fzf Basics: Search, Select, and Script Output

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Core fzf usage patterns for filtering lists, selecting items, and integrating the result into shell workflows.

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Core usage

Use fzf as a standalone fuzzy selector in shell pipelines.

Select files from a pipeline

Pipe any list into fzf and interactively pick a line.

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bashANYpipelinefilesstdin

bash

find . -type f | fzf

fzf reads from standard input, so any command that prints lines can become an interactive picker.

Open the selected file in an editor

Capture the selected value and open it with $EDITOR.

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bashANYeditorselectionfiles

bash

vim "$(find . -type f | fzf)"

Classic pattern for launching your editor on a fuzzy-selected file.

Enable multi-select

Pick multiple lines instead of a single match.

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bashANYmulti-selectselection

bash

find . -type f | fzf -m

Use TAB to mark multiple items and Enter to accept them.

Use exact matching

Turn off fuzzy matching and only match the query literally.

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bashANYexactmatching

bash

ps -ef | fzf --exact

Helpful when the result set is noisy and you want strict matching.

Match on specific fields

Restrict matching to selected delimited fields.

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bashANYfieldsnthmatching

bash

ps -ef | fzf --nth=1,8..

Useful for ignoring noisy columns while keeping them visible in the UI.

Transform what is displayed

Hide or reorder fields in the list without changing the selected line.

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bashANYdisplaywith-nthprocesses

bash

ps -ef | fzf --nth=1,8.. --with-nth=8..

Common for process pickers and tabular output.

Set a custom field delimiter

Parse colon- or tab-delimited input cleanly.

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bashANYdelimiterstructured-data

bash

cut -d: -f1,3 /etc/passwd | fzf --delimiter=':' --with-nth=1

Pair this with --nth or --with-nth for structured line formats.

Query and output control

Seed the query, print clean output, and control exit behavior.

Start with a prefilled query

Open fzf with an initial search string.

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bashANYquerystartup

bash

git branch --all | fzf --query='feature/'

Good for narrowing large lists from the first render.

Print the final query too

Return both the typed query and the selection.

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bashANYprint-queryscripts

bash

find . -type f | fzf --print-query

Useful in scripts when the query itself is meaningful input.

Auto-accept single matches

Accept immediately when there is exactly one match.

↗#

bashANYselect-1exit-0automation

bash

find . -type f | fzf --select-1 --exit-0

Popular in scripts because it reduces extra keystrokes on precise searches.

Run in non-interactive filter mode

Use fzf as a fuzzy filter without opening the UI.

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bashANYfilternon-interactivescripts

bash

printf '%s
' alpha beta gamma | fzf --filter=gm

Great for scripts when you want fzf matching semantics without TUI interaction.

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