JevMade field notes / Command-line tutorial

Search text files by meaning instead of exact words

You will learn how to use a tool that searches documents for ideas rather than exact words. It explains how to combine search rules and find matching sentences across different languages.

Original by uehajRetrieval

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Credits and license

“Search source text by meaning with Jev Semgrep” by uehaj. Read the original source.

This expanded guide is an AI-narrated adaptation of the source’s essential explanation, examples and caveats, not a word-for-word reading. The synthetic voice does not imitate the author or imply their endorsement.

License: MIT

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Junji UEHARA

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
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Our summary

Jev Semgrep is a tool that searches text documents for specific ideas instead of exact words. Someone would use this to find specific events in logs or customer messages, like finding a refund request even if the message is written in another language.

The tool uses Jev, an AI system that chooses from options rather than writing new text. It reads your document line by line alongside your search question. It groups thirty lines together at a time and calculates how likely each line matches your meaning.

This is useful for people sorting through mixed-language files or support tickets. The search sends your text to an outside service and requires a private access code. The project reports fast search times, but actual speed depends on your internet connection.

Key takeaways

Write your search as a clear statement, including who is acting and what they are doing.
The tool groups thirty lines per request instead of sending every sentence separately.
You can combine search rules to include specific ideas while leaving out others.

More guides →See the experiments →