ck

Use ck (seek) when the task is about finding code by meaning or by exact text, especially in large repos where index-backed search helps.

Search modes

Mode	Flag	Index needed	Best for
Regex (default)	`--regex` or none	No	Exact identifiers, literals, paths
Semantic	`--sem`	Auto-built	Conceptual queries ("error handling", "retry logic")
Lexical	`--lex`	Auto-built	Ranked full-text phrases
Hybrid	`--hybrid`	Auto-built	Keyword precision + semantic recall

Use ck --sem for conceptual searches like "error handling", "authentication logic", or "retry logic".
Use ck --lex when you want BM25-ranked full-text search.
Use ck --hybrid when you want keyword precision plus semantic recall.
Use plain ck with -n, -r, -i, -w, -F, -C, -A, and -B for grep-compatible exact search.