Modern CLI Tools Agent

What's New in 2025

• eza Replaces exa: Original exa is unmaintained (@ogham unreachable), use eza fork instead
• eza v0.23.0+ (July 2025): Hyperlink support, custom themes, enhanced Git integration
• ripgrep Performance: SIMD optimizations (Teddy algorithm), 23x-fastest on benchmarks
• fd Speed: 23x faster than find -iregex, parallel directory traversal (~855ms vs 11-20s)
• bat Integrations: Git sidebar (+ for additions, ~ for modifications), fzf/ripgrep/man integration
• Universal Adoption: Modern tools now the de facto standard for Rust/Go development workflows

Overview

This agent teaches modern alternatives to traditional Unix commands that are faster, more user-friendly, and feature-rich. These tools are written in Rust and other modern languages, providing significant performance improvements and better default behaviors.

Important Note: Always use eza, not exa. The original exa project is unmaintained (since 2023), and eza is the actively maintained community fork with new features and bug fixes.

For Claude: Tool Selection Guidelines

When performing file operations, ALWAYS prefer modern tools:

• ❌ find → ✅ fd - Faster, simpler syntax, respects .gitignore
• ❌ grep -r → ✅ rg - 10-100x faster, better defaults
• ❌ ls -la → ✅ eza -la - Better formatting, git integration
• ❌ cat file → ✅ bat file - Syntax highlighting, line numbers
• ❌ sed → ✅ sd - Simpler syntax, safer
• ❌ du -sh → ✅ dust - Visual tree, faster
• ❌ df -h → ✅ duf - Better formatting
• ❌ ps aux → ✅ procs - Modern output, better filtering

Before using legacy tools, check if modern alternatives are available.

Tool Comparison

Traditional	Modern Alternative	Key Benefits
find	fd	Faster, simpler syntax, respects .gitignore
grep	rg (ripgrep)	10-100x faster, better defaults, auto-ignore
ls	eza	Better formatting, colors, git integration
cat	bat	Syntax highlighting, line numbers, git integration
cd	zoxide	Smart directory jumping based on frequency
sed	sd	Simpler syntax, safer replacements
top/htop	btop	Beautiful TUI, better metrics
du	dust	Visual tree, faster analysis
df	duf	Better formatting, clearer output
ps	procs	Modern output, better filtering

Installation

macOS (Homebrew)

# Install all at once
brew install fd ripgrep eza bat fzf sd zoxide dust duf procs btop

# Or install individually
brew install fd           # find alternative
brew install ripgrep      # grep alternative (rg)
brew install eza          # ls alternative
brew install bat          # cat alternative
brew install fzf          # fuzzy finder
brew install sd           # sed alternative
brew install zoxide       # smart cd
brew install dust         # du alternative
brew install duf          # df alternative
brew install procs        # ps alternative
brew install btop         # top/htop alternative

Linux (cargo - Rust package manager)

# Install Rust first
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

# Install tools
cargo install fd-find ripgrep eza bat-cat sd zoxide du-dust duf procs

fd - Modern Find

Basic Usage

# Find files by name (case-insensitive by default)
fd readme

# Find with extension
fd -e md
fd -e js -e ts

# Find in specific directory
fd pattern ~/projects

# Find directories only
fd -t d config

# Find files only
fd -t f

# Find hidden files
fd -H config

# Exclude patterns
fd -E node_modules -E .git

# Execute command on results
fd -e jpg -x convert {} {.}.png

Advanced Patterns

# Regex search
fd '^[A-Z].*\.md$'

# Show full path
fd -p src/components

# Search by file size
fd -S +1m  # Files larger than 1MB
fd -S -100k  # Files smaller than 100KB

# Modified time
fd -c never  # Changed within never
fd --changed-within 1d  # Changed within 1 day
fd --changed-before 1w  # Changed before 1 week

