vscode-livegrep

A ripgrep extension for Visual Studio Code to mimic Telescope in Neovim, in the command palette

Features

• Ripgrep Integration: Use ripgrep as normal with live search results
• File Search: Fast file finding using fd (when available) or fallback methods
• Level-based Search: Search at specific directory levels (0-5 levels up from current file)
• Workspace & Current Folder Search: Search entire workspace or just current folder
• Custom Binary Paths: Configure custom paths for ripgrep and fd executables
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Bind livegrep commands to keyboard shortcuts
• Search History: View 10 previous search terms and results
• Exact Match: Use quotes for exact match searching
• Multi-folder Workspace Support: Works with workspaces containing multiple folders

Commands

Text Search (Grep)

• livegrep.search - Search entire workspace
• livegrep.searchCurrent - Search current folder
• livegrep.searchLevel_0 to livegrep.searchLevel_5 - Search at specific directory levels

File Search

• livegrep.searchFiles - Find files in workspace
• livegrep.searchFilesCurrent - Find files in current folder
• livegrep.searchFilesLevel_0 to livegrep.searchFilesLevel_5 - Find files at specific directory levels

Webview Search (New!)

• livegrep.webviewSearch - Open Telescope-like webview interface with split-pane search results and file preview
• livegrep.webviewSearchCurrent - Webview search in current folder
• livegrep.webviewSearchLevel_0 to livegrep.webviewSearchLevel_5 - Webview search at specific directory levels
  • Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+Alt+F (Mac)
  • Features:
    • Split-pane interface: file list on left, content preview on right
    • Syntax highlighting in preview
    • Context lines around matches
    • Highlighted search terms
    • Keyboard navigation (Arrow keys, Ctrl+N/P, Enter to open file)
    • Real-time search as you type
    • Supports initial query parameter for programmatic invocation

Configuration

You can customize the paths to ripgrep and fd executables, as well as the webview search behavior in your VS Code settings:

{
  "livegrep.rgPath": "/custom/path/to/rg",
  "livegrep.fdPath": "/custom/path/to/fd",
  "livegrep.contextLines": 20,
  "livegrep.autoCloseWebview": true
}

Configuration Options

• livegrep.rgPath: Custom path to ripgrep (rg) executable. Leave empty to use bundled version.
• livegrep.fdPath: Custom path to fd executable. Leave empty to use system PATH.
• livegrep.contextLines: Number of context lines to show before and after each match in webview search (default: 20, range: 0-100).
• livegrep.autoCloseWebview: Automatically close the webview search panel when a file is opened (default: true).

Vim Configuration

If you're using the VSCode Neovim extension, here's a comprehensive setup based on Telescope-like keybindings:

Basic Search Keybindings

local keymap = vim.keymap.set
local opts = { noremap = true, silent = true }

-- Basic search commands
keymap("n", "<leader>/", function()
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.search")
end, opts)

keymap("n", "<leader>sg", function()
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.searchCurrent")
end, opts)

-- File search
keymap("n", "<leader>ff", function()
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.searchFiles")
end, opts)

keymap("n", "<leader>sf", function()
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.searchFilesCurrent")
end, opts)

-- Webview search (Telescope-like interface)
keymap("n", "<leader>fw", function()
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.webviewSearch")
end, opts)

keymap("n", "<leader>fc", function()
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.webviewSearchCurrent")
end, opts)

Level-based Search (Advanced)

-- Grep search at different directory levels
for i = 0, 5 do
  keymap("n", "<leader>kg" .. i, function()
    vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.searchLevel_" .. i)
  end, opts)
end

-- File search at different directory levels  
for i = 0, 5 do
  keymap("n", "<leader>kf" .. i, function()
    vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.searchFilesLevel_" .. i)
  end, opts)
end

-- Webview search at different directory levels
for i = 0, 5 do
  keymap("n", "<leader>kw" .. i, function()
    vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.webviewSearchLevel_" .. i)
  end, opts)
end

Visual Mode Search

-- Search for selected text
keymap("v", "<leader>/", function()
  local selection = vim.fn.expand("<cword>")
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.search", selection)
end, opts)

keymap("v", "<leader>sc", function()
  local selection = vim.fn.expand("<cword>")
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.searchCurrent", selection)
end, opts)

-- Visual file search
keymap("v", "<leader>sf", function()
  local selection = vim.fn.expand("<cword>")
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.searchFilesCurrent", selection)
end, opts)

Quick Access Shortcuts

-- Quick grep shortcuts
keymap("v", "rg", function()
  local selection = vim.fn.expand("<cword>")
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("livegrep.search", selection)
end, opts)

-- Quick file search
keymap("v", "rf", function()
  local selection = vim.fn.expand("<cword>")
  vim.fn.VSCodeNotify("workbench.action.quickOpen", selection)
end, opts)

Acknowledgments

🙏 Huge thanks to @abayomi185 for creating the original vscode-livegrep extension! This project is based on their excellent work that brought ripgrep functionality to VS Code with a Telescope-like experience. The foundation they built made it possible to add all the enhanced features like level-based search, fd integration, and comprehensive file search capabilities.

Check out the original project: abayomi185/vscode-livegrep

Release Notes

0.5

• Level-based Search: Added support for searching at specific directory levels (0-5 levels up)
• File Search with fd: Integrated fd for fast file searching with fallback support
• Custom Binary Paths: Added settings to configure custom ripgrep and fd executable paths
• Enhanced Commands: Added comprehensive file search commands alongside existing grep functionality
• Improved Performance: Better search performance with fd integration

0.4

• Make workspaces with multiple folders supported
• Add livegrep.searchCurrent to search the current folder
• Fix bugs

0.3

• Bundle ripgrep binary for windows, linux and macOS in extension

0.2

• Dynamically changing list when typing search term
• Search term in quotes for exact match
• History list to view 10 previous search terms and search result

0.1

• Initial release