msearch¶

msearch is the direct entrypoint for interactive search across files, text matches, and code symbols.

Usage¶

msearch [OPTIONS] [PATH] [SEARCH_TERM]

Arguments¶

Argument	Description
`PATH`	Directory or file to search. Defaults to the current directory.
`SEARCH_TERM`	Initial query to seed the interactive search UI.

Search modes¶

msearch exposes several entry modes:

Mode	Option	Behavior
Text search	default	Interactive ripgrep-based search with preview
File search	`--file`, `-f`	Fuzzy-find files with preview
AST search	`--ast`, `-a`	Inspect parsed symbols from the target directory
Symantic search	`--symantic`, `-s`	Run the symbol-oriented helper workflow

If PATH points to a file, msearch opens a line-oriented preview flow for that file instead of directory search.

When multiple mode flags are passed together, msearch resolves them in this order: --symantic, then --ast, then --file, then the default text search flow.

Options¶

Option	Short	Description
`--ast`	`-a`	Run abstract syntax tree or tree-sitter symbol search
`--symantic`	`-s`	Run symantic symbol search
`--extension TEXT`	`-E`	Filter by extension such as `.py` or `.js`
`--file`	`-f`	Search for files instead of text matches
`--dotfiles`	`-D`	Include dotfiles in file search results
`--rga`	`-A`	Use `ripgrep-all` instead of `ripgrep`
`--edit`	`-e`	Open the selected match in Helix
`--install-req`	`-i`	Install required search dependencies

Typical flows¶

# Search the current project for text
msearch

# Start with an initial query
msearch . "TODO"

# Search for files only
msearch src --file

# Search files including dotfiles
msearch src --file --dotfiles

# Search files and jump into Helix
msearch src --file --edit

# Search code symbols
msearch src --ast

# Use ripgrep-all for non-text files
msearch docs --rga

Notes¶

msearch --install-req installs the helper tools the workflow expects, including fzf, tv, bat, fd, rg, and rga.
When standard input is piped into msearch, it can stage that input into a temporary file and open the same preview flow against the captured content.
msearch is a standalone entrypoint. Use it directly rather than routing through an umbrella dispatcher.

Getting help¶

Use live help to inspect the exact options in your installed version:

msearch --help