file-search

File Search Skill

Search code efficiently using ripgrep for text patterns and ast-grep for structural code patterns.

Purpose

The file-search skill provides access to two powerful search tools:

1. ripgrep (rg): Ultra-fast text search with regex support for finding strings, patterns, and text matches
2. ast-grep (sg): Syntax-aware structural search for finding code patterns based on abstract syntax trees

Use these tools to understand codebases, find usage patterns, analyze impact of changes, and locate specific code constructs. Both tools are significantly faster than traditional grep or find commands.

When to Use This Skill

Use the file-search skill when:

• Understanding a new codebase (finding entry points, key classes)
• Finding all usages of a function, class, or variable before refactoring
• Locating specific code patterns (error handling, API calls, etc.)
• Searching for security issues (hardcoded credentials, SQL queries, eval usage)
• Analyzing dependencies and imports
• Finding TODOs, FIXMEs, or code comments

Choose ripgrep for:

• Text-based searches (strings, comments, variable names)
• Fast, simple pattern matching across many files
• When the exact code structure doesn't matter

Choose ast-grep for:

• Structural code searches (function signatures, class definitions)
• Syntax-aware matching (understanding code semantics)
• Complex refactoring (finding specific code patterns)

Invoking Search Tools

Use the execute_command tool to run ripgrep and ast-grep:

# Using ripgrep
execute_command("rg 'pattern' --type py src/")

# Using ast-grep
execute_command("sg --pattern 'class $NAME { $$$ }' --lang python")

Both tools are pre-installed and available via shell execution.

Targeting Your Searches

CRITICAL: Always start with targeted, narrow searches to avoid overwhelming results. Getting thousands of matches makes analysis impossible and wastes tokens.

These strategies apply to both ripgrep and ast-grep.