colgrep

Semantic Code Search

This repository has colgrep installed - a semantic code search CLI.

Use colgrep as your PRIMARY search tool instead of Search / Grep / Glob.

Quick Reference

# Basic semantic search
colgrep "<natural language query>" --results 10   # Basic search
colgrep "<query>" -k 25                           # Exploration (more results)
colgrep "<query>" ./src/parser                    # Search in specific folder
colgrep "<query>" ./src/main.rs                   # Search in specific file
colgrep "<query>" ./src/main.rs ./src/lib.rs      # Search in multiple files
colgrep "<query>" ./crate-a ./crate-b             # Search multiple directories

# File filtering
colgrep --include="*.rs" "<query>"                # Include only .rs files
colgrep --include="src/**/*.rs" "<query>"         # Recursive glob pattern
colgrep --include="*.{rs,md}" "<query>"           # Multiple file types (brace expansion)
colgrep --exclude="*.test.ts" "<query>"           # Exclude test files
colgrep --exclude-dir=vendor "<query>"            # Exclude vendor directory

# Pattern-only search (no semantic query needed)
colgrep -e "<pattern>"                            # Search by pattern only
colgrep -e "async fn" --include="*.rs"            # Pattern search with file filter

# Hybrid search (text + semantic)
colgrep -e "<text>" "<semantic query>"            # Hybrid: text + semantic
colgrep -e "<regex>" -E "<semantic query>"        # Hybrid with extended regex (ERE)
colgrep -e "<literal>" -F "<semantic query>"      # Hybrid with fixed string (no regex)
colgrep -e "<word>" -w "<semantic query>"         # Hybrid with whole word match

# Output options
colgrep -l "<query>"                              # List files only
colgrep -c "<query>"                              # Show full function content (50 lines max)
colgrep -n 10 "<query>"                           # Show 10 context lines (default: 6)
colgrep --json "<query>"                          # JSON output

Grep-Compatible Flags

Notes:

• -F takes precedence over -E (like grep)
• Default exclusions always apply: .git, node_modules, target, .venv, __pycache__
• When running from a subdirectory, results are restricted to that subdirectory. To search the full project, specify . or .. as the path
• Multiple --include patterns use OR logic (matches if file matches any pattern)
• Brace expansion is supported: *.{rs,md,py} expands to match all three types

When to Use What

Key Rules

1. Default to colgrep for any code search
2. Increase --results (or -k) when exploring (20-30 results)
3. Use -e for hybrid text+semantic filtering
4. Use -E with -e for extended regex (alternation |, quantifiers +?, grouping ())
5. Use -F with -e when pattern contains regex special characters you want literal
6. Use -w with -e to avoid partial matches (e.g., "test" won't match "testing")
7. Use --exclude/--exclude-dir to filter out noise (tests, vendors, generated code)
8. Use brace expansion for multiple file types (e.g., --include="*.{rs,md,py}")
9. Agents should use colgrep - when spawning Task/Explore agents, they should also use colgrep instead of Grep

Need Help?

Run colgrep --help for complete documentation on all flags and options.