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Count and List Modes

Ripgrep provides several modes for counting and listing files instead of showing matching content. This is useful for getting an overview of matches across your codebase.

flowchart LR
    Start[ripgrep search] --> Mode{Output Mode?}

    Mode -->|Default| Content[Show matching lines]
    Mode -->|Count| CountType{Count what?}
    Mode -->|List| ListType{List which files?}

    CountType -->|-c| Lines["Count matching lines
per file"]
    CountType -->|--count-matches| Matches["Count individual matches
can be multiple per line"]

    Lines --> Zero1{Include zero?}
    Matches --> Zero2{Include zero?}

    Zero1 -->|--include-zero| AllFiles1["Show all files
including 0 counts"]
    Zero1 -->|default| NonZero1[Only files with matches]
    Zero2 -->|--include-zero| AllFiles2["Show all files
including 0 counts"]
    Zero2 -->|default| NonZero2[Only files with matches]

    ListType -->|-l| WithMatches[Files with matches]
    ListType -->|--files-without-match| WithoutMatches[Files without matches]
    ListType -->|--files| AllSearchable["All searchable files
no search performed"]

    style Content fill:#e8f5e9
    style Lines fill:#e1f5ff
    style Matches fill:#e1f5ff
    style WithMatches fill:#fff3e0
    style WithoutMatches fill:#fff3e0
    style AllSearchable fill:#fff3e0

Figure: Ripgrep output modes showing the relationship between counting, listing, and content display options.

Counting Matches

# Count matching lines per file
# Source: crates/core/flags/defs.rs:1260-1295
rg -c pattern                  # (1)!

# Count individual matches (can be multiple per line)
# Source: crates/core/flags/defs.rs:1320-1355
rg --count-matches pattern     # (2)!
  1. Counts lines containing the pattern (one count per line, even if pattern appears multiple times)
  2. Counts individual occurrences of the pattern (can be multiple per line)

Difference between -c and --count-matches

-c counts matching lines, while --count-matches counts individual matches.

For example, in a line containing "error error error":

  • rg -c "error" returns 1 (one line)
  • rg --count-matches "error" returns 3 (three matches)

Side-by-side comparison:

$ echo 'error error error' | rg -c 'error'
1
Counts the line containing matches (one count per line)

$ echo 'error error error' | rg --count-matches 'error'
3
Counts individual occurrences of the pattern

Example output: 

src/main.rs:2
tests/test.rs:1

Include Zero Count Files

By default, files with zero matches are not shown in count output. Use --include-zero to include them:

# Source: crates/core/flags/defs.rs:3328-3361
# Show all files, including those with zero matches
rg -c --include-zero pattern

Example output: 

src/main.rs:2
tests/test.rs:1
README.md:0

Grep-like behavior

Use --include-zero to make ripgrep behave more like grep, which shows zero-count files by default.

Listing Files

# List files with matches
rg -l pattern                        # (1)!

# List files without matches
rg --files-without-match pattern     # (2)!
  1. Shows only filenames that contain at least one match (no match content displayed)
  2. Shows filenames that do NOT contain any matches (useful for finding gaps in test coverage)

Quick Reference: When to use each flag:

Flag Purpose Example Use Case
-l Files with matches rg -l 'unsafe' -t rust - Find Rust files using unsafe code
--files-without-match Files without matches rg --files-without-match 'test_api' -g "*test*.rs" - Find test files missing API tests
--files All searchable files (no search) rg --files -t rust - List all Rust files that would be searched

Practical use: 

# Find all Rust files containing "unsafe"
rg -l "unsafe" -t rust

# Find test files that don't test the API
rg --files-without-match "test_api" -g "*test*.rs"

List All Searchable Files

Use --files to see which files would be searched, without performing a search:

# Source: crates/core/flags/defs.rs:2129-2160
# List all files that would be searched
rg --files

# List files with specific filtering
rg --files -t rust
rg --files -g "*.toml"

Debugging file filtering

Use rg --files to verify your glob patterns and type filters are working as expected before running the actual search.

Inverted Matching

Powerful Filtering Technique

Inverted matching (-v) is incredibly useful for filtering out noise from logs, excluding certain files from results, or finding lines that lack expected patterns (like missing documentation).

Use -v or --invert-match to show lines that do NOT match the pattern:

# Show all lines without "debug"
rg -v "debug"

# Show all non-empty lines
rg -v "^$"

# Find files without TODO comments
rg -l "TODO" | rg -v README

Practical examples:

Before (normal search): 

$ rg 'error' app.log
10:ERROR: connection failed
15:DEBUG: error handling enabled
22:ERROR: timeout occurred
25:DEBUG: error recovery started

After (inverted filtering): 

$ rg 'error' app.log | rg -v 'DEBUG'
10:ERROR: connection failed
22:ERROR: timeout occurred
Filters out DEBUG lines while keeping ERROR lines containing "error"

# Find Rust files without documentation comments
rg -v "^///" -t rust

# Show configuration without comments
rg -v "^#" config.conf