GIT-GREP(1)

NAME
git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern

SYNOPSIS

git grep [-a | --text] [-I] [-i | --ignore-case] [-w | --word-regexp]
           [-v | --invert-match] [-h|-H] [--full-name]
           [-E | --extended-regexp] [-G | --basic-regexp]
           [-F | --fixed-strings] [-n]
           [-l | --files-with-matches] [-L | --files-without-match]
           [-z | --null]
           [-c | --count] [--all-match] [-q | --quiet]
           [--max-depth <depth>]
           [--color[=<when>] | --no-color]
           [-A <post-context>] [-B <pre-context>] [-C <context>]
           [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
           [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...]
           [--cached | --no-index | <tree>...]
           [--] [<pathspec>...]

DESCRIPTION

Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.

OPTIONS

--cached
    Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search blobs registered in the index file.

--no-index
    Search files in the current directory, not just those tracked by git.

-a, --text
    Process binary files as if they were text.

-i, --ignore-case
    Ignore case differences between the patterns and the files.

-I
    Don't match the pattern in binary files.

--max-depth <depth>
    For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth> levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.

-w, --word-regexp
    Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).

-v, --invert-match
    Select non-matching lines.

-h, -H
    By default, the command shows the filename for each match. -h option is used to suppress this output. -H is there for completeness and does not do anything except it overrides -h given earlier on the command line.

--full-name
    When run from a subdirectory, the command usually outputs paths relative to the current directory. This option forces paths to be output relative to the project top directory.

-E, --extended-regexp, -G, --basic-regexp
    Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns. Default is to use basic regexp.

-F, --fixed-strings
    Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern as a regex).

-n
    Prefix the line number to matching lines.

-l, --files-with-matches, --name-only, -L, --files-without-match
    Instead of showing every matched line, show only the names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches. For better compatibility with git diff, --name-only is a synonym for --files-with-matches.

-z, --null
    Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a file name.

-c, --count
    Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of lines that match.

--color[=<when>]
    Show colored matches. The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.

--no-color
    Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file gives the default to color output. Same as --color=never.

-[ABC] <context>
    Show context trailing (A — after), or leading (B — before), or both (C — context) lines, and place a line containing -- between contiguous groups of matches.

-<num>
    A shortcut for specifying -C<num>.

-p, --show-function
    Show the preceding line that contains the function name of the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself. The name is determined in the same way as git diff works out patch hunk headers (see Defining a custom hunk-header in gitattributes(5)).

-f <file>
    Read patterns from <file>, one per line.

-e
    The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be used for patterns starting with - and should be used in scripts passing user input to grep. Multiple patterns are combined by or.

--and, --or, --not, ( ... )
    Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean expressions. --or is the default operator. --and has higher precedence than --or. -e has to be used for all patterns.

--all-match
    When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with --or, this flag is specified to limit the match to files that have lines to match all of them.

-q, --quiet
    Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.

<tree>...
    Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search blobs in the given trees.

--
    Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters are <pathspec> limiters.

<pathspec>...
    If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern. Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.

EXAMPLES

git grep time_t — *.[ch]
    Looks for time_t in all tracked .c and .h files in the working directory and its subdirectories.

git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)
    Looks for a line that has #define and either MAX_PATH or PATH_MAX.

git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected
    Looks for a line that has NODE or Unexpected in files that have lines that match both.

AUTHOR

Originally written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>, later revamped by Junio C Hamano.

DOCUMENTATION

Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.

GIT

Part of the git(1) suite