Utility Pro
Overview
Masters the command-line environment by turning raw text and unstructured data into actionable insights. Combines Rust-powered search tools (ripgrep, fd, bat), structured data shells (Nushell), JSON manipulation (jq/yq), and modern HTTP clients (xh) for high-performance CLI workflows.
Core philosophy: Replace legacy text-parsing pipelines (grep/awk/sed chains) with purpose-built tools that understand structure. ripgrep understands gitignore rules, fd understands file types, jq understands JSON, and Nushell understands tables.
When to use: Codebase-wide search and analysis, multi-file refactoring, JSON/YAML transformation pipelines, API debugging, directory navigation, log parsing, disk usage auditing, dependency tracing.
When NOT to use: GUI-based tasks, complex application logic (write a script instead), tasks requiring interactive prompts.
Quick Reference
| Pattern |
Tool / Command |
Key Points |
| Text search |
rg "pattern" -g "*.tsx" |
10-100x faster than grep, respects .gitignore |
| File search |
fd -e pdf or fd "pattern" |
Fast alternative to find with smart defaults |
| Syntax-highlighted read |
bat file.ts |
Cat with syntax highlighting and git integration |
| Directory jump |
z project-name |
Remembers frequently visited directories |
| Fuzzy search |
fzf or CTRL-T / CTRL-R |
Interactive selection for files and history |
| Tree view |
eza --tree --level=2 |
Metadata-rich ls replacement with tree support |
| JSON query |
jq '.items[] | select(.active)' |
Full functional programming for JSON |
| YAML query |
yq '.config.database' file.yml |
jq-like syntax for YAML files |
| HTTP request |
xh POST api.example.com/v1/data key=value |
Colorized, user-friendly HTTP client |
| Multi-file refactor |
fd -e tsx -x sed -i 's/Old/New/g' {} |
Find files then execute transforms |
| Structured shell |
ls | where size > 1mb | sort-by size |
Nushell tables instead of text parsing |
| Log parsing |
rg "ERROR" --json | jq 'select(.type == "match") | .data.lines.text' |
Combine ripgrep JSON output with jq filters |
| File preview with search |
fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}' |
Browse files with syntax-highlighted preview |
| Find recently changed |
fd --changed-within 1h |
Find files modified within a time window |
| Export count by file |
rg -c "pattern" -g "*.ts" | sort -t: -k2 -rn |
Count matches per file, sorted by frequency |
| JSON format conversion |
yq -o json config.yml |
Convert between YAML, JSON, CSV, and other formats |
| Advanced regex search |
rg -P "(?<=function\s)\w+" --only-matching |
PCRE2 for lookahead/lookbehind patterns |
| Git-aware file listing |
eza -la --git --icons |
Show file metadata with inline git status |
Tool Overview
| Category |
Modern Tool |
Replaces |
Key Advantage |
| Text search |
ripgrep (rg) |
grep, ag, git grep |
Speed, .gitignore awareness, Unicode |
| File search |
fd |
find |
Smart defaults, regex, parallelism |
| File viewer |
bat |
cat, less |
Syntax highlighting, git diff markers |
| Directory jump |
zoxide (z) |
cd, autojump |
Frecency-based ranking, fzf fallback |
| Fuzzy finder |
fzf |
manual piping |
Universal selector for any list |
| File listing |
eza |
ls, tree |
Tree view, git status, icons |
| JSON processing |
jq |
awk, python oneliners |
Typed, functional JSON transforms |
| YAML processing |
yq |
sed on YAML |
jq-compatible syntax for YAML |
| HTTP client |
xh |
curl, httpie |
HTTPie syntax, Rust speed, single binary |
| Structured shell |
Nushell |
bash + awk/sed |
Typed tables, native format conversion |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake |
Correct Pattern |
Using grep instead of ripgrep for codebase search |
Use rg which is 10-100x faster and respects .gitignore by default |
Piping ls output into grep for file filtering |
Use fd for file discovery, or eza -D / eza --ignore-glob for listing |
Writing complex awk scripts for structured data |
Use Nushell or jq which natively understand JSON, CSV, and YAML |
Running rm -rf in scripts without a dry-run step |
Always add a verification or dry-run step before destructive operations |
| Using capturing groups in regex when not needed |
Prefer non-capturing groups (?:...) for better performance in large-scale scans |
Searching node_modules or .git directories |
Use rg which skips these by default, or configure exclusions explicitly |
Forgetting select(.type == "match") on rg --json |
ripgrep JSON emits begin, match, context, end, and summary message types |
Using curl with verbose flag syntax |
Use xh which provides colorized output and HTTPie-compatible request-item syntax |
Parsing text output between tools with cut/tr |
Use Nushell pipelines that preserve structured data through every stage |
Anchoring regex with .* at the start |
Anchor with ^ when possible; unanchored .* causes expensive backtracking |
Installation
All tools are available via common package managers. Most are single statically linked binaries.
