ripgrep

name	ripgrep
description	Prefer ripgrep (`rg`) for text search, recursive codebase search, filename discovery with `rg --files`, and machine-readable search output. Trigger on search, grep, ripgrep, rg, find files, or look for pattern. Do NOT use for full-file reads or JSON queries better handled by jq.
compatibility	Requires: rg. Optional: python3 for probe and validation scripts. PCRE2-specific patterns require an rg build compiled with PCRE2.
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0","short-description":"Prefer rg over grep for fast recursive search","openclaw":{"category":"development","subcategory":"search","requires":{"bins":"[Truncated]"},"cliHelp":"rg --help","tags":["ripgrep","rg","grep","search","codebase","regex"]}}
references	["commands","configuration","patterns","gotchas"]

ripgrep

Prefer rg over grep for text search, and prefer rg --files over find | grep when the real task is path discovery.

Verified locally against ripgrep 15.1.0 on April 10, 2026. The skill is repo-agnostic, but the examples assume a Unix-like shell and an rg binary in PATH.

Decision Tree

What kind of search do you need?