Dev Tools
SocratiCode
Enterprise-grade codebase intelligence for AI agents — hybrid semantic search over 40M+ LOC, locally.
★ 3.3k starsAGPL-3.0
View guide →// devtools · yoanbernabeu/grepai
grepai
grepai is an open-source dev tools project by yoanbernabeu (yoanbernabeu/grepai on GitHub). It has 1,902 GitHub stars and 161 forks, is released under the MIT license, and was last updated on GitHub on 21 September 2026.
grepai: semantic code search and call graphs for AI agents, running 100% locally on your machine.
★ 1.9k stars⑂ 161 forksMITupdated 2026-09
▦ visual — this project's README ships no embeddable screenshot,
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
// project facts
Project facts
- Repository
- yoanbernabeu/grepai
- GitHub stars
- 1,902
- Forks
- 161
- License
- MIT
- Last updated on GitHub
- 21 September 2026
- Category
- Dev Tools
- Listing
- Full install guide
- Official site
- Official site
// how it works
How it works
- Clarify your goal
Decide which embedding provider to use; a local Ollama model keeps everything on your machine.
- Get the project
Install grepai with Homebrew or the install script, and pull the embedding model if you use Ollama.
- Install and configure
Initialise grepai in your project and start the watch daemon to build and maintain the index.
- Run your first task
Search semantically in plain language and trace callers before changing a function; optionally connect it to your agent as an MCP tool.
// features
Why people love it
Search by intent
Natural-language queries find conceptually related code even when names differ, for example finding session handling when you search for authentication logic.
Call graph tracing
Trace who calls a function before changing it, reducing breakage from blind edits.
100% local operation
With local embedding providers, your code never leaves your machine, suiting private and regulated codebases.
Always-fresh index
A file watcher keeps the index up to date automatically as you edit.
Agent-ready and MCP server
Designed to feed coding agents relevant context instead of raw grep output, and exposes itself as an MCP tool agents can call directly.
Shell completion
Generated completions for zsh, bash, fish, and PowerShell cover commands, flags, and dynamic values like workspace and provider names.
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// run it
Run it yourself
- Clone the project (optional)
Most users install the released binary instead of building from source.
git clone https://github.com/yoanbernabeu/grepai.git cd grepai - Install and prepare embeddings
Install via Homebrew (or the README's install script) and pull the default embedding model.
brew install yoanbernabeu/tap/grepai ollama pull nomic-embed-text - Initialise, index, and search
Run these inside your project.
grepai init grepai watch grepai search "error handling"
// use cases
What you can build
- Letting Claude Code find the auth flow in an unfamiliar monorepo without reading hundreds of files
- Checking every caller of a function before refactoring it
- Searching a legacy codebase where naming conventions are inconsistent
- Giving an agent precise context while keeping proprietary code fully offline
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// faq
Questions, answered
Who maintains it?
It is created and maintained by Yoan Bernabeu.
Is it free to use?
Yes, grepai is MIT-licensed and free. With Ollama or LM Studio embeddings there is no per-query cost at all.
Does it need a paid API key?
No paid key is required: Ollama is the recommended default and runs locally. OpenAI embeddings are an optional alternative that would use your key.
How does it compare to a well-known alternative?
ripgrep matches exact text and regex; grepai matches meaning through embeddings and adds call-graph tracing, at the cost of maintaining a local index.
How do I get started?
Install it, run ollama pull nomic-embed-text, then grepai init and grepai watch in your project, and search in plain language.
// keep exploring
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// more in devtools
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Get grepai
Free and open — grab the source, star the repo, and start creating.