searching-text

name	searching-text
description	Performs fast text search with one-shot patterns that minimize iterations by getting files, lines, and context in a single call. Use this skill when searching for text patterns, finding specific code locations, or getting context around matches

ripgrep: Powerful, one-shot text search

Always invoke ripgrep skill for text search - do not execute bash commands directly.

Default Strategy

Invoke ripgrep skill for fast text search with one-shot patterns. Use -e 'pattern' -n -C 2 to get files, line numbers, and context in a single call.

This minimizes iterations and context usage. Always prefer getting line numbers and surrounding context over multiple search attempts.

Common workflow: ripgrep skill → other skills (fzf, bat, sd, analyzing-code-structure) for interactive selection, preview, or modification.

Tool Selection

Grep tool (built on ripgrep) - Use for structured searches:

• Basic pattern matching with structured output
• File type filtering with type parameter
• When special flags like -F, -v, -w, or pipe composition are not needed
• Handles 95% of search needs

Bash(rg) - Use for one-shot searches needing special flags or composition:

• Fixed string search (-F)
• Invert match (-v)
• Word boundaries (-w)
• Context lines with patterns (-n -C 2)
• Pipe composition (| head, | wc -l, | sort)
• Default choice for efficient one-shot results

- Use for file name/path matching only (not content search)