grepai-search-basics

GrepAI Search Basics This skill covers the fundamentals of semantic code search with GrepAI. When to Use This Skill Learning GrepAI search Performing basic code searches Understanding semantic vs. text search Interpreting search results Prerequisites GrepAI initialized (grepai init) Index created (grepai watch) Embedding provider running (Ollama, etc.) What is Semantic Search? Unlike traditional text search (grep, ripgrep), GrepAI searches by meaning: Type How it Works Example Text search Exact string match "login" → finds "login" Semantic search Meaning similarity "authenticate user" → finds login, auth, signin code Basic Search Command grepai search "your query here" Example grepai search "user authentication flow" Output: Score: 0.89 | src/auth/middleware.go:15-45 ────────────────────────────────────────── func AuthMiddleware() gin.HandlerFunc { return func(c *gin.Context) { token := c.GetHeader("Authorization") if token == "" { c.AbortWithStatus(401) return } claims, err := ValidateToken(token) if err != nil { c.AbortWithStatus(401) return } c.Set("user", claims.UserID) c.Next() } } Score: 0.82 | src/auth/jwt.go:23-55 ────────────────────────────────────────── func ValidateToken(tokenString string) (*Claims, error) { token, err := jwt.Parse(tokenString, func(t *jwt.Token) (interface{}, error) { return []byte(secretKey), nil }) if err != nil { return nil, err } if claims, ok := token.Claims.(*Claims); ok && token.Valid { return claims, nil } return nil, errors.New("invalid token") } Score: 0.76 | src/handlers/login.go:10-35 ────────────────────────────────────────── func HandleLogin(c *gin.Context) { var req LoginRequest if err := c.ShouldBindJSON(&req); err != nil { c.JSON(400, gin.H{"error": "invalid request"}) return } user, err := userService.Authenticate(req.Email, req.Password) // ... } Understanding Results Result Format Score: 0.89 | src/auth/middleware.go:15-45 ────────────────────────────────────────── [code content] Component Meaning Score Similarity (0.0 to 1.0, higher = more relevant) File path Location of the code Line numbers Start-end lines of the chunk Content The actual code Score Interpretation Score Meaning 0.90+ Excellent match 0.80-0.89 Good match 0.70-0.79 Related 0.60-0.69 Loosely related <0.60 Weak match Limiting Results By default, GrepAI returns 10 results. Adjust with --limit: # Get only top 3 results grepai search "database queries" --limit 3 # Get more results grepai search "error handling" --limit 20 Checking Index Status Before searching, verify your index: grepai status Output: ✅ GrepAI Status Index: - Files: 245 - Chunks: 1,234 - Last updated: 2 minutes ago Ready for search. Search vs Grep Comparison Traditional grep grep -r "authenticate" . Finds exact text "authenticate" Misses synonyms (login, signin, auth) Returns all matches, unranked GrepAI search grepai search "authenticate user credentials" Finds semantically similar code Includes related concepts Results ranked by relevance What Makes a Good Query Good Queries ✅ Describe the intent or behavior: grepai search "validate user credentials" grepai search "handle HTTP request errors" grepai search "connect to the database" grepai search "send email notification" grepai search "parse JSON configuration" Less Effective Queries ❌ Too short or generic: grepai search "auth" # Too vague grepai search "function" # Too generic grepai search "getUserById" # Exact name (use grep) Natural Language Queries GrepAI understands natural language: # Ask questions grepai search "how are users authenticated" grepai search "where is the database connection configured" # Describe behavior grepai search "code that sends emails to users" grepai search "functions that validate input data" Multiple Words vs Phrases Both work, but phrases often get better results: # Multiple words (OR-like behavior) grepai search "login password validation" # Phrase (describes specific intent) grepai search "validate user login credentials" Quick Tips Use English: Models are trained on English Be specific: "JWT token validation" vs "validation" Describe intent: What the code DOES, not what it's called Use 3-7 words: Enough context, not too verbose Iterate: Refine query based on results Common Search Patterns Finding Entry Points grepai search "main entry point" grepai search "application startup" grepai search "HTTP server initialization" Finding Error Handling grepai search "error handling and logging" grepai search "exception handling" grepai search "error response to client" Finding Data Access grepai search "database query execution" grepai search "fetch user from database" grepai search "save data to storage" Finding Business Logic grepai search "calculate order total" grepai search "process payment transaction" grepai search "validate business rules" Troubleshooting ❌ Problem: No results ✅ Solutions: Check index exists: grepai status Run grepai watch if index is empty Simplify query ❌ Problem: Irrelevant results ✅ Solutions: Be more specific Use different words Check if code exists in the codebase ❌ Problem: Missing expected code ✅ Solutions: Check if file is ignored in config Ensure file extension is supported Re-index: rm .grepai/index.gob && grepai watch Output Format Successful basic search: Query: "user authentication flow" Results: 5 matches Score: 0.89 | src/auth/middleware.go:15-45 ────────────────────────────────────────── [relevant code...] Score: 0.82 | src/auth/jwt.go:23-55 ────────────────────────────────────────── [relevant code...] [additional results...] Tip: Use --limit to adjust number of results Use --json for machine-readable output Weekly Installs307Repositoryyoanbernabeu/gr…i-skillsGitHub Stars14First SeenJan 28, 2026Security AuditsGen Agent Trust HubPassSocketPassSnykPassInstalled onopencode240codex234gemini-cli214github-copilot214kimi-cli194amp192