.TH RG 1 2024-09-08 "!!VERSION!!" "User Commands"
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.SH NAME
rg \- recursively search the current directory for lines matching a pattern
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.SH SYNOPSIS
.\" I considered using GNU troff's .SY and .YS "synopsis" macros here, but it
.\" looks like they aren't portable. Specifically, they don't appear to be in
.\" BSD's mdoc used on macOS.
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\fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fIPATTERN\fP [\fIPATH\fP...]
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\fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fB\-e\fP \fIPATTERN\fP... [\fIPATH\fP...]
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\fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fB\-f\fP \fIPATTERNFILE\fP... [\fIPATH\fP...]
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\fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fB\-\-files\fP [\fIPATH\fP...]
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\fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fB\-\-type\-list\fP
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\fIcommand\fP | \fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fIPATTERN\fP
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\fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fB\-\-help\fP
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\fBrg\fP [\fIOPTIONS\fP] \fB\-\-version\fP
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.SH DESCRIPTION
ripgrep (rg) recursively searches the current directory for a regex pattern.
By default, ripgrep will respect your \fB.gitignore\fP and automatically skip
hidden files/directories and binary files.
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ripgrep's default regex engine uses finite automata and guarantees linear
time searching. Because of this, features like backreferences and arbitrary
look-around are not supported. However, if ripgrep is built with PCRE2,
then the \fB\-P/\-\-pcre2\fP flag can be used to enable backreferences and
look-around.
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ripgrep supports configuration files. Set \fBRIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH\fP to a
configuration file. The file can specify one shell argument per line. Lines
starting with \fB#\fP are ignored. For more details, see \fBCONFIGURATION
FILES\fP below.
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ripgrep will automatically detect if stdin exists and search stdin for a regex
pattern, e.g. \fBls | rg foo\fP. In some environments, stdin may exist when
it shouldn't. To turn off stdin detection, one can explicitly specify the
directory to search, e.g. \fBrg foo ./\fP.
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Like other tools such as \fBls\fP, ripgrep will alter its output depending on
whether stdout is connected to a tty. By default, when printing a tty, ripgrep
will enable colors, line numbers and a heading format that lists each matching
file path once instead of once per matching line.
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Tip: to disable all smart filtering and make ripgrep behave a bit more like
classical grep, use \fBrg -uuu\fP.
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.SH REGEX SYNTAX
ripgrep uses Rust's regex engine by default, which documents its syntax:
\fIhttps://docs.rs/regex/1.*/regex/#syntax\fP
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ripgrep uses byte-oriented regexes, which has some additional documentation:
\fIhttps://docs.rs/regex/1.*/regex/bytes/index.html#syntax\fP
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To a first approximation, ripgrep uses Perl-like regexes without look-around or
backreferences. This makes them very similar to the "extended" (ERE) regular
expressions supported by *egrep*, but with a few additional features like
Unicode character classes.
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If you're using ripgrep with the \fB\-P/\-\-pcre2\fP flag, then please consult
\fIhttps://www.pcre.org\fP or the PCRE2 man pages for documentation on the
supported syntax.
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.SH POSITIONAL ARGUMENTS
.TP 12
\fIPATTERN\fP
A regular expression used for searching. To match a pattern beginning with a
dash, use the \fB\-e/\-\-regexp\fP option.
.TP 12
\fIPATH\fP
A file or directory to search. Directories are searched recursively. File paths
specified explicitly on the command line override glob and ignore rules.
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.SH OPTIONS
This section documents all flags that ripgrep accepts. Flags are grouped into
categories below according to their function.
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Note that many options can be turned on and off. In some cases, those flags are
not listed explicitly below. For example, the \fB\-\-column\fP flag (listed
below) enables column numbers in ripgrep's output, but the \fB\-\-no\-column\fP
flag (not listed below) disables them. The reverse can also exist. For example,
the \fB\-\-no\-ignore\fP flag (listed below) disables ripgrep's \fBgitignore\fP
logic, but the \fB\-\-ignore\fP flag (not listed below) enables it. These
flags are useful for overriding a ripgrep configuration file (or alias) on the
command line. Each flag's documentation notes whether an inverted flag exists.
In all cases, the flag specified last takes precedence.
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.SS INPUT OPTIONS
!!input!!
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.SS SEARCH OPTIONS
!!search!!
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.SS FILTER OPTIONS
!!filter!!
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.SS OUTPUT OPTIONS
!!output!!
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.SS OUTPUT MODES
!!output-modes!!
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.SS LOGGING OPTIONS
!!logging!!
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.SS OTHER BEHAVIORS
!!other-behaviors!!
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.SH EXIT STATUS
If ripgrep finds a match, then the exit status of the program is \fB0\fP.
