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/project
grepai 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:

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

Change Storage Backend

Add Custom Ignore Patterns

Init in Monorepos

For monorepos, init at the root:

Or use workspaces for separate indices:

Re-Initialization

If you need to reset:

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

Verifying Initialization

After init, verify with:

Common Issues

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

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

❌ 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

Output Format

After successful initialization: