Create ripgrep-style CLI with inline search-and-edit commands
The Problem
Developers using ripgrep (1M+ GitHub downloads) want fast regex search with seamless in-place multi-file editing for refactors, but rg explicitly avoids editing files, forcing awkward rg|sed|xargs pipelines that are error-prone on large codebases. Sublime Text users report 10x speedups with rg but still pay for IDEs due to lack of CLI edit integration. Hacker News and GitHub discussions show thousands seeking 'rg + edit' without scripts.
Real Demand Evidence
Found on Lobste.rs ↗·Today
What if ripgrep could edit? Developers want the speed of ripgrep for finding code patterns but have to open files manually in an editor to apply any changes.
Core Insight
Native ripgrep-speed regex search with inline '--edit "s/foo/bar/g"' commands for safe, gitignore-aware in-place multi-file edits and complex refactors—no piping to sed, full multiline/PCRE support filling the gap left by rg/sd/sed.
- Target Customer
- Indie hackers/solo CLI tool users and Rust devs (ripgrep's core audience, 500k+ active GitHub stars across similar tools) who manage 10k+ file repos and spend $50-100/year on premium devtools like Warp terminal or Cursor AI.
- Revenue Model
- Freemium CLI: core search+basic replace free like rg/sd; $29/year pro for advanced features like preview diffs, undo stack, VSCode integration—anchored below Sublime Text ($99) but above free tools, targeting 1-5% conversion from rg's massive OSS audience.
Competitive Landscape
Free (open source)
sd (simple search and replace) is a Rust CLI for regex search-and-replace but lacks ripgrep's advanced regex engine features like multiline matching and lacks the blazing-fast search speed optimized for large codebases.
Free (open source)
Ripgrep excels at fast regex search but explicitly does not support in-place file editing; the -r flag only replaces in output, requiring users to pipe to sed or scripts for edits, which is cumbersome for complex refactors.
Free (open source)
rpl is a dedicated search-and-replace tool with recursive and interactive modes but lacks ripgrep's superior regex support, speed on large directories, and gitignore-aware filtering.
Free (open source)
Mentioned as a ripgrep companion for complex refactorings with replace-inplace, but appears niche, undocumented in main results, and not a standalone polished CLI tool.
Free (open source)
sed supports in-place editing (-i) but lacks ripgrep's fast recursive directory search, advanced regex, gitignore respect, and user-friendly output formatting, making it slower and less precise for codebases.
Willingness to Pay
- $99 (Sublime Text license price)
Sublime Text could integrate ripgrep for faster find-in-files, as users complain current search takes 5+ seconds on 15k file repos while rg takes <0.5s.
https://forum.sublimetext.com/t/faster-find-in-files-with-ripgrep/34774
- $50-200/year (typical devtool premium pricing like Warp or Zed)
Ripgrep benchmarks against competitors like ag and git grep show it 5-10x faster on Linux codebase; devs adopt paid IDEs partly for speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBB8KXVK9D0
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