| Tool |
macOS (Homebrew) |
Linux (apt/cargo) |
| ripgrep |
brew install ripgrep |
apt install ripgrep or cargo install ripgrep |
| fd |
brew install fd |
apt install fd-find or cargo install fd-find |
| bat |
brew install bat |
apt install bat or cargo install bat |
| zoxide |
brew install zoxide |
cargo install zoxide |
| fzf |
brew install fzf |
apt install fzf |
| eza |
brew install eza |
cargo install eza |
| jq |
brew install jq |
apt install jq |
| yq |
brew install yq |
snap install yq or go install |
| xh |
brew install xh |
cargo install xh |
| Nushell |
brew install nushell |
cargo install nu |
Shell integration (add to shell config after installing):
| Tool |
Shell Integration Required |
| zoxide |
eval "$(zoxide init zsh)" (or bash/fish equivalent) |
| fzf |
Source keybinding and completion scripts from fzf install |
Delegation
- Large-scale codebase search and analysis: Use
Explore agent to run ripgrep queries, trace dependencies, and map code patterns
- Multi-file refactoring workflows: Use
Task agent to coordinate fd, sed, and verification steps across an entire project
- Pipeline architecture for data transformation: Use
Plan agent to design structured pipelines combining jq, Nushell, and API tools
References
- Modern Unix Toolbox -- ripgrep, fd, bat, zoxide, fzf, eza, terminal setup
- Advanced Regex and jq -- named captures, lookahead/lookbehind, jq filters, integrated pipelines
- Nushell Structured Data -- table paradigm, API interaction, scripting, Unix interop
1---2name: cli-power-tools3description: Performs advanced CLI operations, structured data transformation, and Unix forensics with modern Rust-powered tools. Use when searching codebases with ripgrep, transforming JSON or YAML with jq, refactoring across files with sed and fd, debugging APIs with httpie, or navigating directories with zoxide.4license: MIT5---6
7# Utility Pro
8
9## Overview
10
11Masters the command-line environment by turning raw text and unstructured data into actionable insights. Combines Rust-powered search tools (ripgrep, fd, bat), structured data shells (Nushell), JSON manipulation (jq/yq), and modern HTTP clients (xh) for high-performance CLI workflows.
12
13**Core philosophy:** Replace legacy text-parsing pipelines (grep/awk/sed chains) with purpose-built tools that understand structure. ripgrep understands gitignore rules, fd understands file types, jq understands JSON, and Nushell understands tables.
14
15**When to use:** Codebase-wide search and analysis, multi-file refactoring, JSON/YAML transformation pipelines, API debugging, directory navigation, log parsing, disk usage auditing, dependency tracing.
16
17**When NOT to use:** GUI-based tasks, complex application logic (write a script instead), tasks requiring interactive prompts.
18
19## Quick Reference
20
21| Pattern | Tool / Command | Key Points |
22| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
23| Text search | `rg "pattern" -g "*.tsx"` | 10-100x faster than grep, respects `.gitignore` |
24| File search | `fd -e pdf` or `fd "pattern"` | Fast alternative to `find` with smart defaults |
25| Syntax-highlighted read | `bat file.ts` | Cat with syntax highlighting and git integration |
26| Directory jump | `z project-name` | Remembers frequently visited directories |
27| Fuzzy search | `fzf` or `CTRL-T` / `CTRL-R` | Interactive selection for files and history |
28| Tree view | `eza --tree --level=2` | Metadata-rich ls replacement with tree support |
29| JSON query | `jq '.items[] \| select(.active)'` | Full functional programming for JSON |
30| YAML query | `yq '.config.database' file.yml` | jq-like syntax for YAML files |
31| HTTP request | `xh POST api.example.com/v1/data key=value` | Colorized, user-friendly HTTP client |
32| Multi-file refactor | `fd -e tsx -x sed -i 's/Old/New/g' {}` | Find files then execute transforms |
33| Structured shell | `ls \| where size > 1mb \| sort-by size` | Nushell tables instead of text parsing |
34| Log parsing | `rg "ERROR" --json \| jq 'select(.type == "match") \| .data.lines.text'` | Combine ripgrep JSON output with jq filters |
35| File preview with search | `fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}'` | Browse files with syntax-highlighted preview |
36| Find recently changed | `fd --changed-within 1h` | Find files modified within a time window |
37| Export count by file | `rg -c "pattern" -g "*.ts" \| sort -t: -k2 -rn` | Count matches per file, sorted by frequency |
38| JSON format conversion | `yq -o json config.yml` | Convert between YAML, JSON, CSV, and other formats |
39| Advanced regex search | `rg -P "(?<=function\s)\w+" --only-matching` | PCRE2 for lookahead/lookbehind patterns |
