file-search

# File Search Skill Efficient CLI search tools for AI agents. ## Tool Selection Guide | Task | Use | Instead of | |------|-----|------------| | Search text in code files | `rg` (ripgrep) | `grep`, `grep -r` | | Find files by name/path | `fd` | `find`, `ls -R` | | Structural/syntax-aware code search | `sg` (ast-grep) | regex hacks | | Apply rule packs (security/lint, taint) | `semgrep` | regex CI checks | | Search PDFs, Office docs, archives | `rga` (ripgrep-all) | manual extraction | | Count lines of code by language | `tokei` | `cloc`, `wc -l` | | Code stats with complexity metrics | `scc` | `cloc`, `tokei` | **Decision flow:** text → `rg` | structural → `sg` | rule packs → `semgrep` | filenames → `fd` | PDFs/archives → `rga` | LOC → `tokei`/`scc` ## Quick Examples ```bash rg 'def \w+\(' -t py src/ # rg: text search in Python files rg -c 'TODO' -t js | wc -l # rg: count first, then drill down sg --pattern 'console.log($$$)' --rewrite 'logger.info($$$)' --lang js # sg: structural replace fd -g '*.test.ts' --changed-within 1d # fd: -g for compound suffixes (NOT -e) fd -g '*_test.go' -X rg 'func Test' # fd+rg: find files, verify contents rga 'quarterly revenue' docs/ # rga: search inside PDFs/archives tokei --sort code # tokei: language stats scc --wide # scc: complexity + COCOMO ``` ## Best Practices 1. **Start narrow.** Specify types (`-t`, `--lang`, `-e`), scope dirs, count first (`rg -c`). 2. **Exclude noise** (`-g '!vendor/'`, `fd -E node_modules`). 3. **Batch independent queries.** Union patterns with `rg -e P1 -e P2 -e P3` (one walk), or issue distinct queries as parallel tool calls in one message — never sequential `&&` chains. 4. **`--json`** for programmatic processing. 5. **rg ≠ fd types.** `rg -t ts` includes `.tsx`; `fd -e ts` does NOT. No `-t tsx` in rg. See [references/search-strategies.md](references/search-strategies.md). ## Beyond Local Files If local search finds nothing and context lives in issues/PRs/external docs — hand off (`gh`, Jira, WebFetch). Issue keys in comments signal this. See [references/remote-handoff.md](references/remote-handoff.md). ## References | Topic | File | |-------|------| | rg flags, patterns, recipes | [references/ripgrep-patterns.md](references/ripgrep-patterns.md) | | ast-grep patterns by language | [references/ast-grep-patterns.md](references/ast-grep-patterns.md) | | semgrep rules and taint mode | [references/semgrep-patterns.md](references/semgrep-patterns.md) | | fd flags, usage, fd+rg combos | [references/fd-guide.md](references/fd-guide.md) | | rga formats, usage, caching | [references/rga-guide.md](references/rga-guide.md) | | tokei and scc usage | [references/code-metrics.md](references/code-metrics.md) | | PreToolUse nudge (ships with plugin) | [references/enforcement-hook.md](references/enforcement-hook.md) | | Search targeting strategies | [references/search-strategies.md](references/search-strategies.md) | | Remote context handoff guide | [references/remote-handoff.md](references/remote-handoff.md) | | Modern CLI tools comparison (legacy→modern, all domains) | [cli-tools SKILL.md#preferred-modern-tools](https://github.com/netresearch/coding_agent_cli_toolset/blob/main/skills/cli-tools/SKILL.md#preferred-modern-tools) |