bash
rg -B 2 'panic!' src/Notes
Useful for reading the setup or declaration that leads into a match.
Output, Context, and Reporting
Control headings, context lines, counts, paths, columns, and machine-readable output.
Export
Copy the compact sheet, download it, or print it.
Download
`D` dense toggle · `C` copy all
Context lines
Print surrounding lines to understand matches without opening an editor.
bash
rg -A 3 'TODO' .Notes
Often used to inspect comments, config blocks, or stack traces.
bash
rg -C 2 'Exception' app.logNotes
Context mode is a fast middle ground between plain search and opening the file.
Customize context separators
Make grouped output easier to parse visually.
bashANYripgrepcontextseparator
bash
rg -C 1 --context-separator '---' 'timeout' log.txtNotes
Especially helpful in scripts or when pasting results into notes.
Print all lines but highlight matches
Stream a file through rg without dropping non-matching lines.
bashANYripgreppassthru
bash
rg --passthru -n 'ERROR|WARN' app.logNotes
Good for presentations, log review, or quick visual filtering.
Formatting and location metadata
Tune filenames, headings, columns, and path formatting for humans or tools.
Disable file headings
Print file names inline per match instead of grouped headings.
bashANYripgrepno-heading
bash
rg --no-heading -n 'TODO' .Notes
Many editors and scripts prefer one match per line with filename and line number.
bash
rg --with-filename -n 'host' nginx.confNotes
Useful in scripts or when concatenating outputs from multiple commands.
bash
rg --column 'SELECT' migrations/Notes
Editor integrations often use filename, line, and column to jump to a result.
Print only the matched text
Return the matched substring instead of the full line.
bashANYripgreponly-matching
bash
rg -o '\b[A-F0-9]{8}\b' dump.txtNotes
Great for extracting tokens, IDs, codes, or other bounded fragments.
Preview replacements in output
Show how a replacement would look without editing files.
bashANYripgrepreplacepreview
bash
rg -N --replace '$1_id' '([a-z]+)Id' src/Notes
ripgrep does not rewrite files, but `--replace` is excellent for previewing transformations.
Reporting and scripting
Get summaries and structured output for automation and analysis.
Print summary statistics
Show counts and timing information at the end of a search.
bashANYripgrepstats
bash
rg --stats 'use client' app/Notes
Useful when comparing search breadth or measuring refactor scope.
bash
rg -q 'TODO' .Notes
This is useful in shell scripts and CI checks.
bash
rg --json 'password' .Notes
Structured output is safer than parsing human-readable text.
Normalize path separators
Choose a custom separator for path rendering.
bashANYripgreppath-separator
bash
rg --path-separator '/' 'TODO' .Notes
Helpful when running on Windows but generating cross-platform output.
bash
rg -m 3 'deprecated' src/Notes
Speeds up scans when you only need sample hits, not exhaustive results.
More in ripgrep
Real-World Code Search Recipes
High-value ripgrep recipes for refactors, security scans, framework audits, logs, and docs.
Performance, Debugging, and Multiline Search
Understand ripgrep defaults, debug missing results, and use PCRE2 or multiline search when required.
Config and Shell Integration
Persist preferred flags, create custom types, and combine ripgrep with fd, fzf, git, and editors.
Replace, Preprocess, and Encodings
Preview replacements, search transformed files, and handle compressed or non-UTF8 data.
Globs, Types, and Ignore Rules
Control what ripgrep searches with globs, type filters, hidden files, and ignore behavior.
Regex and Fixed Strings
Use basic regex, PCRE2, word boundaries, alternation, and literal searches with ripgrep.