jevgrep: a CLI for semantic code search with Jev
The open-source jevgrep CLI lets coding agents find code by describing a behavior rather than a symbol name, with Jev judging relevance across files and declarations; on a 10-question SWE-bench test, agent cost fell from $7.62 to $5.44.
Jev for semantic code search! jevgrep is a CLI for coding agents that helps them find relevant code when they know what a behavior does, but not where it lives in the repository. Instead of relying only on exact strings, filenames, or symbols, you can ask a repository-level question like: “Where is authentication checked before a request reaches a handler?” Jevgrep explores the repository, uses Jev to judge relevance across folders, files, and declarations, and returns the relevant file locations along with verbatim source excerpts and line references. The coding agent still does the actual work after that. It reads the returned source, opens the surrounding files, makes the change, and runs the tests. Jev is only being used inside the retrieval layer to decide which parts of the codebase are worth looking at. If you already know the exact symbol, filename, or string, tools like 'grep', 'rg', or direct file search are still the better fit. Jevgrep is aimed at the harder case where you understand the behavior you are looking for, but you do not yet know how the repository names or organizes it. The repo also includes an agent skill for tools like Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode, so the agent can use 'jg' during repository discovery instead of you manually running the search every time. They also tested the approach on a small 10-task SWE-bench setup. In one reported run, both Jevgrep and the no-Jev baseline solved 8/10 tasks, while coding-agent cost dropped from $7.62 to $5.44, excluding Jev cost. Interesting use of Jev as a relevance layer 100% open source. Link to the GitHub repo in the comments!
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