fzf Recipes: Files, ripgrep, Git, Processes, and Navigation

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Practical pipeline recipes that combine fzf with fd, ripgrep, bat, Git, and shell utilities.

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File and code recipes

Combine fzf with fd, rg, bat, and editors for fast project navigation.

Find project files with fd and fzf

Use fd as the file source for faster recursive listing.

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bashANYfdfilesprojects

bash

fd --type f | fzf

A better default than find for many modern developer workflows.

Search with ripgrep then open in Vim

Use ripgrep for content search and fzf for interactive selection.

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bashANYrgvimsearch

bash

rg --line-number --no-heading --color=always 'TODO|FIXME' | fzf --ansi | cut -d: -f1 | xargs -r vim

A common pattern for jumping from search results into an editor.

Preview ripgrep matches with context

Combine ANSI results with a syntax-highlighted preview.

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bashANYpreviewrgbat

bash

rg --line-number --no-heading --color=always 'auth' | fzf --ansi --delimiter=':' --preview 'bat --color=always --highlight-line {2} {1}'

The delimiter lets preview commands reference filename and line number separately.

Pick and switch branches

Use fzf to choose a Git branch interactively.

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bashANYgitbranchesswitch

bash

git branch --all --color=always | sed 's/^..//' | fzf --ansi | xargs -r git switch

Good example of fzf turning a noisy CLI list into a smooth navigation step.

Browse recent commits

Preview commit details while selecting a hash.

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bashANYgitcommitspreview

bash

git log --oneline --color=always | fzf --ansi --preview 'git show --color=always {1}'

A lightweight commit browser for the terminal.

Select and kill a process

Pick a process from ps output and send it a signal.

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bashANYprocesseskilladmin

bash

ps -ef | sed 1d | fzf --nth=2.. --multi | awk '{print $2}' | xargs -r kill -15

Useful admin shortcut when process names are easier to remember than PIDs.

History and navigation recipes

Speed up shell history, cd workflows, and bookmark-like selectors.

Jump to a recent directory

Use a list of tracked directories as an interactive jump menu.

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bashANYdirectoriescdnavigation

bash

printf '%s
' ~/src ~/work ~/notes | fzf | xargs -I{} cd '{}'

In practice you would wrap this in a shell function because cd must run in the current shell.

Browse man pages interactively

Choose a command and open its man page.

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bashANYmandocsnavigation

bash

apropos . | fzf | awk '{print $1}' | xargs -r man

Turns discoverability into an interactive workflow.

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Use fzf with tmux and editors, and fix common issues involving shell integration, source commands, and large repositories.

fzf Reload, Event Bindings, and Dynamic Sources

Build live search interfaces with reload, change events, refresh-preview, and mode-switching key bindings.

fzf Shell Completion and Key Bindings

Set up fuzzy shell completion and customize built-in key bindings like CTRL-T, CTRL-R, and ALT-C.

fzf Layout, UI, and Styling

Tune layout, borders, headers, sorting, and visual style for cleaner fuzzy-finder interfaces.

fzf Preview Windows, Key Bindings, and Actions

Use previews, key bindings, execute actions, and dynamic UI changes to build powerful interactive pickers.

fzf Basics: Search, Select, and Script Output

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

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