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ripgrep Cheatsheet

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ripgrep (rg) is a fast text search tool that recursively searches directories for a regex pattern. Faster than grep, respects .gitignore by default, and has excellent Unicode support.

Basic Usage

  • rg pattern - Search in current directory
  • rg pattern path/ - Search in directory
  • rg -i pattern - Case-insensitive search
  • rg -w pattern - Whole word match
  • rg -l pattern - List matching files only
  • rg -c pattern - Count matches per file

Search Options

  • -i - Case-insensitive
  • -w - Whole word
  • -v - Invert match
  • -x - Match entire line
  • -F - Fixed string (no regex)
  • -e pattern - Pattern to search
  • -f file - Patterns from file
  • -g pattern - Glob pattern

Output Options

  • -l - List files only
  • -L - List files without matches
  • -c - Count matches per file
  • --count-matches - Count matches (not lines)
  • -n - Show line numbers
  • -N - No line numbers
  • -C N - Context lines (before and after)
  • -A N - Lines after match
  • -B N - Lines before match
  • -H - Show filename (default)
  • -h - No filename
  • --color always - Always colorize
  • --color never - Never colorize
  • --color auto - Colorize when outputting to terminal

File Options

  • -t type - Search only file type
  • -T type - Exclude file type
  • -g pattern - Include glob pattern
  • -g !pattern - Exclude glob pattern
  • --type-list - List all file types
  • --no-ignore - Don't respect ignore files
  • --ignore-case - Case-insensitive matching
  • -u - Unrestricted search (like --no-ignore)
  • -uu - Also search hidden files
  • -uuu - Also search binary files

Common Examples

Basic Search

rg "function"

Search for "function" in current directory.

Case-Insensitive

rg -i "error"

Search case-insensitively.

List Files

rg -l "TODO"

List files containing "TODO".

With Context

rg -C 3 "pattern"

Show 3 lines before and after.

Specific File Type

rg -t py "import"

Search only Python files.

Exclude Type

rg -T js "function"

Search excluding JavaScript files.

Whole Word

rg -w "test"

Match whole word only.

Fixed String

rg -F "*.txt"

Search literal string (no regex).

Count Matches

rg -c "error"

Count matches per file.

Unrestricted

rg -u "pattern"

Ignore .gitignore and other ignore files.

Tips

  • Much faster than grep for large codebases
  • Respects .gitignore by default
  • Use -i for case-insensitive search
  • Use -l to just list files
  • Use -t to filter by file type
  • Use -C for context around matches
  • Excellent Unicode support
  • Great for code searching