# CLI Power Tools > 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. - Skill: `oakoss/cli-power-tools` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add oakoss/cli-power-tools` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/oakoss/cli-power-tools/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MIT - Author: oakoss (https://skillmd.com/u/oakoss) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/oakoss/cli-power-tools --- # 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](references/modern-unix-toolbox.md) -- ripgrep, fd, bat, zoxide, fzf, eza, terminal setup - [Advanced Regex and jq](references/advanced-regex-and-jq.md) -- named captures, lookahead/lookbehind, jq filters, integrated pipelines - [Nushell Structured Data](references/nushell-structured-data.md) -- table paradigm, API interaction, scripting, Unix interop