If no match could be found, then the exit status is \fB1\fP. If an error
occurred, then the exit status is always \fB2\fP unless ripgrep was run with
the \fB\-q/\-\-quiet\fP flag and a match was found. In summary:
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB0\fP exit status occurs only when at least one match was found, and if
no error occurred, unless \fB\-q/\-\-quiet\fP was given.
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB1\fP exit status occurs only when no match was found and no error occurred.
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB2\fP exit status occurs when an error occurred. This is true for both
catastrophic errors (e.g., a regex syntax error) and for soft errors (e.g.,
unable to read a file).
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.SH AUTOMATIC FILTERING
ripgrep does a fair bit of automatic filtering by default. This section
describes that filtering and how to control it.
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\fBTIP\fP: To disable automatic filtering, use \fBrg -uuu\fP.
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ripgrep's automatic "smart" filtering is one of the most apparent
differentiating features between ripgrep and other tools like \fBgrep\fP. As
such, its behavior may be surprising to users that aren't expecting it.
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ripgrep does four types of filtering automatically:
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.IP 1. 3n
Files and directories that match ignore rules are not searched.
.IP 2. 3n
Hidden files and directories are not searched.
.IP 3. 3n
Binary files (files with a \fBNUL\fP byte) are not searched.
.IP 4. 3n
Symbolic links are not followed.
.PP
The first type of filtering is the most sophisticated. ripgrep will attempt to
respect your \fBgitignore\fP rules as faithfully as possible. In particular,
this includes the following:
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.IP \(bu 3n
Any global rules, e.g., in \fB$HOME/.config/git/ignore\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Any rules in relevant \fB.gitignore\fP files. This includes \fB.gitignore\fP
files in parent directories that are part of the same \fBgit\fP repository.
(Unless \fB\-\-no\-require\-git\fP is given.)
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.IP \(bu 3n
Any local rules, e.g., in \fB.git/info/exclude\fP.
.PP
In some cases, ripgrep and \fBgit\fP will not always be in sync in terms
of which files are ignored. For example, a file that is ignored via
\fB.gitignore\fP but is tracked by \fBgit\fP would not be searched by ripgrep
even though \fBgit\fP tracks it. This is unlikely to ever be fixed. Instead,
you should either make sure your exclude rules match the files you track
precisely, or otherwise use \fBgit grep\fP for search.
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Additional ignore rules can be provided outside of a \fBgit\fP context:
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.IP \(bu 3n
Any rules in \fB.ignore\fP. ripgrep will also respect \fB.ignore\fP files in
parent directories.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Any rules in \fB.rgignore\fP. ripgrep will also respect \fB.rgignore\fP files
in parent directories.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Any rules in files specified with the \fB\-\-ignore\-file\fP flag.
.PP
The precedence of ignore rules is as follows, with later items overriding
earlier items:
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.IP \(bu 3n
Files given by \fB\-\-ignore\-file\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Global gitignore rules, e.g., from \fB$HOME/.config/git/ignore\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Local rules from \fB.git/info/exclude\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Rules from \fB.gitignore\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Rules from \fB.ignore\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
Rules from \fB.rgignore\fP.
.PP
So for example, if \fIfoo\fP were in a \fB.gitignore\fP and \fB!\fP\fIfoo\fP
were in an \fB.rgignore\fP, then \fIfoo\fP would not be ignored since
\fB.rgignore\fP takes precedence over \fB.gitignore\fP.
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Each of the types of filtering can be configured via command line flags:
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.IP \(bu 3n
There are several flags starting with \fB\-\-no\-ignore\fP that toggle which,
if any, ignore rules are respected. \fB\-\-no\-ignore\fP by itself will disable
all
of them.
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB\-./\-\-hidden\fP will force ripgrep to search hidden files and directories.
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB\-\-binary\fP will force ripgrep to search binary files.
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB\-L/\-\-follow\fP will force ripgrep to follow symlinks.
.PP
As a special short hand, the \fB\-u\fP flag can be specified up to three times.
Each additional time incrementally decreases filtering:
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB\-u\fP is equivalent to \fB\-\-no\-ignore\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB\-uu\fP is equivalent to \fB\-\-no\-ignore \-\-hidden\fP.
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.IP \(bu 3n
\fB\-uuu\fP is equivalent to \fB\-\-no\-ignore \-\-hidden \-\-binary\fP.
.PP
In particular, \fBrg -uuu\fP should search the same exact content as \fBgrep
-r\fP.
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.SH CONFIGURATION FILES
ripgrep supports reading configuration files that change ripgrep's default
behavior. The format of the configuration file is an "rc" style and is very
simple. It is defined by two rules:
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.IP 1. 3n
Every line is a shell argument, after trimming whitespace.
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.IP 2. 3n
Lines starting with \fB#\fP (optionally preceded by any amount of whitespace)
are ignored.
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ripgrep will look for a single configuration file if and only if the
\fBRIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH\fP environment variable is set and is non-empty.
ripgrep will parse arguments from this file on startup and will behave as if
the arguments in this file were prepended to any explicit arguments given to
ripgrep on the command line. Note though that the \fBrg\fP command you run
must still be valid. That is, it must always contain at least one pattern at
the command line, even if the configuration file uses the \fB\-e/\-\-regexp\fP
flag.
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For example, if your ripgreprc file contained a single line:
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.EX
    \-\-smart\-case
.EE
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then the following command
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.EX
    RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH=wherever/.ripgreprc rg foo
.EE
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would behave identically to the following command:
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.EX
    rg \-\-smart-case foo
.EE
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Another example is adding types, like so:
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.EX
    \-\-type-add
    web:*.{html,css,js}*
.EE
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The above would behave identically to the following command:
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.EX
    rg \-\-type\-add 'web:*.{html,css,js}*' foo
.EE
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The same applies to using globs. This:
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.EX
    \-\-glob=!.git
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or this:
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.EX
    \-\-glob
    !.git
.EE
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would behave identically to the following command:
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.EX
    rg \-\-glob '!.git' foo
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The bottom line is that every shell argument needs to be on its own line. So
for example, a config file containing
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.EX
    \-j 4
.EE
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is probably not doing what you intend. Instead, you want
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.EX
    \-j
    4
.EE
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or
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.EX
    \-j4
.EE
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ripgrep also provides a flag, \fB\-\-no\-config\fP, that when present will
suppress any and all support for configuration. This includes any future
support for auto-loading configuration files from pre-determined paths.
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Conflicts between configuration files and explicit arguments are handled
exactly like conflicts in the same command line invocation. That is, assuming
your config file contains only \fB\-\-smart\-case\fP, then this command:
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.EX
    RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH=wherever/.ripgreprc rg foo \-\-case\-sensitive
.EE
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is exactly equivalent to
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.EX
    rg \-\-smart\-case foo \-\-case\-sensitive
.EE
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in which case, the \fB\-\-case\-sensitive\fP flag would override the
\fB\-\-smart\-case\fP flag.
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.SH SHELL COMPLETION
Shell completion files are included in the release tarball for Bash, Fish, Zsh
and PowerShell.
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For \fBbash\fP, move \fBrg.bash\fP to \fB$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/bash_completion\fP or
\fB/etc/bash_completion.d/\fP.
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For \fBfish\fP, move \fBrg.fish\fP to \fB$HOME/.config/fish/completions\fP.
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For \fBzsh\fP, move \fB_rg\fP to one of your \fB$fpath\fP directories.
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.SH CAVEATS
ripgrep may abort unexpectedly when using default settings if it searches a
file that is simultaneously truncated. This behavior can be avoided by passing
the \fB\-\-no\-mmap\fP flag which will forcefully disable the use of memory
maps in all cases.
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ripgrep may use a large amount of memory depending on a few factors. Firstly,
if ripgrep uses parallelism for search (the default), then the entire
output for each individual file is buffered into memory in order to prevent
interleaving matches in the output. To avoid this, you can disable parallelism
with the \fB\-j1\fP flag. Secondly, ripgrep always needs to have at least a
single line in memory in order to execute a search. A file with a very long
line can thus cause ripgrep to use a lot of memory. Generally, this only occurs
when searching binary data with the \fB\-a/\-\-text\fP flag enabled. (When the
\fB\-a/\-\-text\fP flag isn't enabled, ripgrep will replace all NUL bytes with
line terminators, which typically prevents exorbitant memory usage.) Thirdly,
when ripgrep searches a large file using a memory map, the process will likely
report its resident memory usage as the size of the file. However, this does
not mean ripgrep actually needed to use that much heap memory; the operating
system will generally handle this for you.
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.SH VERSION
!!VERSION!!
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.SH HOMEPAGE
\fIhttps://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep\fP
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Please report bugs and feature requests to the issue tracker. Please do your
best to provide a reproducible test case for bugs. This should include the
corpus being searched, the \fBrg\fP command, the actual output and the expected
output. Please also include the output of running the same \fBrg\fP command but
with the \fB\-\-debug\fP flag.
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If you have questions that don't obviously fall into the "bug" or "feature
request" category, then they are welcome in the Discussions section of the
issue tracker: \fIhttps://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep/discussions\fP.
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.SH AUTHORS
Andrew Gallant <\fIjamslam@gmail.com\fP>