2 minute read

Context

If you live in a terminal, speed comes from reducing friction, not memorizing more commands.

fzf (fuzzy finder) earns its place because it:

  • composes cleanly with Unix tools
  • works interactively
  • scales from tiny repos to massive systems

This post covers three high-leverage fzf patterns that are easy to adopt and immediately useful.

1) Fuzzy-Find and Open Files

Searching for files is a constant task—configs, logs, scripts, docs.

Basic pattern

fzf

This lists files recursively from the current directory and lets you fuzzy-search interactively.

Open the selected file in an editor

vim $(fzf)

or, for VS Code:

code $(fzf)

Why this works:

  • no need to remember paths
  • fast narrowing with a few keystrokes
  • works anywhere, not just Git repos

This is often faster than find + copy/paste.

2) Search Command History

Shell history grows quickly. Finding the right command again is harder than retyping it.

Fuzzy-search history

history | fzf

This lets you:

  • scroll interactively
  • search by fragments
  • avoid exact matches

Execute the selected command

history | fzf | sed 's/^[ ]*[0-9]\+[ ]*//' | bash

What this does:

  • strips history line numbers
  • executes the selected command

Use with care—but it’s incredibly effective for repeating complex commands.

3) Find and Act on Processes

Process management is another place where fuzzy selection shines.

Select a process interactively

ps aux | fzf

This is useful when:

  • multiple similar processes exist
  • PIDs change frequently
  • names are long or truncated

Kill the selected process

ps aux | fzf | awk '{print $2}' | xargs kill

Why this is powerful:

  • no manual PID copying
  • visual confirmation before action
  • composable with other commands

You can easily swap kill for kill -9 or other signals when appropriate.

Why These Patterns Work So Well

Each example follows the same idea:

  • generate a list (ps, history, filesystem)
  • filter interactively with fzf
  • pass the result to the next command

This is the Unix philosophy—with a modern, interactive layer.

Practical Tips

  • Bind common fzf commands to shell aliases or keybindings
  • Combine fzf with ripgrep (rg) for even faster searches
  • Don’t over-automate destructive actions—keep the human in the loop

fzf is most powerful when it augments judgment, not replaces it.

Takeaways

  • fzf turns lists into interactive tools
  • It composes cleanly with existing commands
  • File navigation, history recall, and process management benefit immediately
  • Small productivity gains add up quickly in terminal-heavy workflows

Once fzf is in your muscle memory, working without it feels unnecessarily slow.

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