The search pane (rg)

The Search pane runs full-text search through ripgrep. Every result is an ordinary pane row, with a second context column showing the matching lines.

Overview

• Query mode re-runs ripgrep as you type; filter mode narrows already-loaded results.
• % switches the filter to the context column.
• Advancing on a match exports HIGHLIGHT_LINE / HIGHLIGHT_COLUMN, so editors open at the exact match.

Opening a search

Way	Command
In-app	ctrl-r
Subcommand	fs :rg (alias :)
With args	fs :rg "pattern" -p path1 -p path2

fs :rg "TODO" -p src                    # pattern + paths
fs :rg -i -C 2 "error" .                # case-insensitive, 2 lines of context
fs :rg -- --glob '!vendor/**' "fix"     # anything after `--` goes to rg raw
echo -e "src\nlib" | fs :rg "foo"       # paths can come from stdin

Query and filter mode

Toggled with ctrl-r:

Query mode — your input is the pattern. Every change re-runs ripgrep, streaming results in. Multiple whitespace-separated queries are OR'd; wrap a query containing spaces in single quotes, escape a literal quote as \'.

Filter mode — results are already loaded; your input is a fuzzy nucleo filter over them. Instant, no re-search.

The two modes keep separate inputs; the inactive one is shown in the status line (rg_status_template / fs_status_template).

Tip: start in query mode to search the tree, then ctrl-r into filter mode to drill down through thousands of matches.

Filtering the context column

The filter targets the path column by default. Prefix the query with % to filter the context column instead:

path_filter % context_filter

% (percent + space) selects the context column, %_ the path column. Queries are regexes in query mode, literal matches in filter mode.

Flags

Flag	Meaning
-i / -s / -S	Ignore case / case-sensitive / smart case
-A n / -B n / -C n	Context lines after / before / both sides
--one-line, -1	One line per match (--no-heading)
--fixed-strings / --no-fixed-strings	Literal patterns (default: regex)
--preserve-whitespace	Prefix the query with ' so it isn't split
--rebase	Run rg from the deepest common directory of the given paths
--filtering	Start in filter mode
--no-read	Don't read paths from stdin
--sort <sort>	name mtime atime none (size is not available)

In-app, the same knobs live in the options overlay (ctrl-p): context before/after, case, one-line, regex/fixed, and sort.

What rg actually runs

F:ist builds a deterministic rg command: --line-number --column --heading|--no-heading --null plus visibility flags, patterns as repeated -e arguments, paths at the end. --color=ansi and --trim come from [rg] base_args; --sortr=modified|accessed / --sort=path handle sorting.

• Arguments after -- are appended last and override internal flags.
• -v (invert match) is detected from extra args; results lose column info so the context column still makes sense.
• [rg] empty_pattern (default -v ^ *$) runs when the query is empty — everything except blank lines.

Not supported through the wrapper (use -- to pass them raw): --pre / --pre-glob, -z zip search, --count-matches, --passthru, --multiline.

Opening at the match

When you advance on a single-line search hit, f:ist exports:

Variable	Meaning
HIGHLIGHT_LINE	Line number of the match
HIGHLIGHT_COLUMN	Byte column (when non-zero)

The lessfilter edit preset consumes these and opens the file at the right spot when your editor is supported (micro, vim, nvim, nano); other editors get plain paths. The same variables let the previewer jump to the matching line.

Sorting and stability

The search pane sorts by name, mtime, atime, or none (match order — the default); size is not available here (see Sorting). Sort options translate to rg flags (--sort=path, --sortr=modified|accessed). In filter mode, sorting is nucleo-side with a stability threshold so live results don't thrash.

Status templates

While searching, the status line shows the active mode and input. Shipped defaults:

[panes.search]
rg_status_template = '{blue:filter: {}} \s\m/\t'   # shown in query mode
fs_status_template = '{red:query: {}} \s\m/\t'     # shown in filter mode

{} is replaced with the active input. Both are text templates with style directives.

FAQ

What's the difference between query mode and filter mode?

Query mode searches the tree (re-runs ripgrep); filter mode narrows the results already loaded. ctrl-r toggles.

How do I search for a phrase with spaces?

Single quotes in query mode: 'search this'.

How do I exclude files?

Pass rg flags raw: fs :rg -- --glob '!vendor/**' pattern.