zigworks

trigrep

Instead of grep and ripgrep on big repositories

Indexed code search with ripgrep’s flags and output. A file watcher keeps the index current, so a search always sees the edit you made a second ago.

~/linux

$ trigrep -w spin_lock_irqsave kernel/sched
kernel/sched/core.c:9404:	spin_lock_irqsave(&task_group_lock, flags);
kernel/sched/core.c:9448:	spin_lock_irqsave(&task_group_lock, flags);
kernel/sched/fair.c:4110:		spin_lock_irqsave(&grp->lock, flags);
kernel/sched/wait.c:24:	spin_lock_irqsave(&wq_head->lock, flags);
… 12 lines in 3 files; total 3.6 ms

How trigrep works

headterm

Instead of tmux scripts and expect

A terminal an agent can use. It returns the screen as text, the rows that changed, and which text is highlighted, so menus, editors and installers stop being dead ends.

headterm wait menu --text warning --styles

Install which toolchain?

  stable 0.15.1
  nightly 0.16.0-dev  
  skip for now

1 warning: PATH not set
row 3: [0-22 inverse "  nightly 0.16.0-dev"]

How headterm works

In your agent

Register both as MCP servers and the agent picks them up as tools. This is a real Claude Code session: the prompt is shortened, the tool calls and results are verbatim.

You

Find spin_lock_irqsave in the kernel’s C files, then use Python to work out 2**10.

trigrep_search{"pattern": "spin_lock_irqsave", "glob": ["*.c"], "max_results": 3}

arch/alpha/kernel/irq_i8259.c:41:	raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&i8259_irq_lock, flags);
arch/alpha/kernel/irq_i8259.c:57:	raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&i8259_irq_lock, flags);
arch/alpha/kernel/irq_i8259.c:68:	raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&i8259_irq_lock, flags);
[stopped at 3 lines; narrow the pattern, add a glob or path, or raise max_results]

headterm_start{"name": "cc-test", "command": ["python3", "-q"], "then_wait": {"text": ">>> "}}

started cc-test pid=38879
>>>
[headterm] cc-test 120x40 cursor=0,0 running wait=ok(text) waited=56ms

headterm_send{"name": "cc-test", "keys": ["print(2**10)", "<Enter>"], "then_wait": {"text": "1024"}}

>>> print(2**10)
1024
[headterm] cc-test 120x40 cursor=2,0 running wait=ok(text) waited=4ms

headterm_kill{"name": "cc-test"}

killed cc-test

trigrep

A trigram index narrows every search to the files that can match. On the Linux kernel that turns a 1.4 second scan into tens of milliseconds.

Linux kernel, with trigrep watch running. Each row is one search; bars share one scale.

spin_lock_irqsave45 ms1,432 ms
EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL\(kmalloc12 ms1,434 ms
zzzqqqxxx (no match)12 ms1,406 ms
^static int __init \w+_init\(void\)55 ms1,464 ms
TODO|FIXME|XXX160 ms1,388 ms
struct \w+_ops \w+ = \{135 ms1,625 ms

trigrep ripgrep 15.2

Same answers as ripgrep

Every benchmark search is diffed against ripgrep, line by line. The comparison script ships in the repository, so you can run it on your own code.

Patterns with no literal of three or more characters, like \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}, can’t use the index. They scan every file at about ripgrep’s speed.

scripts/compare.sh

$ compare.sh linux spin_lock_irqsave -C 2
same  94866 lines  [spin_lock_irqsave] -C 2
$ compare.sh linux 'EXPORT_SYMBOL\w*' -o -t c
same  40792 lines  [EXPORT_SYMBOL\w*] -o -t c
$ compare.sh linux '[α-ω]+'
same  90 lines  [[α-ω]+]
$ compare.sh linux 'TODO|FIXME|XXX'
same  22499 lines  [TODO|FIXME|XXX]

Never stale

FSEvents or inotify tell trigrep what changed, and a cookie file proves every event arrived before it answers.
trigrep watch
Branch switches in milliseconds

Changed files go into a small delta index: 500 files in 84 ms, no full rebuild.
trigrep index --update
ripgrep’s flags

Types, globs, context lines, only-matching and the same JSON Lines format.
trigrep -t rust -C 2 --json
Built for agents

An MCP server with search, index and status tools. Results are capped and say when they are.
trigrep mcp

headterm

Agents can run commands but not use them when a program wants a keyboard. headterm puts the program in a pseudo-terminal and gives the agent eyes and hands.

Start a program
headterm start py -- python3 -q
Send keys

Text, <Enter>, <C-c>, arrows, mouse clicks and drags.
headterm send py 'print(2**10)' '<Enter>'
Wait and read the screen

For text, a regex, quiet output or exit. Then the screen comes back as plain text.
headterm wait py --text 1024
Close it

Or let it go: idle sessions close themselves after an hour.
headterm kill py

what the agent receives

>>> print(2**10)
1024
>>>
[headterm] py 60x6 cursor=2,4 running wait=ok(text) waited=0ms

Press keys the way an agent does

An installer’s menu, as headterm reports it. The selected row comes back as an inverse run, so the agent knows which option it is on before it presses Enter.

An example in headterm’s output format, running in your browser.

headterm screen menu --styles

Install which toolchain?

  stable 0.15.1
  nightly 0.16.0-dev    
  skip for now

row 3: [0-22 inverse "  nightly 0.16.0-dev"]
[headterm] menu 34x8 cursor=3,0 running

Sees highlights

Inverse, bold and colours as runs per row, so the selected menu item is never a guess.
--styles
Diffs, per agent

Only the rows that changed since this agent last looked, even with several watching.
--diff --client ID
Recordings

Sessions saved as asciicast files, ready for asciinema play.
--record run.cast
Tested on real programs

vim, less, top, Python, curses menus and git add -p, on macOS and Linux.
headterm mcp

Small, fast tools that coding agents run on, written in Zig.

trigrep

headterm

In your agent

trigrep

Same answers as ripgrep

Never stale

Branch switches in milliseconds

ripgrep’s flags

Built for agents

headterm

Start a program

Send keys

Wait and read the screen

Close it

Press keys the way an agent does

Sees highlights

Diffs, per agent

Recordings

Tested on real programs

Install