Hidden and Ignored Files

rg has a layered ignore system. Understanding the "unrestricted" flag ladder lets you precisely control how deep you search.

The Three Ignore Layers

Layer	What it excludes
Ignore files	Paths listed in .gitignore, .rgignore, etc.
Hidden files	Any file/directory beginning with .
Binary files	Files detected as binary (non-text)

The -u Ladder

Each -u flag removes one layer of protection:

Flag	Ignores ignored files	Ignores hidden files	Ignores binary files
(default)	✅ Respects	✅ Respects	✅ Respects
-u	❌ Disabled	✅ Respects	✅ Respects
-uu	❌ Disabled	❌ Disabled	✅ Respects
-uuu	❌ Disabled	❌ Disabled	❌ Disabled

Practical Examples

# Default: respects .gitignore, skips dotfiles
rg "api_key"

# Search inside node_modules (ignore .gitignore)
rg -u "lodash"

# Search dotfiles like .env, .bashrc
rg -uu "DATABASE_URL"

# Search EVERYTHING including binaries (rarely needed)
rg -uuu "SOME_STRING"

Fine-Grained Overrides

Instead of the ladder, use specific flags:

# Don't respect .gitignore but still skip hidden files
rg --no-ignore "pattern"

# Search hidden files but still respect .gitignore
rg --hidden "pattern"

# Skip .gitignore, but only for one specific directory
rg --no-ignore-vcs "pattern" node_modules/

Finding Secrets in Dotfiles

A common security task is scanning for leaked credentials in configuration files. Dotfiles are the most common hiding spot.

# Search hidden config files for potential secrets
rg -uu -t yaml -t toml -e "password" -e "secret" -e "api_key" ~/

Performance

-uu from ~/ or / will descend into .git/objects, which stores thousands of packed binary blobs. Combine with -t (file type) or --glob to avoid this.