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PathSearch

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Transform file paths to search queries with customizable patterns and view results instantly in a Peek view.

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Why PathSearch? Standard LSP-based "Find All References" works great for code symbols, but fails for file path-based references like template paths, translation keys, or dynamic imports. PathSearch bridges this gap by converting physical file paths into logical search queries automatically.

Features

  • Pattern-based file transformation: Define regex patterns to transform file paths into search queries
  • Inline Peek Results: View search results in a Peek view without leaving your current file
  • Search with ripgrep: Uses ripgrep (via PATH or VS Code bundle)
  • Respects .gitignore: Exclusions are honored by ripgrep
  • Auto-detection: Automatically selects the right pattern based on file type
  • Multiple patterns per file type: Support different search strategies for the same file
  • Secure: Protected against command injection, path traversal, and other security vulnerabilities

ripgrep resolution

PathSearch uses ripgrep in the following order:

  1. pathsearch.ripgrepPath (no fallback when set)
  2. rg from PATH
  3. VS Code bundled app/node_modules/@vscode/ripgrep/bin (path may change between VS Code versions)

If none are available, install ripgrep using the official installation guide, then add it to your PATH or set pathsearch.ripgrepPath to the executable path.

Usage

1. Configure Search Rules

Add search rules to your .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "pathsearch.rules": [
    {
      "name": "Template File",
      "match": "**/*.{twig,blade.php,ejs,hbs}",
      "transforms": [
        {
          "extractFrom": ".*views/(.*)",
          "searchFor": "@YourNamespace/$1"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "React Component - Import",
      "match": "**/*.tsx",
      "transforms": [
        {
          "extractFrom": ".*/components/(.*)\\.tsx$",
          "searchFor": "import.*from ['\"].*/$1['\"]",
          "searchAsRegex": true
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "SCSS Relative Imports",
      "match": "**/*.scss",
      "relative": {
        "matchTarget": "fileStem",
        "maxDepth": 3,
        "searchScope": "src/",
        "filePattern": "**/*.scss"
      }
    }
  ]
}

2. Find References

Inline Results (Peek)

  • Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+U (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+U (Mac)
  • Command Palette: PathSearch: Find References
  • Shows results in an inline Peek view at your current cursor position

Other Commands

  • PathSearch: Find References: Shows results in a Peek view (uses rule selection rules)
  • PathSearch: Find References (Always Picker): Always show the rule picker before searching

Configuration

pathsearch.rules

Array of search rules. Each rule includes the following (at least one of transforms or relative is required):

  • name (required): Rule display name
  • match (required): Glob pattern to match files (empty string matches nothing)
  • matchWorkspace (optional): Limit this rule to specific workspace names
  • maxResults (optional): Override pathsearch.maxResults for this rule
  • transforms (optional): Array of transform definitions
  • relative (optional): Relative path search settings

matchWorkspace

Limit a rule to specific workspace names:

{
  "name": "Monorepo only",
  "match": "**/*.ts",
  "matchWorkspace": ["my-monorepo", "client-app"],
  "transforms": []
}

Glob or regex matching (by workspace name):

{
  "name": "App workspaces",
  "match": "**/*.ts",
  "matchWorkspace": { "type": "glob", "values": ["*-app"] },
  "transforms": []
}
{
  "name": "Corp workspaces",
  "match": "**/*.ts",
  "matchWorkspace": { "type": "regex", "values": ["^corp-"] },
  "transforms": []
}

transforms (array)

Each transform includes:

  • extractFrom (required): Regular expression to match against workspace-relative file path
  • searchFor (required): Replacement pattern (use $1, $2 for capture groups)
  • searchAsRegex (optional): Use the result as a regex pattern in ripgrep search
  • allowNoMatch (optional): Skip this transform if extractFrom does not match
  • searchScope (optional): Limit search to specific directories (e.g., "src/" or ["src/", "app/"])
  • filePattern (optional): Limit search to matching files (e.g., "**/*.twig", "**/*.{scss,css}" or ["**/*.twig", "**/*.html"])

relative (object)

Relative path search settings:

  • matchTarget (required): What to match (parentDir, fileName, fileStem)
  • maxDepth (optional): Maximum number of ../ segments allowed. Use 0 to allow only same-level (and child) relative paths.
  • searchScope (optional): Limit search to specific directories (e.g., "src/" or ["src/", "app/"])
  • filePattern (optional): Limit search to matching files (e.g., "**/*.scss", "**/*.{scss,css}" or ["**/*.scss", "**/*.css"])

pathsearch.showPickerOnMultiple

Default: false

Controls whether to show the picker when multiple rules match. true shows the picker; false auto-selects the first rule.

pathsearch.maxResults

Default: 100

Maximum number of search results to display in the Peek view. Range: 1-10000.

Limits the number of results to prevent performance issues with very large result sets.

pathsearch.ripgrepPath

Default: "" (empty - use ripgrep from PATH or VS Code bundle)

Custom path to the ripgrep executable. See ripgrep resolution for how it is resolved.

