Live Grep

Live grep mode uses ripgrep (rg) to search file contents in real time. Results reload on every keystroke – type your query and matching lines appear instantly. The preview pane shows the matching file with the matched line highlighted via bat.

Unlike files mode, grep mode runs fzf in --disabled mode: fzf does not filter the results itself, but instead re-executes ripgrep with the current query on every change. This gives you the full power of ripgrep’s regex engine and smart-case matching.

How to access

• Type > from files mode – the remainder of your query becomes the grep search term.
• Set @dispatch-grep-key (e.g., M-s) in your ~/.tmux.conf for a direct keybinding.

Keybindings

Key	Action
Enter	Edit file at matching line in popup
Ctrl+O	Send editor open command with +line to pane
Ctrl+Y	Copy file:line to clipboard
Ctrl+F	Toggle between live search and fuzzy filter
Ctrl+R	Rename the matched file
Ctrl+X	Delete the matched file
Backspace on empty	Return to files (home)
Ctrl+D / Ctrl+U	Scroll preview down/up
?	Show help cheat sheet in preview
Escape	Close popup

Features

• Live reload – fzf runs in --disabled mode with a change:reload binding, so ripgrep re-executes on every keystroke. No need to press Enter to search.
• Filter toggle – press Ctrl+F to switch from live ripgrep search to fuzzy filtering on the current results. The prompt changes to filter > to indicate filter mode. This is useful when you want to narrow down a large set of matches by filename or content. Press Ctrl+F again to return to live search.
• Line-highlighted preview – preview.sh passes the line number to bat’s --highlight-line, visually marking the match in the preview pane. See Preview System for details.
• File + line references – Ctrl+Y copies the file:line format to the clipboard. Ctrl+O sends the editor open command with +linenum so your editor jumps directly to the match.
• Smart case – ripgrep uses --smart-case by default: searches are case-insensitive unless your query contains an uppercase letter.
• Backspace-to-home – when the query is empty, pressing Backspace returns to files mode via fzf’s become action. See Mode Switching.
• Rename from results – press Ctrl+R to rename the file that contains the current match, without leaving the popup.

Configuration

Option	Default	Description
@dispatch-grep-key	none	Prefix-free key to open grep directly (disabled by default; use > prefix instead)
@dispatch-rg-args	""	Extra arguments passed to ripgrep
@dispatch-popup-editor	auto-detect	Editor for popup (nvim > vim > vi)
@dispatch-pane-editor	$EDITOR	Editor for send-to-pane (Ctrl+O)

Tips

• Ripgrep is required for grep mode – it is not optional like fd or bat. If rg is not installed, the mode will show an install prompt and exit.
• Use @dispatch-rg-args to add permanent filters, for example --glob '!*.min.js' to exclude minified files.
• From files mode, type >functionName to instantly search for a function – the > switches to grep and functionName becomes the query.
• Results are formatted as file:line:content – files with colons in the name will not parse correctly (rare on Unix systems).
• Smart case means searching for error matches Error and ERROR, but searching for Error only matches that exact casing.