Modern CLI Tools on a Half-Fossilized macOS Monterey

Last Updated: 2026-06-03

1. Introduction

As macOS Monterey ages, modern package managers increasingly drop official support. While Homebrew may continue to function for some users, relying on it becomes progressively riskier.

Fortunately, several essential developer tools are written in Rust and can be installed directly via Cargo. This page documents a lightweight setup using:

• ripgrep (rg) — a fast replacement for grep
• fd — a user-friendly replacement for find
• bat — a syntax-highlighted replacement for cat

The goal is not to modernize Monterey itself, but to keep daily development productive on a platform that is slowly becoming a fossil.

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2. Data Schema

A. Tool Definitions

• rg: Fast recursive text search tool (replacement for grep -R)
• fd: Fast and intuitive file finder (replacement for find)
• bat: Syntax-highlighted file viewer (replacement for cat)

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B. Design Policy

• Cargo First: Install Rust-native tools using Cargo rather than Homebrew.
• Minimal Dependencies: Avoid introducing additional package managers.
• Monterey Survival: Favor approaches that continue working after official OS support ends.

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3. Installation Summary

Tool	Purpose	Install Command
rg	Text search	cargo install ripgrep
fd	File search	cargo install fd-find
bat	File viewer	cargo install bat

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4. Everyday Usage Cheat Sheet

Traditional Command	Modern Equivalent	Notes
grep -R TODO .	rg TODO	Faster and cleaner
grep -R SECRET_KEY .	rg SECRET_KEY	Common project search
find . -name "*.py"	fd -e py	Simpler syntax
find . -name Dockerfile	fd Dockerfile	Filename search
cat README.md	bat README.md	Syntax highlighting
find . -name "*.py" \| xargs grep foo	rg foo -g "*.py"	One command

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5. Why This Combination Works

The three tools complement each other naturally:

rg "TODO"
fd "*.py"
bat README.md

Typical workflow:

# Locate a file
fd settings

# Search inside files
rg "DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE"

# View the file
bat config/settings/local.py

This creates a simple mental model:

• fd finds files.
• rg finds text.
• bat displays content.

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6. Monterey Notes

Verify that Cargo binaries are available:

echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | rg cargo

Expected output:

/Users/<username>/.cargo/bin

Confirm installation:

which rg
which fd
which bat

Expected:

~/.cargo/bin/rg
~/.cargo/bin/fd
~/.cargo/bin/bat

List installed Cargo packages:

cargo install --list

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7. Maintenance Notes

• Extensibility: Additional Rust CLI tools such as eza, zoxide, and dust can be added later.
• Generation: This page is maintained manually as a personal operations memo.
• Interpretation: The objective is practical productivity on aging hardware and operating systems, not strict adherence to the latest ecosystem trends.

Personal Observation

The rg + fd + bat combination has a tendency to iron out brain wrinkles.

Instead of remembering obscure combinations of find, grep, and cat, the workflow becomes:

fd something
rg something
bat something

Whether this is enlightenment or cognitive atrophy remains under investigation.