Search Tools Cheatsheet

Search Tools Cheatsheet (1-Page Reference)

Quick reference for choosing between rg, grepai, Serena & ast-grep

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⚡ Quick Decision (5 Seconds)

Know exact text?     → rg
Know exact name?     → rg or Serena
Know concept?        → grepai
Know structure?      → ast-grep
Need dependencies?   → grepai trace

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📊 Speed vs Intelligence

Fast ←─────────────────────────────────→ Smart

rg        Serena       ast-grep      grepai
~20ms     ~100ms       ~200ms        ~500ms

Exact     Symbols      Structure     Meaning

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🎯 Use Cases (Choose the Right Tool)

Task	Tool	Command
”Find TODO comments”	rg	rg "TODO"
”Find login function”	rg/Serena	rg "login" or serena find_symbol
”Find auth code”	grepai	grepai search "authentication"
”Who calls login?”	grepai	grepai trace callers "login"
”Get file structure”	Serena	serena get_symbols_overview
”Async without try/catch”	ast-grep	ast-grep "async function $F"
”React class → hooks”	ast-grep	Migration pattern
”Remember decision”	Serena	serena write_memory

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🔍 Tool Capabilities Matrix

Feature	rg	grepai	Serena	ast-grep
Exact match	✅	❌	✅	✅
Semantic	❌	✅	❌	❌
Call graph	❌	✅	❌	❌
Symbols	❌	❌	✅	❌
AST patterns	❌	❌	❌	✅
Memory	❌	❌	✅	❌
Setup	✅	⚠️	⚠️	⚠️

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🚀 Combined Workflow (5 Steps)

Example: Refactor authentication

# 1. DISCOVER (grepai - semantic)
grepai search "authentication flow"

# 2. STRUCTURE (Serena - symbols)
serena get_symbols_overview --file auth.service.ts

# 3. DEPENDENCIES (grepai - call graph)
grepai trace callers "login"

# 4. PATTERNS (ast-grep - structure)
ast-grep "async function login"

# 5. VERIFY (rg - exact)
rg "validateSession" --type ts

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⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✅ Right
grepai search "createSession"	rg "createSession"
rg "auth.*login.*session"	grepai search "auth flow"
rg + sed for refactoring	Serena find_symbol
Refactor without checking callers	grepai trace callers first

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📈 When to Escalate

Start: rg (90% of searches)
  ↓
  Need meaning? → grepai
  Need symbols? → Serena
  Need AST? → ast-grep

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🎓 Full Guide

📖 Search Tools Mastery - Complete workflows, scenarios, benchmarks

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Print this page for quick reference | Last updated: January 2026