USE INSTEAD OF GLOB/FIND. Find files by pattern with built-in previews - eliminates follow-up read calls.

Respects .gitignore, skips binary files, filters by size/date, handles symlinks safely. Perfect for exploring unfamiliar codebases or analyzing build infrastructure.

Set detail_level="full" to get content previews without separate read calls.

Examples: ".yml" in .github/workflows/, "**/Jenkinsfile", "*.config.js"

USE INSTEAD OF GREP. Search file contents with surrounding context - see matches in context without follow-up reads.

Respects .gitignore, skips binary files, smart case-sensitivity. Use for finding implementations, tracing function calls, or analyzing patterns across a codebase.

Use context_lines parameter to control how much surrounding code you see (default: 2 lines).

Examples: "slackSend|notification" in *.groovy, "webhook" across all files, "TODO" in src/

Requires ripgrep: brew install ripgrep (macOS) | apt install ripgrep (Ubuntu)

USE WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW THE EXACT FILENAME. Fuzzy search that finds "UserController.ts" when you type "usrctl".

Ranked by match quality - best matches first. Perfect when you vaguely remember a filename or are exploring an unfamiliar codebase.

Much faster than glob with wildcards when you're guessing at names.

Examples: "userctrl" → UserController.ts, "jenkfile" → Jenkinsfile, "slacklib" → slackLib.groovy

USE INSTEAD OF LS/FIND FOR STRUCTURE. Visualize directory layout without multiple commands.

Get instant overview of project organization. Configurable depth prevents overwhelming output in deep repos.

Use this first when exploring a new codebase - shows you where to look before you start searching.

Perfect for: "Show me the project structure", "What's in repos/jenkins/", "How is src/ organized?"