Code Search

Code Search

Scope Constraints

• Read-only file search operations using Grep and Glob
• Does not modify, create, or delete files
• Does not execute found code or run tests

Input Sanitization

• Search patterns: reject null bytes, validate regex syntax before passing to Grep
• File glob patterns: reject .. traversal, null bytes, and shell metacharacters

Use Grep for content searches, Glob for file pattern matching.

Output Format

Found 5 matches for "handleAuth" in 3 files:

  src/lib/auth.ts:23      export function handleAuth(req: Request) {
  src/lib/auth.ts:45      return handleAuth(nextReq);
  src/middleware.ts:12     import { handleAuth } from "@/lib/auth";

Gotchas

• Using grep or rg via Bash instead of the Grep tool — the Grep tool has optimized permissions and better output formatting
• Forgetting --glob or --type filtering returns matches from node_modules, .git, and vendored code — always scope searches
• Glob patterns are for file names only, not content — use Grep for content, Glob for finding files by path pattern
• Grep uses ripgrep regex, not grep regex — literal braces need escaping (interface\{\} not interface{})
• Reading an entire large file when you only need a section — use offset and limit parameters on Read

Examples

• "find all usages of X" → Grep for X
• "where is the config file" → Glob for config patterns
• "search for error handling" → Grep for try/catch, .catch, error patterns