---
id: ripgrepy
version: "2.2.0"
license: unclear
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: aging
---

# ripgrepy

License: unclear · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 343.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Ripgrepy is a Python interface to ripgrep, the fast command-line search tool. It lets you construct ripgrep commands programmatically by chaining method calls—each method corresponds to a ripgrep flag—then execute the search and retrieve results in multiple formats (string, dictionary, or JSON). The package is built on ripgrep version 11.0.1 and targets Python 3.7+.

The main constraint is that ripgrepy does not bundle ripgrep itself; it acts as a thin wrapper around the system ripgrep binary. You must have rg installed and in your PATH (or provide an explicit path) before any search will work. This makes it useful for automating ripgrep searches within Python scripts or applications, but it adds a system-level dependency that must be satisfied separately.

Use it for:

- Automate code searches across a codebase from within a Python script or application.
- Parse ripgrep results programmatically as dictionaries or JSON for further processing.
- Build search-based tools that need to chain ripgrep options dynamically based on user input.
- Integrate fast file searching into Python workflows without spawning shell commands directly.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Ripgrepy is a Python wrapper around the ripgrep command-line search tool, allowing you to chain ripgrep options programmatically and retrieve results as strings, dictionaries, or JSON.

Yes, if you already have ripgrep installed on your system and need programmatic access to its search capabilities from Python. The package is straightforward and has no Python dependencies. However, the aging maintenance status (399 days since last release) and unclear license warrant a quick check of the repository before adopting it in production. The mandatory external ripgrep binary is not a blocker if you already use ripgrep, but it is a hard requirement.

## Install

pip install ripgrepy
uv add ripgrepy
poetry add ripgrepy

## Installing ripgrepy

Before you install: Installation has high friction: ripgrepy requires the ripgrep binary (rg) to be present in your system PATH or a path to be provided explicitly. The package itself has no Python dependencies, but this external system dependency is mandatory for any functionality. The project is aging—last release was 399 days ago—though the repository remains active with recent commits.

License in practice: License status is unclear; the package declares no SPDX identifier or raw license text in its metadata. Before adopting ripgrepy in a commercial or compliance-sensitive context, verify the actual license from the repository.

Quickstart:

pip install ripgrepy

from ripgrepy import Ripgrepy

rg = Ripgrepy('pattern', '/path/to/search')
results = rg.with_filename().line_number().run().as_string

The ripgrep binary (rg) must be installed and available in your system PATH, or you must provide an explicit path to the ripgrep executable.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package is actively maintained or in maintenance-only mode given the 399-day gap since the last release.
- The actual license under which ripgrepy is distributed, since metadata shows no SPDX or raw license declaration.
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.7, since only 3.7 is listed in classifiers despite the description claiming '3.7+'.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (unclear)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 343.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ripgrep python wrapper, search files with regex, command-line search interface, text search and retrieval, ripgrep programmatic access, pattern matching in files, code search tool, search-tool, command-wrapper

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/ripgrepy) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/ripgrepy/)