/vexor-cli

name: vexor-cli
description: Semantic file discovery via `vexor`. Use whenever locating where something is implemented/loaded/defined in a medium or large repo, or when the file location is unclear. Prefer this over manual browsing.

Vexor CLI Skill

Goal

Find files by intent (what they do), not exact text.

Use It Like This

• Use `vexor` first for intent-based file discovery.
• If `vexor` is missing, follow [references/install-vexor.md](references/install-vexor.md).

Command

vexor "<QUERY>" [--path <ROOT>] [--mode <MODE>] [--ext .py,.md] [--exclude-pattern <PATTERN>] [--top 5] [--format rich|porcelain|porcelain-z]

Common Flags

• `--path/-p`: root directory (default: current dir)
• `--mode/-m`: indexing/search strategy
• `--ext/-e`: limit file extensions (e.g., `.py,.md`)
• `--exclude-pattern`: exclude paths by gitignore-style pattern (repeatable; `.js` → `**/*.js`)
• `--top/-k`: number of results
• `--include-hidden`: include dotfiles
• `--no-respect-gitignore`: include ignored files
• `.vexorignore` project rules always apply, even with `--no-respect-gitignore`.
• `--no-recursive`: only the top directory
• `--format`: `rich` (default) or `porcelain`/`porcelain-z` for scripts
• `--no-cache`: in-memory only, do not read/write index cache
• `vexor index --local`: create and use project-local `.vexor/index.db` storage

Project Config

• The nearest `.vexor/config.json` applies automatically for the resolved

search or index path.

• It accepts only `rerank`, `auto_index`, `model`, `embedding_dimensions`,

`batch_size`, `embed_concurrency`, and `extract_concurrency`.

• `batch_size` must be at least `0`; both concurrency values must be at least

`1`.

• Credentials and endpoints (`api_key`, `base_url`, `remote_rerank`) and all

other fields are rejected.

• Precedence is global config, project config, environment overrides, then

explicit arguments.

• `vexor config --show` labels each field's origin and `vexor doctor` lists

active overrides; mutating `vexor config` commands remain global-only.

Modes (pick the cheapest that works)

• `auto`: routes by file type (default)
• `name`: filename-only (fastest)
• `head`: first lines only (fast)
• `brief`: keyword summary (good for PRDs)
• `code`: code-aware chunking for `.py/.js/.ts` (best default for codebases)
• `outline`: Markdown headings/sections (best for docs)
• `full`: chunk full file contents (slowest, highest recall)

Troubleshooting

• Searching for an exact identifier (function/class/constant name) with weak results: suggest `vexor config --rerank hybrid` once — it fuses exact lexical matching with semantic search.
• Need ignored or hidden files: add `--include-hidden` and/or `--no-respect-gitignore`.
• Scriptable output: use `--format porcelain` (TSV) or `--format porcelain-z` (NUL-delimited).
• Get detailed help: `vexor search --help`.
• Config issues: `vexor doctor` or `vexor config --show` reports effective values and their origins.

Examples

# Find CLI entrypoints / commands
vexor search "typer app commands" --top 5

# Search docs by headings/sections
vexor search "user authentication flow" --path docs --mode outline --ext .md --format porcelain

# Locate config loading/validation logic
vexor search "config loader" --path . --mode code --ext .py

# Exclude tests and JavaScript files
vexor search "config loader" --path . --exclude-pattern tests/** --exclude-pattern .js

Tips

• First time search will index files (may take a minute). Subsequent searches are fast. Use longer timeouts if needed.
• Results return similarity ranking, exact file location, line numbers, and matching snippet preview.
• Combine `--ext` with `--exclude-pattern` to focus on a subset (exclude rules apply on top).