| name | search-router |
| description | Choose the right search tool for each query type |
| user-invocable | false |
Search Tool Router
Use the most token-efficient search tool for each query type.
When to Use
- Searching for code patterns
- Finding where something is implemented
- Looking for specific identifiers
- Understanding how code works
Decision Tree
Query Type?
├── CODE EXPLORATION (symbols, call chains, data flow)
│ → TLDR Search - 95% token savings
│ DEFAULT FOR ALL CODE SEARCH - use instead of Grep
│ Examples: "spawn_agent", "DataPoller", "redis usage"
│ Command: tldr search "query" .
│
├── STRUCTURAL (AST patterns)
│ → AST-grep (/ast-grep-find) - ~50 tokens output
│ Examples: "def foo", "class Bar", "import X", "@decorator"
│
├── SEMANTIC (conceptual questions)
│ → TLDR Semantic - 5-layer embeddings (P6)
│ Examples: "how does auth work", "find error handling patterns"
│ Command: tldr semantic search "query"
│
├── LITERAL (exact text, regex)
│ → Grep tool - LAST RESORT
│ Only when TLDR/AST-grep don't apply
│ Examples: error messages, config values, non-code text
│
└── FULL CONTEXT (need complete understanding)
→ Read tool - 1500+ tokens
Last resort after finding the right file
Token Efficiency Comparison
| Tool | Output Size | Best For |
|---|
| TLDR | ~50-500 | DEFAULT: Code symbols, call graphs, data flow |
| TLDR Semantic |