/search-pattern

description: Search for code patterns across codebase
argument-hint: <pattern> [file-type]
allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob]

Search codebase for patterns using optimized tools. Useful for refactoring, finding usage, or understanding patterns.

Usage

/search-pattern "prisma\." ts     # Find direct Prisma usage in TypeScript
/search-pattern "withUserContext" # Find RLS context usage
/search-pattern "import.*icons"  # Find icon imports

Search Workflow

1. Parse Arguments

• $1 = Pattern to search (required)
• $2 = File type filter (optional: ts, tsx, js, md, etc.)

2. Execute Search

Use the Grep tool with these parameters:

**With file type filter** (recommended for large codebases):

| Parameter | Value | Example | | ------------- | ------------------------- | ----------------------- | | `pattern` | The regex pattern to find | `"withUserContext"` | | `type` | File type to search | `"ts"`, `"tsx"`, `"md"` | | `output_mode` | `"files_with_matches"` | Shows matching files |

**Without file type** (searches all files):

| Parameter | Value | Example | | ------------- | ------------------------- | -------------------- | | `pattern` | The regex pattern to find | `"prisma\."` | | `output_mode` | `"content"` | Shows matching lines | | `head_limit` | Limit results (optional) | `50` |

**With context** (show surrounding lines):

| Parameter | Value | Example | | ------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------------- | | `pattern` | The regex pattern | `"withUserContext"` | | `-C` | Context lines before/after | `3` | | `output_mode` | `"content"` | Required for context output |

3. Analyze Results

Report:

• Total matches found
• Files affected
• Common patterns noticed
• Potential refactoring opportunities

4. Categorize Findings

Group by:

• **Usage patterns**: How pattern is used
• **Contexts**: Where pattern appears
• **Variations**: Different uses of pattern
• **Outliers**: Unusual usage

Common Search Patterns

Find Direct Database Access

/search-pattern "prisma\.(user|payment|subscription)" ts

Identifies: Direct Prisma calls that should use RLS context helpers

Find Icon Library Usage

/search-pattern "from.*react-icons"

Identifies: Which icon libraries are used where

Find TODO Comments

/search-pattern "TODO:|FIXME:|HACK:"

Identifies: Technical debt markers

Find Deprecated Patterns

/search-pattern "deprecated|@deprecated"

Identifies: Code marked for removal

Find Error Handling

/search-pattern "try\s*\{|catch\s*\(" ts

Identifies: Error handling patterns

Find Environment Variables

/search-pattern "process\.env\."

Identifies: All environment variable usage

Find API Routes

/search-pattern "export.*GET|POST|PUT|DELETE" ts

Identifies: All API endpoints

Find Test Files

/search-pattern "describe\(|it\(|test\(" ts

Identifies: Test coverage

Advanced Patterns

Multiline Search

For patterns spanning multiple lines (e.g., finding function bodies):

| Parameter | Value | Purpose | | ----------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | | `pattern` | `"async function.*\\{[\\s\\S]*?return"` | Cross-line pattern | | `multiline` | `true` | Enable multiline matching | | `type` | `"ts"` | Optional file type filter |

Example: Find async functions that return Prisma results

Context Search

Show surrounding lines for understanding usage context:

| Parameter | Purpose | When to Use | | ------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------- | | `-A 3` | 3 lines after match | See what happens after | | `-B 3` | 3 lines before match | See imports, function signature | | `-C 5` | 5 lines before and after | Full context around match | | `output_mode` | Must be `"content"` | Required for context output |

Example: See function signature with implementation context

Regex Patterns

Complex patterns:

• `\bfunction\s+(\w+)` - Function names
• `import.*from\s+['"](.*)['"]` - Import sources
• `interface\s+(\w+)` - Interface names

Output Format

Summary

Pattern: {search-pattern}
Files: {count} files
Matches: {count} occurrences

Grouped Results

Category: {category-name}
- file1:line - context
- file2:line - context

Category: {category-name}
- file3:line - context

Recommendations

Based on findings:

• Refactoring opportunities
• Pattern consistency issues
• Missing patterns
• Best practice violations

Use Cases

1. Pre-Refactoring

Before refactoring, find all usage:

/search-pattern "oldFunctionName"

Creates checklist of files to update.

2. Pattern Enforcement

Verify pattern usage:

/search-pattern "withUserContext|withAdminContext"

Ensures RLS patterns followed.

3. Dependency Analysis

Find imports:

/search-pattern "from '@/lib/prisma'"

Understand module dependencies.

4. Migration Tracking

Find old patterns:

/search-pattern "OldComponent"

Track migration to new patterns.

5. Documentation

Find undocumented code:

/search-pattern "export (function|class|interface)" ts

Cross-reference with documentation.

Integration with Refactoring

After search:

1. Create Linear ticket for refactoring 2. List all affected files 3. Estimate effort 4. Plan incremental changes 5. Track progress

Success Criteria

• ✅