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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sphinx.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

File search enables Sphinx to search, list, and read files in your workspace. The agent uses file search to explore codebases, find relevant data files, and understand project structure—all from within your notebook.

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Capabilities

When file search is enabled, Sphinx can:
  • Search by content — Find files containing specific patterns using regex
  • List files — Explore directory structure and discover available files
  • Read files — Access file contents for analysis or reference
  • Filter by glob — Target specific file types (e.g., *.csv, *.py)

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Settings

File search is controlled by two settings in your IDE:
SettingDefaultDescription
sphinx.file-searchtrueEnable or disable file search capabilities
sphinx.ripgrep-installationtrueAllow Sphinx to install ripgrep for faster search

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Search performance

When the sphinx.ripgrep-installation setting is enabled, Sphinx uses ripgrep—a fast, modern search tool—for file operations. Ripgrep provides 10-100x faster search performance compared to traditional methods. Sphinx handles ripgrep setup automatically:
  1. First checks if ripgrep is already available on your system (via the rg command)
  2. If not found, installs a pre-compiled binary to ~/.sphinx/bin/rg
  3. Supports macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Linux (x64 and ARM64), and Windows (x64 and ARM64)
If you already have ripgrep installed on your system, Sphinx will use it automatically without installing a separate copy.

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Python fallback

When ripgrep installation is disabled or unavailable, Sphinx falls back to a pure Python implementation using standard library functions. This fallback:
  • Works on any system with Python installed
  • Requires no additional binaries
  • Is slower for large workspaces but fully functional
Disable ripgrep installation if you prefer not to have additional binaries installed, or if your environment restricts binary execution.

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Search limits

To ensure responsive performance, file search enforces the following limits:
LimitValueDescription
Max results50Maximum number of matches returned per search
Max chars per match500Long lines are truncated
Max lines per read100Files are read in chunks
Max file size50 KBLarge files are skipped

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Ignored directories

File search automatically skips common directories that typically contain generated or vendored code:
  • .git, .vscode, .idea
  • node_modules, venv, .venv
  • __pycache__, .pytest_cache, .mypy_cache
  • dist, build, site-packages
  • .ipynb_checkpoints

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Example usage

Ask Sphinx to search your workspace naturally:
  • “Find all CSV files in the data folder”
  • “Search for files that import pandas”
  • “List the Python files in this project”
  • “Read the contents of config.yaml”
Sphinx will use the appropriate file search tools and return relevant results directly in your notebook conversation.