Search tool doesn't find anything when user has custom `~/.config/ripgrep/.ripgreprc` present

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/4741
2. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/5256
3. https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/4946

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

What's in your ~/.config/.ripgreprc, i.e. does finding zero results align with the exclusions you have set?

If not, can you run claude --debug and see if you have any rg / ripgrep errors logged?

@ant-kurt this is my ripgreprc:

$ cat $HOME/.config/ripgrep/.ripgreprc
--hidden
--glob
!.git/

and the exclusions don't align - i.e. if Claude runs ripgrep SOMETHING it will find stuff while its own Search() tool won't.

And this is the relevant debug log: rg error (signal=null, code=2, stderr: rg: unrecognized flag --ripgrep
), 0 results

⏺ I'll use the Grep tool to search for files. Let me search for Python files:
[DEBUG] executePreToolHooks called for tool: Grep
[DEBUG] Executing hooks for PreToolUse:Grep
[DEBUG] Getting matching hook commands for PreToolUse with query: Grep
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook matchers in settings
[DEBUG] Matched 0 unique hooks for query "Grep" (0 before deduplication)
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook commands to execute
[DEBUG] rg error (signal=null, code=2, stderr: rg: unrecognized flag --ripgrep
), 0 results
[DEBUG] Executing hooks for PostToolUse:Grep
[DEBUG] Getting matching hook commands for PostToolUse with query: Grep
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook matchers in settings
[DEBUG] Matched 0 unique hooks for query "Grep" (0 before deduplication)
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook commands to execute

⏺ Search(pattern: "def", type: "py")
  ⎿  Found 0 files
[DEBUG] Stream started - received first chunk

⏺ No Python files with function definitions found in the current directory. Let me try searching for any files containing "config":
[DEBUG] executePreToolHooks called for tool: Grep
[DEBUG] Executing hooks for PreToolUse:Grep
[DEBUG] Getting matching hook commands for PreToolUse with query: Grep
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook matchers in settings
[DEBUG] Matched 0 unique hooks for query "Grep" (0 before deduplication)
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook commands to execute
[DEBUG] rg error (signal=null, code=2, stderr: rg: unrecognized flag --ripgrep
), 0 results
[DEBUG] Executing hooks for PostToolUse:Grep
[DEBUG] Getting matching hook commands for PostToolUse with query: Grep
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook matchers in settings
[DEBUG] Matched 0 unique hooks for query "Grep" (0 before deduplication)
[DEBUG] Found 0 hook commands to execute

this is a major problem for me too. here's what i have

# Don't let ripgrep vomit really long lines to my terminal, and show a preview.
--max-columns=150
--max-columns-preview

--line-number
--trim

#--column

--follow
--hidden
--pretty

--smart-case

--max-depth=6

#--before-context=1
#--after-context=1

--ignore
#--ignore-dot
--ignore-file=/Users/loomen/.config/rg/rgignore
--ignore-parent
--ignore-global
--ignore-vcs

Note that the workaround with bogus env variable works for me.

I've created a StackOverflow Q&A to increase visibility of the issue and the workaround: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79759550/claude-codes-internal-search-tool-always-shows-0-results-even-when-it-should-o/79759551#79759551

@ant-kurt I see this is tagged as platform:linux but I encountered it on macOS. Might be unix-wide.

confirmed it exists on macos and linux. i'm still using this fix on Arch WSL and macOS and it works but there are bugs when Claude decides to use ripgrep sometimes. Please fix

I had RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH set to a custom path and claude-code hates that.

here's a fix from my dotfiles:

# Claude Code
function claude() {
    if [ -f $HOME/.claude/local/claude ]; then
        local _claude="$HOME/.claude/local/claude"
    elif [ -f "$HOME/.local/bin/claude" ]; then
        local _claude="$HOME/.local/bin/claude"
    else
        local _claude=$(
            for dir in `echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n'`; do
                if [ -x "$dir/claude" ]; then
                    echo "$dir/claude"
                    break
                fi
            done
        )
    fi
    if [[ ! -v _claude ]] || [[ -z "$_claude" ]]; then
        >&2 echo "‼️ Couldn't find a local claude"
        exit 252833 # "claude" on a phone dial pad
    fi

    if [[ -v RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH ]]; then
        local _old_ripgrep_config_path="$RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH"
        unset RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH
    fi

    $_claude

    if [[ -v _old_ripgrep_config_path ]]; then
        export RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH="$_old_ripgrep_config_path"
    fi
}

Now on latest Claude I suddenly get issues when Claude calls ripgrep through bash (having the above dummy workaround in my claude config):

⏺ Bash(rg "entries_with_(complete_raw_read|incomplete_raw_read|ext_metadata|external_metadata)" /Users/cr/code/loculus/ena-submission/scripts/get_ena_submission_list.p…)
  ⎿      all_entries_with_external_metadata = entries_with_raw_read_links | entries_with_insdc_accessions
                 not in (all_entries_with_external_metadata | revoked_entries)
     rg: failed to read the file specified in RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH: dummy: No such file or directory (os error 2)

I fixed that by creating an empty file .emptyripgreprc that I then use instead of dummy:

{
  "env": {
    "RIPGREP_CONFIG_PATH": "/Users/cr/.config/ripgrep/.emptyripgreprc"
  }
}

Hey folks - this should be resolved in the next release, which also drops support for custom ripgrep configs in Claude Code.

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