The best code search tools, according to hackers
15 code search tools recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
All code search tools
- ripgrepA much faster grep replacement for searching codebases, also widely used by AI coding agents; the main caveat is its default skipping of gitignored and hidden files.122recommend
- ast-grepA syntax-aware command-line tool for searching and refactoring code without regex headaches, which people also expose to AI agents as a skill. Some report mixed results.21recommend
- SembleDevelopers recommend Semble for fast local code search that needs fewer tokens and queries than grep. Critics question how the token savings are measured.20recommend
- Graft (Claude Code hooks)People recommend it for giving coding agents a map of the code that searches inside files rather than by names, cutting tokens and latency. Critics say the benchmarks are thin and the README reads as generated.13recommend
- Lat.mdRecommended as a Markdown knowledge graph that helps AI agents search code faster than grep. Main caveat: critics want proof of better performance.11recommend
- Ory LumenRecommended as local semantic code search for Claude Code that cuts tool calls and token use. Critics found it hard to figure out how it works.10recommend
- tilthRecommended as a simple, daemon-free code navigation tool for AI agents that cuts token use by about 40% in benchmarks. Main caveat: agents may do worse with niche tools.9recommend
- fff.nvimFast, typo-tolerant code search that people say finds the intended match quickly, available as a Neovim plugin and for AI tools via MCP.9recommend
- Universal CtagsLightweight command-line tool that indexes code so editors and AI agents can jump to definitions. Critics find it limited and say its workflow is clunky because tags must be regenerated manually.8recommend
- GraphifyRecommended for giving coding agents a portable JSON map of a codebase from one command. Caveat: some find it slower than alternatives.8recommend
- The Silver SearcherDevelopers recommend it as a fast command-line code search tool that works the way they expect, with good performance on modern systems.6recommend
- ag (The Silver Searcher)Fast command-line code search tool that people prefer over grep and IDE search for its ergonomic defaults, such as flexible casing and simpler file filtering. No criticisms recorded.6recommend
- ChunkHoundFree open-source code research tool that people run alongside Claude to explore large repos. Critics say the docs are confusing and the default embeddings use a hosted API.6recommend
- ugrepA grep-compatible search tool with approximate matching that several people use as their default grep, valued as a solid replacement for GNU grep.6recommend
- SourcegraphPeople recommend it for code search across large codebases and for giving AI coding tools better context on their own code.5recommend