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grepai

Introduction

What is grepai?

grepai is a privacy-first semantic code search tool that indexes the meaning of your code using vector embeddings, enabling natural language searches.

Unlike traditional tools like grep or ripgrep that search for exact text matches, grepai understands what your code does, not just what it says.

Why grepai?

The Problem

When working on large codebases, finding relevant code is challenging:

  • grep/ripgrep: Great for exact matches, but useless when you don’t know the exact variable name or function
  • IDE search: Limited to the files you have open
  • AI assistants: Often lack full context of your codebase

The Solution

grepai maintains a real-time “mental map” of your project:

  1. Indexes your code using vector embeddings (local or cloud)
  2. Watches for changes and updates the index automatically
  3. Searches semantically - find code by describing what it does

Example Searches

Terminal window
# Find authentication code without knowing function names
grepai search "user login validation"


# Find error handling patterns
grepai search "how are errors handled in API requests"


# Find database operations
grepai search "where are users saved to the database"

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   Your Code     │     │    Embedder     │     │  Vector Store   │
│   (files)       │ ──► │  (Ollama/OpenAI)│ ──► │  (GOB/Postgres) │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
                                                        │
                                                        ▼
                              ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
                              │  Semantic Search                    │
                              │  "authentication flow" → results    │
                              └─────────────────────────────────────┘

Next Steps