Rlmgrep Usage

Overview

Use this skill to pick the right search tool and craft effective rlmgrep usage. It explains when to stick to grep/rg for literal matches and when to use rlmgrep for semantic, multi-file, or non-text searches.

Decision Guide

Use `grep`/`rg` when:

Use `rlmgrep` when:

rlmgrep Quick Use

Examples:

```sh

rlmgrep -C 2 "where is api key parsed" .

rlmgrep "retry logic for 429" --type py .

rlmgrep "find config defaults" -g "**/*.toml" -g "**/*.py" .

rg -l "token" . | rlmgrep --files-from-stdin --answer "what does this token control?"

```

Notes:

- `-y/--yes` only skips the confirmation prompt; it does not bypass the 1000-file abort cap.

- To run on larger repos, pre-filter with `rg -l ...`, or use `-g/--type` to narrow the file set.

Example (best-effort regex semantics + extra context):

```sh

rlmgrep "Find JavaScript files with functions matching `function\\s+use[A-Z]\\w+` and mention hooks." .

```

Optional Workflow: rg → rlmgrep

If you already know a literal anchor (e.g., a class name, constant, or table), use `rg` to find the files quickly, then pipe those file paths into rlmgrep for semantic reasoning.

Examples:

```sh

Find candidate files quickly, then ask a semantic question across them

rg -l "auth" . | rlmgrep --files-from-stdin --answer "where is auth handled?"

Use a literal filter to narrow the corpus, then ask for explanation

rg -l "retry" . | rlmgrep --files-from-stdin --answer "how do retries work?"

Restrict to a file type first, then ask a conceptual question

rg -l "token" --type py . | rlmgrep --files-from-stdin --answer "where are tokens parsed?"

```

Default Tool Choice Pattern

If you can express the search as a literal token or regex, start with `rg` for speed and exhaustiveness. If that fails, or the question is semantic, switch to `rlmgrep` with a short natural-language prompt.

When Not To Use rlmgrep

Use `rg` or `grep` if you need guaranteed literal matches, very large-scale scanning, or exact regex behavior. rlmgrep does not promise literal containment.