Install ripgrep for Faster Search

Grep Tool

Claude Code has a built-in Grep tool powered by ripgrep for searching code:

• Fast regex search: Full regex pattern support
• Smart filtering: Filter by file type (type: "js") or glob patterns (glob: "*.ts")
• Multiple output modes:
  • content - shows matching lines with context
  • files_with_matches - shows only file paths
  • count - shows match counts
• Respects .gitignore: Automatically excludes ignored files
• Context lines: Supports -A, -B, -C flags for surrounding context

Performance Tip

Installing ripgrep on your system makes the Grep tool significantly faster (5-10x), especially in large codebases. Claude Code will automatically use it if available.

# Verify ripgrep is installed
rg --version

Without ripgrep installed, searches may fall back to slower methods.

Interesting discussion can be found at Quick & easy tip to make claude code find stuff faster (it really works)