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Semantic code search using `colgrep` CLI with natural language queries, file filtering, and hybrid text+semantic search. Replaces standard grep/glob for intuitive code exploration.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
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/colgrep:colgrepThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
This repository has `colgrep` installed - a semantic code search CLI.
This repository has colgrep installed - a semantic code search CLI.
Use colgrep as your PRIMARY search tool instead of Search / Grep / Glob.
# Basic semantic search
colgrep "<natural language query>" --results 10 # Basic search
colgrep "<query>" -k 25 # Exploration (more results)
colgrep "<query>" ./src/parser # Search in specific folder
colgrep "<query>" ./src/main.rs # Search in specific file
colgrep "<query>" ./src/main.rs ./src/lib.rs # Search in multiple files
colgrep "<query>" ./crate-a ./crate-b # Search multiple directories
# File filtering
colgrep --include="*.rs" "<query>" # Include only .rs files
colgrep --include="src/**/*.rs" "<query>" # Recursive glob pattern
colgrep --include="*.{rs,md}" "<query>" # Multiple file types (brace expansion)
colgrep --exclude="*.test.ts" "<query>" # Exclude test files
colgrep --exclude-dir=vendor "<query>" # Exclude vendor directory
# Pattern-only search (no semantic query needed)
colgrep -e "<pattern>" # Search by pattern only
colgrep -e "async fn" --include="*.rs" # Pattern search with file filter
# Hybrid search (text + semantic)
colgrep -e "<text>" "<semantic query>" # Hybrid: text + semantic
colgrep -e "<regex>" -E "<semantic query>" # Hybrid with extended regex (ERE)
colgrep -e "<literal>" -F "<semantic query>" # Hybrid with fixed string (no regex)
colgrep -e "<word>" -w "<semantic query>" # Hybrid with whole word match
# Output options
colgrep -l "<query>" # List files only
colgrep -c "<query>" # Show full function content (50 lines max)
colgrep -n 10 "<query>" # Show 10 context lines (default: 6)
colgrep --json "<query>" # JSON output
| Flag | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
-e <PATTERN> | Text pattern pre-filter | colgrep -e "async" "concurrency" |
-E | Extended regex (ERE) for -e | colgrep -e "async|await" -E "concurrency" |
-F | Fixed string (no regex) for -e | colgrep -e "foo[bar]" -F "query" |
-w | Whole word match for -e | colgrep -e "test" -w "testing" |
-k, --results | Number of results to return | colgrep --results 20 "query" |
-l | List files only | colgrep -l "authentication" |
-r | Recursive (default, for compatibility) | colgrep -r "query" |
--include | Include files matching pattern (repeatable) | colgrep --include="*.py" "query" |
--exclude | Exclude files matching pattern | colgrep --exclude="*.min.js" "query" |
--exclude-dir | Exclude directories | colgrep --exclude-dir=node_modules "query" |
Notes:
-F takes precedence over -E (like grep).git, node_modules, target, .venv, __pycache__. or .. as the path--include patterns use OR logic (matches if file matches any pattern)*.{rs,md,py} expands to match all three types| Task | Tool |
|---|---|
| Find code by intent/description | colgrep "query" -k 10 |
| Explore/understand a system | colgrep "query" -k 25 (increase k) |
| Search by pattern only | colgrep -e "pattern" (no semantic query) |
| Know text exists, need context | colgrep -e "text" "semantic query" |
| Literal text with special chars | colgrep -e "foo[0]" -F "semantic query" |
| Whole word match | colgrep -e "test" -w "testing utilities" |
| Search in a specific file | colgrep "query" ./src/main.rs |
| Search in multiple files | colgrep "query" ./src/main.rs ./src/lib.rs |
| Search specific file type | colgrep --include="*.ext" "query" |
| Search multiple file types | colgrep --include="*.{rs,md,py}" "query" |
| Exclude test files | colgrep --exclude="*_test.go" "query" |
| Exclude vendor directories | colgrep --exclude-dir=vendor "query" |
| Search in specific directories | colgrep --include="src/**/*.rs" "query" |
| Search multiple directories | colgrep "query" ./src ./lib ./api |
| Search CI/CD configs | colgrep --include="**/.github/**/*" "q" . |
| View full function content | colgrep -c "query" |
| Exact string/regex match only | Built-in Grep tool |
| Find files by name | Built-in Glob tool |
colgrep for any code search--results (or -k) when exploring (20-30 results)-e for hybrid text+semantic filtering-E with -e for extended regex (alternation |, quantifiers +?, grouping ())-F with -e when pattern contains regex special characters you want literal-w with -e to avoid partial matches (e.g., "test" won't match "testing")--exclude/--exclude-dir to filter out noise (tests, vendors, generated code)--include="*.{rs,md,py}")colgrep - when spawning Task/Explore agents, they should also use colgrep instead of GrepRun colgrep --help for complete documentation on all flags and options.
npx claudepluginhub lightonai/next-plaid --plugin colgrepEnhances codebase searches via semantic query parsing, regex patterns, AST analysis, symbol lookups, and optimized grep/ripgrep with relevance ranking and context.
Performs semantic code searches in codebases using natural language queries to find concepts like authentication logic, error handling patterns, or database connections via sgrep CLI.
Semantic codebase search — use for exploring code, finding implementations, and answering questions about any project. Searches using natural language queries, identifier names, or file paths. Returns ranked results using embedding-based similarity, BM25 keyword matching, symbol matching, import graph analysis, and git recency. Use this as the default exploration tool instead of grep when you don't know the exact text to search for.