Grepai Init

GrepAI Init

This skill covers the grepai init command and project initialization.

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up GrepAI in a new project
• Understanding what grepai init creates
• Customizing initial configuration
• Troubleshooting initialization issues

Basic Usage

cd /path/to/your/projectgrepai init

What Init Creates

Running grepai init creates the .grepai/ directory with:

.grepai/├── config.yaml    # Configuration file├── index.gob      # Vector index (created by watch)└── symbols.gob    # Symbol index for trace (created by watch)

Default Configuration

The generated config.yaml:

version: 1
embedder:  provider: ollama  model: nomic-embed-text  endpoint: http://localhost:11434
store:  backend: gob
chunking:  size: 512  overlap: 50
watch:  debounce_ms: 500
trace:  mode: fast  enabled_languages:    - .go    - .js    - .ts    - .jsx    - .tsx    - .py    - .php    - .c    - .h    - .cpp    - .hpp    - .cc    - .cxx    - .rs    - .zig    - .cs    - .pas    - .dpr
ignore:  - .git  - .grepai  - node_modules  - vendor  - target  - __pycache__  - dist  - build

Understanding Default Settings

Embedder Settings

Store Settings

Chunking Settings

Watch Settings

Ignore Patterns

Default patterns exclude:

• Version control: .git
• GrepAI data: .grepai
• Dependencies: node_modules, vendor
• Build outputs: target, dist, build
• Cache: __pycache__

Customizing After Init

Edit .grepai/config.yaml to customize:

Change Embedding Provider

embedder:  provider: openai  model: text-embedding-3-small  api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}

Change Storage Backend

store:  backend: postgres  postgres:    dsn: postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/grepai

Add Custom Ignore Patterns

ignore:  - .git  - .grepai  - node_modules  - "*.min.js"  - "*.bundle.js"  - coverage/  - .nyc_output/

Init in Monorepos

For monorepos, init at the root:

cd /path/to/monorepogrepai init

Or use workspaces for separate indices:

grepai workspace create my-workspacegrepai workspace add my-workspace /path/to/project1grepai workspace add my-workspace /path/to/project2

Re-Initialization

If you need to reset:

# Remove existing configrm -rf .grepai
# Re-initializegrepai init

Warning: This deletes your index. You'll need to re-run grepai watch.

Verifying Initialization

After init, verify with:

# Check config existscat .grepai/config.yaml
# Check status (will show no index yet)grepai status

Common Issues

❌ Problem: .grepai already exists ✅ Solution: Delete it first or edit existing config:

rm -rf .grepai && grepai init

❌ Problem: Config created but Ollama not running ✅ Solution: Start Ollama before running grepai watch:

ollama serve

❌ Problem: Wrong directory initialized ✅ Solution: Remove .grepai and init in correct directory

Best Practices

1. Init at project root: Where your main code lives
2. Add .grepai/ to .gitignore: Index is machine-specific
3. Customize ignore patterns: Exclude generated/vendored code
4. Review config after init: Adjust for your stack

Example .gitignore Addition

# GrepAI.grepai/

Output Format

After successful initialization:

✅ GrepAI Initialized
   Config: .grepai/config.yaml
   Default settings:   - Embedder: Ollama (nomic-embed-text)   - Storage: GOB (local file)   - Chunking: 512 tokens, 50 overlap
   Next steps:   1. Ensure Ollama is running: ollama serve   2. Start indexing: grepai watch