What is this skill used for?

It enables modern find-and-replace across files using sd, with batch patterns and safe preview steps.

What tools do I need?

You need the sd CLI tool and Bash. Install sd with brew or cargo, and ensure it's in your PATH.

How do I preview changes before applying?

List affected files with rg, preview with rg and sd, then apply with sd and verify with rg and git diff.

find-replace

npx machina-cli add skill aiskillstore/marketplace/find-replace --openclaw

Files (1)

SKILL.md

2.0 KB

Find Replace

Modern find-and-replace using sd.

sd Basics

# Replace in file (in-place)
sd 'oldText' 'newText' file.txt

# Replace in multiple files
sd 'oldText' 'newText' *.js

# Preview without changing (pipe)
cat file.txt | sd 'old' 'new'

sd vs sed

sed	sd
`sed 's/old/new/g'`	`sd 'old' 'new'`
`sed -i 's/old/new/g'`	`sd 'old' 'new' file`
`sed 's#path/to#new/path#g'`	`sd 'path/to' 'new/path'`

Key difference: sd is global by default, no delimiter issues.

Common Patterns

# Variable/function rename
sd 'oldName' 'newName' src/**/*.ts

# Word boundaries (avoid partial matches)
sd '\boldName\b' 'newName' src/**/*.ts

# Import path update
sd "from '../utils'" "from '@/utils'" src/**/*.ts

# Capture groups
sd 'console\.log\((.*)\)' 'logger.info($1)' src/**/*.js

Safe Batch Workflow

# 1. List affected files
rg -l 'oldPattern' src/

# 2. Preview replacements
rg 'oldPattern' -r 'newPattern' src/

# 3. Apply
sd 'oldPattern' 'newPattern' $(rg -l 'oldPattern' src/)

# 4. Verify
rg 'oldPattern' src/  # Should return nothing
git diff              # Review changes

Special Characters

Character	Escape
`.`	`\.`
`*`	`\*`
`[` `]`	`\[` `\]`
`$`	`\$`
`\`	`\\`

Tips

Tip	Reason
Always preview with `rg -r` first	Avoid mistakes
Use git before bulk changes	Easy rollback
Use `\b` for word boundaries	Avoid partial matches
Quote patterns	Prevent shell interpretation

Additional Resources

For detailed patterns, load:

./references/advanced-patterns.md - Regex, batch workflows, real-world examples

Source

git clone https://github.com/aiskillstore/marketplace/blob/main/skills/0xdarkmatter/find-replace/SKILL.mdView on GitHub

Overview

Find-replace uses sd to perform fast, batch substitutions across files. It improves on sed by defaulting to global replacements and supporting batch patterns. This skill is ideal for refactoring identifiers, updating imports, and other codebase-wide changes.

How This Skill Works

sd runs substitutions from the command line to replace text in a target file or across many files. Use rg to list affected files and preview replacements before applying with sd, following the Safe Batch Workflow. Patterns cover variable/function renames, word boundaries, import path updates, and capture groups.

When to Use It

Refactor identifiers (variable/function names) across TS/JS sources
Update import paths across a codebase (e.g., from ../utils to @/utils)
Batch replacements across multiple files while keeping a safe preview
Ensure exact matches by using word boundaries to avoid partial replacements
Preview and verify changes with rg and git diff before committing

Quick Start

Step 1: Install sd (brew install sd on macOS or cargo install sd) and confirm sd is on PATH.
Step 2: Run a simple in-file replacement, e.g., sd 'oldText' 'newText' file.txt.
Step 3: Use the Safe Batch Workflow: list affected files with rg, preview with rg, apply with sd, then verify with rg and git diff.

Best Practices

Always preview with rg before applying replacements
Use word boundaries (where appropriate) to avoid partial matches
Keep a backup and use git to track changes
Quote patterns to prevent shell interpretation
Follow the Safe Batch Workflow: list, preview, apply, verify

Example Use Cases

Variable/function rename: sd 'oldName' 'newName' src/**/*.ts
Import path update: sd 'from ../utils' 'from @/utils' src/**/*.ts
Batch replacement across JS files: sd 'oldPattern' 'newPattern' $(rg -l 'oldPattern' src/)
Preview edits with cat: cat file.txt | sd 'old' 'new'
Apply and verify with git diff

Frequently Asked Questions

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