, step := range job.Steps {
+			e, ok := step.Exec.(*actionlint.ExecAction)
+			if !ok {
+				continue
+			}
+			// Parse out repo / SHA.
+			uses := strings.TrimPrefix(e.Uses.Value, "actions://")
+			action, _, _ := strings.Cut(uses, "@")
+			if action == "github/codeql-action/analyze" {
+				*paths = append(*paths, path)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return true, nil
+}
+
 type sonarConfig struct {
 	url  string
 	file checker.File
diff --git a/checks/sast_test.go b/checks/sast_test.go
index 1ed5080fe62..5e653a8e4a4 100644
--- a/checks/sast_test.go
+++ b/checks/sast_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -105,9 +106,7 @@ func Test_SAST(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 			},
-			searchresult: clients.SearchResponse{Hits: 1, Results: []clients.SearchResult{{
-				Path: "test.go",
-			}}},
+			path: ".github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-codeql.yaml",
 			checkRuns: []clients.CheckRun{
 				{
 					Status: "completed",
@@ -144,7 +143,7 @@ func Test_SAST(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 			},
-			searchresult: clients.SearchResponse{},
+			path: ".github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-no-codeql.yaml",
 			checkRuns: []clients.CheckRun{
 				{
 					App: clients.CheckRunApp{
@@ -201,14 +200,14 @@ func Test_SAST(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name: "sonartype config 1 line",
-			path: "./testdata/pom-1line.xml",
+			path: "pom-1line.xml",
 			expected: checker.CheckResult{
 				Score: 10,
 			},
 		},
 		{
 			name: "sonartype config 2 lines",
-			path: "./testdata/pom-2lines.xml",
+			path: "pom-2lines.xml",
 			expected: checker.CheckResult{
 				Score: 10,
 			},
@@ -234,13 +233,16 @@ func Test_SAST(t *testing.T) {
 			mockRepoClient.EXPECT().Search(searchRequest).Return(tt.searchresult, nil).AnyTimes()
 			mockRepoClient.EXPECT().ListFiles(gomock.Any()).DoAndReturn(
 				func(predicate func(string) (bool, error)) ([]string, error) {
-					return []string{"pom.xml"}, nil
+					if strings.Contains(tt.path, "pom") {
+						return []string{"pom.xml"}, nil
+					}
+					return []string{tt.path}, nil
 				}).AnyTimes()
 			mockRepoClient.EXPECT().GetFileContent(gomock.Any()).DoAndReturn(func(fn string) ([]byte, error) {
 				if tt.path == "" {
 					return nil, nil
 				}
-				content, err := os.ReadFile(tt.path)
+				content, err := os.ReadFile("./testdata/" + tt.path)
 				if err != nil {
 					return content, fmt.Errorf("%w", err)
 				}
@@ -342,3 +344,46 @@ func Test_validateSonarConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func Test_searchGitHubActionWorkflowCodeQL_invalid(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	//nolint: govet
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		path string
+		args []any
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "too few arguments",
+			path: ".github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-codeql.yaml",
+			args: []any{},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "wrong arguments",
+			path: ".github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-codeql.yaml",
+			args: []any{
+				&[]int{},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		tt := tt
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+			var content []byte
+			var err error
+			if tt.path != "" {
+				content, err = os.ReadFile("./testdata/" + tt.path)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("ReadFile: %v", err)
+				}
+			}
+			_, err = searchGitHubActionWorkflowCodeQL(tt.path, content, tt.args...)
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Errorf("Expected error but err was nil")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/checks/testdata/.github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-codeql.yaml b/checks/testdata/.github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-codeql.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9758f530da5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/checks/testdata/.github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-codeql.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# Copyright 2021 OpenSSF Scorecard Authors
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+name: absent workflow
+on: [push]
+
+jobs:
+  Explore-GitHub-Actions:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Perform CodeQL Analysis
+        uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@v1
+      - name: some name
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@1.2.3
diff --git a/checks/testdata/.github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-no-codeql.yaml b/checks/testdata/.github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-no-codeql.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9d3b2c4ffe3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/checks/testdata/.github/workflows/github-workflow-sast-no-codeql.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+# Copyright 2021 OpenSSF Scorecard Authors
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+on:
+  push:
+    paths:
+    - 'source/common/**'
+  pull_request:
+
+jobs:
+  Some-Build:
+
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+
+    # CodeQL runs on ubuntu-latest and windows-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout repository
+      uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      with:
+        fetch-depth: 2
+
+    - name: Acme CodeQL
+      uses: acme/codeql-action/init@v2 # some comment
+      with:
+         languages: cpp
diff --git a/e2e/sast_test.go b/e2e/sast_test.go
index 82c48546fa8..2cd7743b7ee 100644
--- a/e2e/sast_test.go
+++ b/e2e/sast_test.go
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ var _ = Describe("E2E TEST:"+checks.CheckSAST, func() {
 			}
 			expected := scut.TestReturn{
 				Error:         nil,
-				Score:         0,
-				NumberOfWarn:  2,
-				NumberOfInfo:  0,
-				NumberOfDebug: 0,
+				Score:         10,
+				NumberOfWarn:  1,
+				NumberOfInfo:  1,
+				NumberOfDebug: 1,
 			}
 			result := checks.SAST(&req)
 			// New version.