To analyze and summarize the current research status and frontiers of the role of autophagy in ischemic stroke based on bibliometrics. Methods: Literature was retrieved from the core collections of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, and Web of Science databases. Software tools such as Cite Space, VOS viewer, and the bibliometric package Bibliometrix in R language were employed to conduct visual analyses on the number of publications, contributing countries, author collaborations, institutional collaborations, keywords, and co-occurrence networks of the published literature from 2013 to 2023. Results: The number of included Chinese and English publications has shown a stable trend in recent years, with an upward trajectory observed, indicating sustained research interest. China ranks first in terms of the number of publications. TIAN Fuling and CHEN Zhong are the most prolific authors in Chinese and English literature, respectively. Anhui University of Chinese Medicine and Zhejiang University are the institutions with the highest number of publications in Chinese and English literature, respectively. Research hotspots in the coming years may include the combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), exosomes, crosstalk effects, and mechanistic studies. Conclusion: Future research by scientists should delve deeper into the specific mechanisms and effects of autophagy, as well as the development of innovative drugs derived from TCM. Methods such as gene knockout and network pharmacology can be utilized to explore the specific mechanisms of action. The strategy of "target identification through drugs" in TCM can be attempted to elucidate the pharmacodynamic substances of TCM, reveal new TCM targets, and develop innovative TCM drugs.