code-search

name	code-search
description	Use when locating code in a Rider-supported solution (.NET/C#, F#, VB, C++, Unity, Unreal, XAML, Razor, mixed-language) — find where a symbol is declared, find usages/text/regex matches, or find files by glob. Trigger instead of shell grep/ripgrep/glob/find and instead of opening files to hunt, because these tools query the IDE index and return exact locations only. Do not use for non-Rider projects, for editing/refactoring code, or when you already hold the exact path you need.
allowed-tools	execute_tool
metadata	{"author":"JetBrains"}

Code Search

IDE-indexed search over a solution open in Rider. Each tool resolves through the index and returns locations only — filePath plus 1-based line/column, never file contents. Prefer it over shell grep/rg/glob/find and over opening files to look: one indexed query replaces many read-and-scan rounds, and search_symbol matches declaration names, so it never drowns in the comments, strings, usages, and generated/migration noise that text search returns.

Invoke a tool

Call through execute_tool — the first token is the exact tool name, then --flag value pairs. Map each need to exactly one tool and issue it directly; the required flag is below, so no lookup is needed first.

execute_tool(command='search_symbol --q AppUserSmartFilter --paths ["API/Entities/**"]')

--paths is a JSON array: the globs go inside [ ] with each pattern in double quotes.

Need	Tool	Required flag
Where a class/method/field is declared	search_symbol	--q
Every textual occurrence / usage of a string	search_text	--q
Regex matches	search_regex	--q
Files by name/glob	search_file	--q

• Every tool also takes --paths — a single-quoted JSON array of project-relative globs (NOT a bare glob or a comma-separated list); ! excludes, trailing /→**, no /→**/pattern. E.g. --paths '["API/Entities/**"]' or --paths '["API/**","!**/Migrations/**"]'. Also --limit (default 1000). search_symbol also takes --include_external true (SDK/library symbols, off by default); search_file also takes --includeExcluded true.
• Results carry no symbol name or kind — only paths + coordinates. Disambiguate by the returned path: for a name that collides across layers pick '["API/Entities/**"]' for the entity, '["API/DTOs/**"]' for the DTO, '["API/Entities/Enums/**"]' for the enum, etc.
• For a common member name (Update, Delete, Attach) do not scope --paths to a single file — search_symbol is name-ranked and its candidate list is capped before path filtering, so an over-narrow scope can return [] even when the symbol is there. Instead search the declaring type (e.g. --q ISeriesRepository) or search the member unscoped/broadly and pick the owning file from the returned paths.
• Only for a genuinely unclear parameter or output field, read reference/tools/<tool>.md once (index: reference/tools.md). There is no --describe.

Rules

1. Use the tool; don't grep/find or read files to hunt. Reach for search_* before shell search and before opening a file to locate something. Fall back to shell search only if execute_tool isn't in your toolset, or a call actually ran and failed in a way no input change can fix.
2. Trust the results — never re-verify. The returned locations are the answer. Do not then run grep/rg, list the tree, or open files "to confirm the match" — it only burns tokens. Open a returned file only when you actually need its contents for the task (e.g. to read a type's namespace). If more:true, the list was truncated — narrow with --paths/--limit, don't switch to grep.
3. Right tool for the job — declarations → search_symbol; occurrences/usages → search_text/search_regex; files → search_file. Using text search to find a declaration is the classic waste this skill exists to prevent.
4. Scope broad queries. Add --paths for common names and disambiguate by the returned path. For search_symbol, if the result is empty retry once with --include_external true, then trust the empty result.
5. Don't retry blindly — change an argument between calls. Flags need real values; quote values with spaces; omit optional params rather than passing "".

Notes & edge cases

search_symbol matches names fuzzily (camel-hump) and returns them relevance-ranked, so the exact/prefix hit is at the top even when the list is long. Text/regex results are ordered by file. Empty-query, invalid-regex, and out-of-project-path handling plus the full response schema are in reference/tools.md and the per-tool files — read them only when a call behaves unexpectedly.