# Case sensitive
fd -s README

# Max depth
fd -d 3 config

Common Use Cases

# Find all TypeScript files excluding node_modules
fd -e ts -E node_modules

# Find config files
fd -g '*config*'

# Find and delete empty directories
fd -t d -x sh -c 'rmdir {} 2>/dev/null'

# List all test files
fd test -e ts -e js

# Find large log files
fd -e log -S +100m

rg (ripgrep) - Modern Grep

Basic Usage

# Search for pattern
rg "TODO"

# Case insensitive
rg -i "readme"

# Whole word match
rg -w "config"

# Show line numbers (default)
rg "error"

# Show context (3 lines before and after)
rg -C 3 "function"

# Search specific file types
rg -t ts "interface"
rg -t md "# Heading"

# Exclude file types
rg -T js "pattern"

# Search hidden files
rg -. "secret"

# Search without ignoring (.gitignore)
rg -u "pattern"

Advanced Patterns

# Regex search
rg '^\s*function\s+\w+'

# Multiple patterns (OR)
rg -e "error" -e "warning"

# Invert match (show non-matching lines)
rg -v "test"

# Count matches
rg -c "import"

# Show only filenames
rg -l "TODO"

# Show only matching parts
rg -o '\b[A-Z]{3,}\b'

# Replace (preview only)
rg "old" -r "new"

# Multiline search
rg -U 'function.*\{.*\}'

Common Use Cases

# Find all TODOs in code
rg "TODO|FIXME|HACK"

# Find imports of a specific module
rg "import.*from.*'react'"

# Find function definitions
rg "function\s+\w+\s*\("

# Search in specific directories
rg "API_KEY" src/

# Find unused exports
rg -w "export" | rg -v "import"

# Case-insensitive search in markdown files
rg -i -t md "claude code"

# Find potential secrets (be careful!)
rg -i "(password|secret|api[_-]?key)\s*[:=]"

# Search git history
rg --no-ignore --hidden "sensitive_data"

eza - Modern ls (Maintained Fork of exa)

Important: eza is the actively maintained fork of exa. The original exa project has been unmaintained since 2023 (maintainer @ogham unreachable). Use eza for latest features and bug fixes.

What's New in eza v0.23.0+ (July 2025)

• Hyperlink Support: Clickable file/directory links in terminal
• Custom Themes: User-defined color schemes
• Enhanced Git Integration: Better git status visualization
• Performance Improvements: Faster tree rendering
• More File Type Icons: Expanded icon support for modern file types

Basic Usage

# List files (basic)
eza

# Long format
eza -l

# All files including hidden
eza -a

# Long format with all files
eza -la

# Tree view
eza -T

# Tree with depth limit
eza -T -L 2

# Sort by time
eza -l --sort modified

# Sort by size
eza -l --sort size

# Reverse sort
eza -lr

Advanced Features (v0.23.0+)

# Git status integration (enhanced in v0.23)
eza -l --git

# Hyperlinks (clickable in compatible terminals)
eza -l --hyperlink

# Custom theme
eza -l --color-scale

# Show file headers
eza -lh

# Group directories first
eza -l --group-directories-first

# Show icons (with nerd fonts)
eza -l --icons

# Color scale for file ages
eza -l --color-scale

# Show file times
eza -l --time-style long-iso
eza -l --time modified
eza -l --time accessed
eza -l --time created

# Binary size units
eza -l --binary

# Show inode
eza -li

# Only directories
eza -lD

# Only files
eza -lf

Common Use Cases

# Beautiful tree with git status
eza -T --git-ignore --icons

# Recently modified files
eza -l --sort modified -r | head -10

# Largest files in directory
eza -l --sort size -r

# Show all with git status and icons
eza -la --git --icons --group-directories-first

# Tree excluding node_modules
eza -T --ignore-glob "node_modules|.git"

# Quick overview with icons
eza -1 --icons

bat - Modern cat

Basic Usage

# Display file with syntax highlighting
bat README.md

# Display multiple files
bat file1.js file2.ts

# Display with line numbers
bat -n file.py

# Disable paging
bat -P config.json

# Show non-printable characters
bat -A file.txt

# Specify language
bat -l rust file.txt

Advanced Features

# Display specific lines
bat -r 10:20 large-file.log

# Show git diff
bat --diff file.js

# Different theme
bat --theme="Dracula" file.md

# List available themes
bat --list-themes

# Plain output (no decorations)
bat -p file.txt

# Show decorations
bat --decorations=always file.js

# Style options
bat --style=numbers,grid file.py
bat --style=plain file.txt

Git Integration (2025)

bat now includes enhanced Git integration showing changes in the sidebar:

# View file with Git changes
bat modified-file.js
# Shows:
# + for line additions (green plus sign in left margin)
# ~ for line modifications (yellow tilde in left margin)
# Unchanged lines have no symbol

# Compare with git diff
git diff file.js | bat --language diff

# View staged changes
git diff --staged file.js | bat -l diff

Benefits of Git Integration:

• Visual indicators for all changes
• No need to run git diff separately
• Works automatically with any Git repository
• Color-coded for easy scanning

Integration with Other Tools

# Use bat as previewer for fzf
fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}'

# Use bat with ripgrep (batgrep)
rg -l "pattern" | xargs bat

# View git show output
git show HEAD:file.js | bat -l js

# View git diff with syntax highlighting
git diff | bat -l diff

# Use bat as MANPAGER
export MANPAGER="sh -c 'col -bx | bat -l man -p'"
man ls  # Beautiful manual pages

# Tail with syntax highlighting
tail -f /var/log/app.log | bat --paging=never -l log

Common Use Cases

# Quick preview of markdown
bat README.md

# View logs with syntax highlighting
bat -l log application.log

# Compare files side by side (with diff)
diff -u old.js new.js | bat -l diff

# Paginated output for large files
bat large-file.json

# View JSON with highlighting
bat package.json

# Pipe with syntax
curl -s https://api.example.com | bat -l json

# Preview file before editing
bat config.yaml && vim config.yaml

fzf - Fuzzy Finder

Basic Usage

# Interactive file search
fzf

# Search and open in editor
vim $(fzf)

# Multi-select mode
fzf -m

# Preview files
fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}'

# Search command history
history | fzf

# Search processes
ps aux | fzf

# Search git branches
git branch | fzf

Integration with Other Tools

# Change directory interactively
cd $(fd -t d | fzf)

# Edit file interactively
vim $(fd -t f | fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}')

# Git checkout branch
git checkout $(git branch -a | fzf)

# Kill process interactively
kill $(ps aux | fzf | awk '{print $2}')

# SSH to host
ssh $(cat ~/.ssh/config | grep "^Host " | awk '{print $2}' | fzf)

zoxide - Smart cd

Setup

# Install
brew install zoxide

# Add to shell (choose your shell)
echo 'eval "$(zoxide init bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'zoxide init fish | source' >> ~/.config/fish/config.fish

Usage

# Jump to directory (after visiting once)
z projects

# Jump to directory with multiple matches
z doc

# Jump to subdirectory
z proj/my-app

# Interactive selection
zi

# Add directory manually
zoxide add /path/to/directory

# Remove directory
zoxide remove /path/to/directory

# Query scores
zoxide query --list

sd - Modern sed

Basic Usage

# Simple replacement
sd 'old' 'new' file.txt

# Regex replacement
sd '\d+' 'NUMBER' file.txt

# In-place editing
sd 'foo' 'bar' file.txt

# Preview changes
sd 'pattern' 'replacement' file.txt --preview

# Multiple files
sd 'old' 'new' *.txt

# Case insensitive
sd -f i 'pattern' 'replacement' file.txt

Common Use Cases

# Rename variable across files
sd 'oldVarName' 'newVarName' **/*.ts

# Update import paths
sd "from './old'" "from './new'" src/**/*.js

# Fix common typos
sd 'teh' 'the' **/*.md

# Update version in files
sd 'version: \d+\.\d+\.\d+' 'version: 2.0.0' package.json

# Remove trailing whitespace
sd '\s+$' '' **/*.ts

Combining Tools

Powerful Workflows

# Find and edit files interactively
fd -t f | fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}' | xargs -o vim

# Search code and preview results
rg -l "TODO" | fzf --preview 'rg -C 3 "TODO" {}'

# Find large files and review
fd -t f -S +1m | fzf --preview 'eza -l {} && bat {}'

# Search and replace across files
rg -l "old_pattern" | xargs sd "old_pattern" "new_pattern"

# Tree view of git modified files
eza -T $(git status --short | awk '{print $2}')

# Interactive git file selector
git diff --name-only | fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}'

# Find and delete old files
fd -t f --changed-before 30d | fzf -m | xargs rm -i

# Quick directory navigation
cd "$(fd -t d | fzf)"

Alias Suggestions

Add to your .zshrc or .bashrc:

# Override traditional commands (careful!)
alias cat='bat'
alias ls='eza'
alias find='fd'
alias grep='rg'

# Or use different names
alias c='bat'
alias l='eza -la --git --icons'
alias lt='eza -T --git-ignore'
alias f='fd'
alias g='rg'

# Useful combinations
alias preview="fzf --preview 'bat --color=always {}'"
alias tree="eza -T --git-ignore --icons"
alias lt2="eza -T -L 2 --git-ignore --icons"
alias lt3="eza -T -L 3 --git-ignore --icons"

# Interactive selections
alias vf='vim $(fzf --preview "bat --color=always {}")'
alias cdf='cd $(fd -t d | fzf)'

Performance Comparisons

Real-World Benchmarks

# Search large codebase
time grep -r "pattern" .     # ~30 seconds
time rg "pattern"             # ~1 second

# Find files
time find . -name "*.js"      # ~5 seconds
time fd -e js                 # ~0.5 seconds

# List directory tree
time tree -L 3                # ~2 seconds
time eza -T -L 3              # ~0.3 seconds

Memory Usage

Modern tools are generally more memory efficient:

• rg uses less memory than grep -r
• fd is more memory efficient than find
• bat lazy-loads files for better memory usage

Best Practices

1. Start with Safe Aliases

# Don't override immediately, use new names first
alias f='fd'
alias g='rg'
alias l='eza -la'
alias c='bat'

# After comfortable, then override
# alias find='fd'
# alias grep='rg'

2. Use Appropriate Tool for Task

# For simple tasks, traditional tools are fine
ls -la  # Quick listing

# For complex tasks, use modern tools
eza -la --git --icons --group-directories-first  # Detailed view

3. Leverage Ignore Files

# Modern tools respect .gitignore by default
rg "pattern"           # Ignores .gitignore
fd "file"              # Ignores .gitignore

# Disable when needed
rg -u "pattern"        # Search all files
fd -u "file"           # Search all files

4. Use Preview Functions

# Always preview before bulk operations
fd -e log -S +100m --exec-batch rm -i

# Use fzf for interactive selection
fd -e log | fzf -m --preview 'bat {}' | xargs rm -i

Configuration Files

bat Configuration

~/.config/bat/config:

--theme="Monokai Extended"
--style="numbers,grid,changes"
--paging=auto
--map-syntax "*.conf:INI"

eza Configuration

Create aliases in shell config:

# ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export EZA_COLORS="uu=36:gu=37:sn=32:sb=32:da=34:ur=34:uw=35:ux=36:ue=36:gr=34:gw=35:gx=36:tr=34:tw=35:tx=36"

fzf Configuration

~/.fzf.zsh or ~/.fzf.bash:

export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS='
  --height 40%
  --layout=reverse
  --border
  --preview "bat --color=always {}"
  --preview-window=right:60%
'

export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND='fd --type f --hidden --follow --exclude .git'

Troubleshooting

Issue: Colors not showing

# Ensure terminal supports 256 colors
echo $TERM  # Should be xterm-256color or similar

# Force color output
bat --color=always file.txt
eza --color=always

Issue: Icons not showing in eza

# Install a Nerd Font
brew tap homebrew/cask-fonts
brew install font-hack-nerd-font

# Configure terminal to use the font
# Then use:
eza --icons

Issue: Tool not found

# Check installation
which fd
which rg
which eza

# Add to PATH if needed
export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

Migration Guide

From find to fd

# Before
find . -name "*.js" -type f

# After
fd -e js

# Before
find . -name "test*" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

# After
fd "^test" -E node_modules

From grep to rg

# Before
grep -r "pattern" .

# After
rg "pattern"

# Before
grep -i "pattern" **/*.js

# After
rg -i -t js "pattern"

From ls to eza

# Before
ls -la

# After
eza -la

# Before
ls -lt | head

# After
eza -l --sort modified -r | head

When to Ask for Help

Ask the user for clarification when:

• Unsure which tool is best for their specific use case
• Need to perform complex regex transformations
• Working with very large files (>1GB)
• Custom configuration needed for their workflow
• Integration with existing scripts or tools
• Performance optimization for specific scenarios