40| Git-aware file listing | `eza -la --git --icons` | Show file metadata with inline git status |
41
42## Tool Overview
43
44| Category | Modern Tool | Replaces | Key Advantage |
45| ---------------- | -------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
46| Text search | ripgrep (`rg`) | grep, ag, git grep | Speed, `.gitignore` awareness, Unicode |
47| File search | fd | find | Smart defaults, regex, parallelism |
48| File viewer | bat | cat, less | Syntax highlighting, git diff markers |
49| Directory jump | zoxide (`z`) | cd, autojump | Frecency-based ranking, fzf fallback |
50| Fuzzy finder | fzf | manual piping | Universal selector for any list |
51| File listing | eza | ls, tree | Tree view, git status, icons |
52| JSON processing | jq | awk, python oneliners | Typed, functional JSON transforms |
53| YAML processing | yq | sed on YAML | jq-compatible syntax for YAML |
54| HTTP client | xh | curl, httpie | HTTPie syntax, Rust speed, single binary |
55| Structured shell | Nushell | bash + awk/sed | Typed tables, native format conversion |
56
57## Common Mistakes
58
59| Mistake | Correct Pattern |
60| ----------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
61| Using `grep` instead of `ripgrep` for codebase search | Use `rg` which is 10-100x faster and respects `.gitignore` by default |
62| Piping `ls` output into `grep` for file filtering | Use `fd` for file discovery, or `eza -D` / `eza --ignore-glob` for listing |
63| Writing complex `awk` scripts for structured data | Use Nushell or `jq` which natively understand JSON, CSV, and YAML |
64| Running `rm -rf` in scripts without a dry-run step | Always add a verification or dry-run step before destructive operations |
65| Using capturing groups in regex when not needed | Prefer non-capturing groups `(?:...)` for better performance in large-scale scans |
66| Searching `node_modules` or `.git` directories | Use `rg` which skips these by default, or configure exclusions explicitly |
67| Forgetting `select(.type == "match")` on `rg --json` | ripgrep JSON emits begin, match, context, end, and summary message types |
68| Using `curl` with verbose flag syntax | Use `xh` which provides colorized output and HTTPie-compatible request-item syntax |
69| Parsing text output between tools with `cut`/`tr` | Use Nushell pipelines that preserve structured data through every stage |
70| Anchoring regex with `.*` at the start | Anchor with `^` when possible; unanchored `.*` causes expensive backtracking |
71
72## Installation
73
74All tools are available via common package managers. Most are single statically linked binaries.
75
76| Tool | macOS (Homebrew) | Linux (apt/cargo) |
77| ------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
78| ripgrep | `brew install ripgrep` | `apt install ripgrep` or `cargo install ripgrep` |
79| fd | `brew install fd` | `apt install fd-find` or `cargo install fd-find` |
80| bat | `brew install bat` | `apt install bat` or `cargo install bat` |
81| zoxide | `brew install zoxide` | `cargo install zoxide` |
82| fzf | `brew install fzf` | `apt install fzf` |
83| eza | `brew install eza` | `cargo install eza` |
84| jq | `brew install jq` | `apt install jq` |
85| yq | `brew install yq` | `snap install yq` or `go install` |
86| xh | `brew install xh` | `cargo install xh` |
87| Nushell | `brew install nushell` | `cargo install nu` |
88
89Shell integration (add to shell config after installing):
90
91| Tool | Shell Integration Required |
92| ------ | --------------------------------------------------------- |
93| zoxide | `eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"` (or bash/fish equivalent) |
94| fzf | Source keybinding and completion scripts from fzf install |
95
96## Delegation
97
98- **Large-scale codebase search and analysis**: Use `Explore` agent to run ripgrep queries, trace dependencies, and map code patterns
99- **Multi-file refactoring workflows**: Use `Task` agent to coordinate fd, sed, and verification steps across an entire project
100- **Pipeline architecture for data transformation**: Use `Plan` agent to design structured pipelines combining jq, Nushell, and API tools
101
102## References
103
104- [Modern Unix Toolbox](references/modern-unix-toolbox.md) -- ripgrep, fd, bat, zoxide, fzf, eza, terminal setup
105- [Advanced Regex and jq](references/advanced-regex-and-jq.md) -- named captures, lookahead/lookbehind, jq filters, integrated pipelines
106- [Nushell Structured Data](references/nushell-structured-data.md) -- table paradigm, API interaction, scripting, Unix interop
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