searchgrep

Semantic grep for the AI era - natural language code search powered by Rust.

searchgrep brings grep into 2025 by combining traditional file search with AI-powered semantic understanding. Search your codebase using natural language queries like "where are authentication errors handled" or "database connection pooling logic".

Features

- Semantic Search: Find code by meaning, not just keywords
- Natural Language Queries: Ask questions like you would ask a colleague
- Local Embeddings: Works offline with no API key required (BGE-base, CodeRankEmbed)
- Hybrid Mode: Combines multiple models for best quality
- MCP Server: Integrates directly with Claude Code
- AI Answers: Get synthesized answers about your codebase
- File Watching: Keep your index up-to-date automatically
- Git-Aware: Respects .gitignore patterns
- Blazing Fast: Native Rust with Apple Silicon acceleration

Installation

$3

``bash
brew tap RandomsUsernames/searchgrep
brew install searchgrep
`

$3

`bash


Requires Rust: https://rustup.rs


git clone https://github.com/RandomsUsernames/Searchgrep.git
cd Searchgrep
git checkout rust-rewrite
cargo install --path .
`

$3

`bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RandomsUsernames/Searchgrep/rust-rewrite/install.sh | bash
`

Quick Start

`bash


Index your codebase

searchgrep watch --once

Or watch for changes

searchgrep watch

Search

searchgrep search "authentication middleware"
searchgrep search "where are errors handled" --content
searchgrep ask "how does the login flow work"
`

Claude Code Integration (MCP)

searchgrep includes an MCP server for direct Claude Code integration.

$3

The installer configures Claude Code automatically. Or manually add to ~/.claude/mcp_servers.json:

`json
{
"mcpServers": {
"searchgrep": {
"command": "searchgrep",
"args": ["mcp-server"],
"env": {}
}
}
}
`

$3

After restarting Claude Code, these tools are available:

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| semantic_search | Search code using natural language queries |
| index_directory | Index a directory for semantic search |

Commands

$3

Search files using natural language.

`bash
searchgrep search "database queries"
searchgrep search "API error handling" --content
searchgrep search "user authentication" --answer
searchgrep search "config loading" --sync
`

Options:
- -m, --max-count - Maximum results (default: 10)
- -c, --content - Show file content snippets
- -a, --answer - Generate AI answer from results
- -s, --sync - Sync files before searching
- --code - Use CodeRankEmbed (optimized for code)
- --hybrid - Use BGE + CodeRankEmbed fusion (best quality)
- --store - Use alternative store

$3

Index files and watch for changes.

`bash
searchgrep watch # Watch current directory
searchgrep watch ./src # Watch specific path
searchgrep watch --once # Index once, don't watch
searchgrep watch --fast # Fast mode (MiniLM, 2-3x faster)
searchgrep watch --code # Code-optimized (CodeRankEmbed)
`

$3

Run as MCP server for Claude Code integration.

`bash
searchgrep mcp-server # Runs JSON-RPC over stdio
`

$3

Ask a question and get an AI-generated answer.

`bash
searchgrep ask "how does error handling work"
searchgrep ask "explain the authentication flow"
`

$3

Configure settings.

`bash
searchgrep config --api-key sk-... # Set OpenAI API key (for answers)
searchgrep config --show # Show current config
searchgrep config --clear # Clear indexed files
`

$3

Show index status and statistics.

`bash
searchgrep status # Show overview
searchgrep status --files # List indexed files
`

Search Modes

| Mode | Flag | Model | Best For |
|------|------|-------|----------|
| Balanced | (default) | BGE-base | General text search |
| Fast | --fast | MiniLM | Quick indexing |
| Code | --code | CodeRankEmbed | Code-specific search |
| Hybrid | --hybrid | BGE + CodeRankEmbed | Best quality |

How It Works

1. Indexing: Files are chunked and converted to vector embeddings locally
2. Storage: Embeddings stored in ~/.searchgrep/
3. Search: Query embedded and compared using cosine similarity
4. Ranking: Results ranked by semantic similarity
5. Answers: Top results sent to GPT for synthesized answers

Performance

- Apple Silicon: Uses Accelerate framework for fast CPU inference
- Hybrid Mode: ~3.5s for search (loads both models)
- Single Mode: ~2s for search
- Indexing: ~100 files/minute (balanced mode)

Configuration

$3

- OPENAI_API_KEY - OpenAI API key (for --answer mode)
- OPENAI_BASE_URL - Custom API base URL

$3

searchgrep respects:
- .gitignore patterns
- .searchgrepignore (project-specific exclusions)

Examples

`bash


Find authentication-related code

searchgrep "user login and session handling"

Search with content preview

searchgrep search "database connection" --content

Code-optimized search

searchgrep search --code "async function error handling"

Best quality hybrid search

searchgrep search --hybrid "vector embedding implementation"

Get an answer about architecture

searchgrep ask "what's the overall architecture of this project"
`

Building

`bash


Debug build

cargo build

Release build (optimized)

cargo build --release

Install locally

cargo install --path .
``

License

MIT