renamify replace

The replace command performs straightforward search-and-replace operations using regular expressions or literal strings. Unlike the rename command which handles case transformations, replace is for mechanical replacements where you control the exact pattern and replacement.

Usage

renamify replace <PATTERN> <REPLACEMENT> [PATHS]... [OPTIONS]

Arguments

• <PATTERN> - Search pattern (regex by default, literal with —no-regex)
• <REPLACEMENT> - Replacement string (supports $1, $2 capture groups in regex mode)
• [PATHS]... - Search paths (files or directories)

Options

Pattern Mode

• --no-regex - Treat pattern as literal string instead of regex

Preview and Confirmation

• --preview <FORMAT> - Show preview before confirmation (table, diff, json, none) [default: table]
• --dry-run - Show preview only, don’t apply changes
• --yes / -y - Skip confirmation prompt and apply immediately
• --large - Acknowledge large changes (>500 files or >100 renames)

File Processing

• --include <PATTERNS> - Only process files matching these glob patterns
• --exclude <PATTERNS> - Skip files matching these glob patterns
• --no-rename-files - Don’t rename matching files
• --no-rename-dirs - Don’t rename matching directories
• --no-rename-paths - Don’t rename files or directories

Line Filtering

• --exclude-matching-lines <REGEX> - Skip matches on lines matching this regex pattern

Safety and Git

• --commit - Create a git commit after applying changes
• --force-with-conflicts - Force apply even with conflicts

Unrestricted Mode

• -u - Disable .gitignore files
• -uu - Disable all ignore files, include hidden files
• -uuu - Disable all ignore files, include hidden files, process binary files

Examples

Basic Regex Replacement

# Update version numbers with regex
renamify replace 'version: "(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)"' 'version: "$1.$2.4"'

# Update import paths with capture groups
renamify replace 'from "\./(.*)"' 'from "@local/$1"'

# Fix method names
renamify replace 'get([A-Z]\w+)ById' 'find$1ById'

Literal String Mode

# Fix a typo without escaping special characters
renamify replace --no-regex 'array[index]' 'array.at(index)'

# Update exact strings
renamify replace --no-regex 'Copyright (c) 2024' 'Copyright (c) 2025'

# Replace configuration values
renamify replace --no-regex 'localhost:3000' 'api.example.com'

File Type Specific

# Only in JavaScript files
renamify replace 'console\.log' 'logger.debug' --include "**/*.js"

# Exclude test files
renamify replace 'OLD_API' 'NEW_API' --exclude "**/*.test.*"

With Line Filtering

# Skip commented lines
renamify replace 'TODO' 'DONE' --exclude-matching-lines '^\s*//'

# Only in import statements
renamify replace '"lodash"' '"lodash-es"' --include "**/*.ts" \
  --exclude-matching-lines '^(?!import)'

Large Codebase

# Acknowledge large changes
renamify replace 'OldComponent' 'NewComponent' --large

# Dry run first to see scope
renamify replace 'deprecated' 'legacy' --dry-run

Regex Features

The replace command uses Rust’s regex crate, which supports:

Capture Groups

# Swap parameters
renamify replace 'fn\((\w+), (\w+)\)' 'fn($2, $1)'

# Extract and reformat
renamify replace 'user_(\d+)_profile' 'profile/user/$1'

Character Classes

# Match any whitespace
renamify replace '\s+' ' '

# Match word boundaries
renamify replace '\btest\b' 'spec'

Quantifiers

# Optional trailing comma
renamify replace ',?\s*\]' ']'

# One or more digits
renamify replace 'id:\d+' 'id:REDACTED'

Lookarounds

# Positive lookahead
renamify replace '(\w+)(?=\()' 'async $1'

# Negative lookbehind
renamify replace '(?<!\\)n' '\\n'

Important Notes

No Case Transformation

Unlike rename, the replace command does NOT:

• Transform between case styles (snake_case, camelCase, etc.)
• Respect token boundaries
• Handle acronyms specially
• Generate style variants

If you need these features, use the rename command instead.

File Renaming

When pattern matches in filenames:

• Files are renamed after content changes
• Directories are renamed depth-first
• Collisions are detected and reported

Escaping in Regex Mode

Common patterns that need escaping:

• Dots: \. for literal dot
• Parentheses: \( and \) for literal
• Square brackets: \[ and \]
• Special chars: \$, \^, \*, \+, \?

Use --no-regex to avoid escaping entirely.

Comparison with rename

Task	Use rename	Use replace
Rename a variable across case styles	✅	❌
Update version numbers	❌	✅
Fix typos	❌	✅
Refactor class names	✅	❌
Update config values	❌	✅
Change import paths	❌	✅
Rename functions preserving style	✅	❌

Interactive Flow

Similar to rename, the replace command follows this flow:

1. Scanning: Searches for pattern matches
2. Preview: Shows planned changes in chosen format
3. Confirmation: Prompts “Apply these changes? [y/N]:”
4. Apply: Makes changes atomically
5. Results: Shows operation ID for undo

Exit Codes

• 0 - Success
• 1 - Conflicts detected (use --force-with-conflicts to override)
• 2 - Invalid input or arguments
• 3 - Internal error or system issue

See Also

• rename - Case-aware identifier renaming
• plan - Create a replacement plan without applying
• undo - Revert the last operation