grep
Search for text patterns in files using regular expressions to locate specific content within directories and file types.
Instructions
Search for text in files
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| pattern | Yes | The regular expression pattern to search for in file contents | |
| path | No | The directory to search in. Defaults to the current working directory. | |
| include | No | File pattern to include in the search (e.g. "*.js", "*.{ts,tsx}") |
Implementation Reference
- src/server/tools.ts:141-156 (handler)Handler function that executes the grep tool logic by calling grepSearch helper, formatting the response, and handling errors.
async ({ pattern, path, include }) => { try { const results = await grepSearch(pattern, path, include); return { content: [{ type: "text", text: results }] }; } catch (error) { return { content: [{ type: "text", text: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error) }], isError: true }; } } - src/server/tools.ts:136-140 (schema)Zod input schema defining parameters for the grep tool: pattern (required), path (optional), include (optional).
{ pattern: z.string().describe("The regular expression pattern to search for in file contents"), path: z.string().optional().describe("The directory to search in. Defaults to the current working directory."), include: z.string().optional().describe("File pattern to include in the search (e.g. \"*.js\", \"*.{ts,tsx}\")") }, - src/server/tools.ts:133-157 (registration)MCP server.tool registration for the 'grep' tool, including name, description, schema, and handler reference.
server.tool( "grep", "Search for text in files", { pattern: z.string().describe("The regular expression pattern to search for in file contents"), path: z.string().optional().describe("The directory to search in. Defaults to the current working directory."), include: z.string().optional().describe("File pattern to include in the search (e.g. \"*.js\", \"*.{ts,tsx}\")") }, async ({ pattern, path, include }) => { try { const results = await grepSearch(pattern, path, include); return { content: [{ type: "text", text: results }] }; } catch (error) { return { content: [{ type: "text", text: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error) }], isError: true }; } } ); - src/utils/file.ts:89-105 (helper)Core helper function implementing file text search using the system's 'grep' command via child_process.exec, with support for include patterns and handling no-match scenarios.
export async function grepSearch( pattern: string, searchPath: string = process.cwd(), include?: string ): Promise<string> { try { const includeFlag = include ? `--include="${include}"` : ''; const { stdout } = await execPromise(`grep -r ${includeFlag} "${pattern}" ${searchPath}`); return stdout; } catch (error: any) { if (error.code === 1 && error.stdout === '') { // grep returns exit code 1 when no matches are found return 'No matches found'; } throw error; } }