mcpbeat

Search Router

parcadei/search-router

Choose the right search tool for each query type

656 tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
3880
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/parcadei/Continuous-Claude-v3 --skill search-router

The instruction itself

7 sections, as written by the author

Search Tool Router

Use the most token-efficient search tool for each query type.

When to Use

  • Searching for code patterns
  • Finding where something is implemented
  • Looking for specific identifiers
  • Understanding how code works

Decision Tree

Query Type?
├── CODE EXPLORATION (symbols, call chains, data flow)
│   → TLDR Search - 95% token savings
│   DEFAULT FOR ALL CODE SEARCH - use instead of Grep
│   Examples: "spawn_agent", "DataPoller", "redis usage"
│   Command: tldr search "query" .
│
├── STRUCTURAL (AST patterns)
│   → AST-grep (/ast-grep-find) - ~50 tokens output
│   Examples: "def foo", "class Bar", "import X", "@decorator"
│
├── SEMANTIC (conceptual questions)
│   → TLDR Semantic - 5-layer embeddings (P6)
│   Examples: "how does auth work", "find error handling patterns"
│   Command: tldr semantic search "query"
│
├── LITERAL (exact text, regex)
│   → Grep tool - LAST RESORT
│   Only when TLDR/AST-grep don't apply
│   Examples: error messages, config values, non-code text
│
└── FULL CONTEXT (need complete understanding)
    → Read tool - 1500+ tokens
    Last resort after finding the right file

Token Efficiency Comparison

| Tool | Output Size | Best For |

|------|-------------|----------|

| TLDR | ~50-500 | DEFAULT: Code symbols, call graphs, data flow |

| TLDR Semantic | ~100-300 | Conceptual queries (P6, embedding-based) |

| AST-grep | ~50 tokens | Function/class definitions, imports, decorators |

| Grep | ~200-2000 | LAST RESORT: Non-code text, regex |

| Read | ~1500+ | Full understanding after finding the file |

Examples

# CODE EXPLORATION → TLDR (DEFAULT)
tldr search "spawn_agent" .
tldr search "redis" . --layer call_graph

# STRUCTURAL → AST-grep
/ast-grep-find "async def $FUNC($$$):" --lang python

# SEMANTIC → TLDR Semantic
tldr semantic search "how does authentication work"

# LITERAL → Grep (LAST RESORT - prefer TLDR)
Grep pattern="check_evocation" path=opc/scripts

# FULL CONTEXT → Read (after finding file)
Read file_path=opc/scripts/z3_erotetic.py

Optimal Flow

1. AST-grep: "Find async functions" → 3 file:line matches
2. Read: Top match only → Full understanding
3. Skip: 4 irrelevant files → 6000 tokens saved
  • /tldr-search - DEFAULT - Code exploration with 95% token savings
  • /ast-grep-find - Structural code search
  • /morph-search - Fast text search

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take parcadei/search-router from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.