Example:

  • macOS/Linux: /usr/local/bin/rg
  • Windows: C:\\Program Files\\ripgrep\\rg.exe

Search Limitations

PathSearch has the following built-in limitations to ensure performance and security:

  • File size limit: Files larger than 10MB are automatically excluded from search
  • Matches per file: Maximum 100 matches per file (fixed cap separate from maxResults)
  • Total output limit: Search terminates if ripgrep output exceeds 5MB
  • Path restrictions: searchScope only accepts relative paths (no .. or absolute paths, including /)

Examples

Template Files (Twig/Blade/EJS)

{
  "name": "Template File",
  "match": "**/*.{twig,blade.php,ejs,hbs}",
  "transforms": [
    {
      "extractFrom": ".*views/(.*)",
      "searchFor": "@YourNamespace/$1"
    }
  ]
}

File: src/views/book/detail.twig Search query: @YourNamespace/book/detail.twig

Note: Replace @YourNamespace with your project's actual namespace (e.g., @BookwalkerMain, @App, @Templates).

React/TypeScript Components

{
  "name": "React Component",
  "match": "**/{components,hooks}/**/*.{tsx,ts}",
  "transforms": [
    {
      "extractFrom": ".*/(?:components|hooks)/(.*)\\.tsx?$",
      "searchFor": "from ['\"].*/$1",
      "searchAsRegex": true
    }
  ]
}

Optional Transform (allowNoMatch)

Use multiple transforms in one rule and skip non-matching ones:

{
  "name": "Components and Hooks",
  "match": "**/*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx}",
  "transforms": [
    {
      "extractFrom": ".*/components/(.*)\\.(tsx|jsx)$",
      "searchFor": "from ['\"].*/$1",
      "allowNoMatch": true
    },
    {
      "extractFrom": ".*/hooks/use(.*)\\.(ts|js)$",
      "searchFor": "use$1\\(",
      "allowNoMatch": true
    }
  ]
}

File: src/components/Button/Button.tsx Search query (regex): from ['"].*Button/Button

Python Modules

{
  "name": "Python Module",
  "match": "**/*.py",
  "transforms": [
    {
      "extractFrom": ".*/([^/]+)/([^/]+)\\.py$",
      "searchFor": "from $1.$2 import|from $1 import $2",
      "searchAsRegex": true
    }
  ]
}

File: myapp/models/user.py Search query (regex): from models.user import|from models import user

i18n Translation Keys

{
  "name": "Translation Key",
  "match": "**/{locales,i18n,translations}/**/*.{json,yaml,yml}",
  "transforms": [
    {
      "extractFrom": ".*/([^/]+)/([^/]+)\\.(json|yaml|yml)$",
      "searchFor": "$1:$2\\.|['\"]$1:$2\\.",
      "searchAsRegex": true
    }
  ]
}

File: locales/en/common.json Search query (regex): en:common\.|['"]en:common\. Finds: t('en:common.welcome'), i18n.t("en:common.button")

Relative Imports (SCSS)

{
  "name": "SCSS Relative Imports",
  "match": "**/*.scss",
  "relative": {
    "matchTarget": "fileStem",
    "maxDepth": 3,
    "searchScope": "src/",
    "filePattern": "**/*.scss"
  }
}

File: src/styles/button.scss Search: Finds relative imports like @use "./button" or @import "../styles/button"

Limiting Search Scope

Limit search to specific directories for faster results:

{
  "name": "Frontend Component",
  "match": "**/*.tsx",
  "transforms": [
    {
      "extractFrom": ".*/components/(.*)\\.tsx$",
      "searchFor": "import.*from ['\"].*/$1['\"]",
      "searchAsRegex": true,
      "searchScope": "src/frontend/" // Only search in frontend directory
    }
  ]
}

Benefits:

  • Faster search (fewer files to scan)
  • More relevant results (excludes backend code)
  • Better organization for monorepos

Multiple directories:

{
  "searchScope": ["src/", "app/", "lib/"]
}

Note: searchScope does not support wildcards. Use filePattern to filter files instead.

File pattern filter:

{
  "filePattern": "**/*.twig"
}

This limits searches to matching files while keeping the same scope.

Security

PathSearch is designed with security in mind:

  • Command injection: Uses secure spawn API instead of shell execution
  • Path traversal: Validates all file paths to prevent access outside workspace
  • Resource exhaustion: Limits output size and result count
  • Information disclosure: Sanitizes error messages shown to users
  • Workspace boundary enforcement: Enforces workspace boundary checks

All search rules can be defined in either workspace or user settings, giving you full control and visibility.

License

WTFPL (Do What The Fuck You Want To Public License)

Copyright (C) 2026 horyu

See LICENSE file for details.

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Transform file paths to search queries with customizable regex patterns for VS Code

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