Search tools

Parent: Tools and workspace.

grep searches file contents with a regex. glob lists files whose paths match a pattern. Both run in-process and do not need rg, fd, or RTK. Prefer these tools over shell search for workspace inspection. grep content mode mints chainable [path#TAG] snapshots and match line numbers for the default edit format. Match text is search preview only.

• Patterns: grep takes a Rust/regex pattern. glob takes a path glob; a pattern with no / (for example *.rs) matches nested paths as **/*.rs.
• Defaults: both honor .gitignore, skip hidden files, and never follow symlinks. Pass include_hidden when you need dotfiles.
• Order: results come back in walk order, sorted by name within each directory, so repeat runs agree and a capped result is the first N paths shown rather than an arbitrary sample.
• Caps: results are bounded (default 200). grep also caps matches per file and trims long lines. Every capped, timed-out, or cancelled search says so in its summary, including when it found nothing.
• Output: grep groups matches by file. Content mode prefixes each file with a chainable [path#TAG] header and N | text match previews. With the default edit tool, copy the tag and line numbers into PUT and CUT operations. Do not copy preview bodies because they may be truncated. Use read_file when you need exact line text. Set output_mode to files_with_matches or count when you only need paths or tallies; default is content.
• Permissions: both request read access only, so they work in every permission mode, including plan.