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zvec-grep
zvec-grep is a local-first search layer that unifies ripgrep, BM25, and vector search for humans and agents.
zg (zvec-grep) is a local-first search layer built for humans and AI agents. It unifies ripgrep, BM25, and vector search behind a single interface. Users and agents can run it directly from the terminal or connect it to tools like OpenCode, Codex, Claude Code, and Cursor. Files, indexes, and local models remain on the user machine while remote embeddings require explicit permission. It supports searching source code, documents, and structured data on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
zvec-grep at a glance
- Best for: Software engineer
- Runs on: macOS, Linux, Windows, CLI
- Pricing: Free
- Released: July 2026
- Category: AI search engine
- Website: github.com/zvec-ai/zvec-grep
Key features
- Unify ripgrep, BM25, and vector search
- Run searches from the terminal or via agents
- Index source code, documents, and structured data
- Keep files, indexes, and local models on your machine
- Configure embedding concurrency for local and remote models
- Diagnose indexing errors with debug options
Use it for
- Search local workspaces using semantic and lexical queries
- Allow AI agents to retrieve code and document evidence
- Analyze codebases with symbol-aware retrieval
Alternatives to zvec-grep
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- TurboVec — Fits a 10 million document corpus in 4 GB of RAM and searches faster than FAISS.
- Anygrep — Runs locally on the CPU using EmbeddingGemma 2 without sending data away.
- Gsearch — Runs a real browser over MCP to fetch genuine Google results with zero API keys.
- SearchCLI — Provides a stable, reviewable CLI for managing Volcengine AI search workflows.
- BGE Embeddings — Provides specialized models for high-performance information retrieval.
- SereneDB — Executes search and analytics queries with a PostgreSQL-compatible frontend.
- Vespa — Combines vector database capabilities with distributed machine-learned model inference.
- Orama — Runs in browsers, servers, and edge networks with zero dependencies.
- RuVector — Provides persistent vector retrieval, graph relationships, and local decision making in Rust.
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