rg/Q/Using rg, how can I display + or - 8 lines of context around a match, plus line numbers?

• Using rg, how can I display + or - 8 lines of context around a match, plus line numbers?

  • Answer

    • AI/Response
      • Symmetric context (8 lines before and after each match): use -C 8 or --context=8, e.g. rg -n -C8 PATTERN path/. -C is shorthand for the same line count with -B and -A together.
      • Asymmetric context (+8 after only / −8 before only): use -A 8 (--after-context=8) for lines after the match, or -B 8 (--before-context=8) for lines before. You can combine them independently, e.g. rg -n -B3 -A8 PATTERN (3 before, 8 after). Order matters when mixing with -C: later flags partially override earlier ones (see rg --help under -C).
      • Line numbers: add -n or --line-number on the same command. Example with all three ideas: rg -n -C8 foo .
      • TTY note: rg may omit line numbers (and color) when stdout is not a terminal; use -n explicitly when piping or redirecting output.
      • ripgrep user guide — printing context