sharkdp/fd · error · anyhow::Error

The search pattern ' ' contains a path-separation character…

Error message

The search pattern '{pattern}' contains a path-separation character and will not lead to any search results.

If you want to search for all files inside the '{pattern}' directory, use a match-all pattern:

  fd . '{pattern}'

Instead, if you want your pattern to match the full file path, use:

  fd --full-path '{pattern}'

What it means

Without --full-path, fd matches the pattern against the file name only, so any '/' in the pattern can never match and would silently yield zero results. ensure_single_search_pattern_is_not_a_path (main.rs:185) detects this and returns a helpful error instead. On Windows, '\' is also flagged but only when the pattern resolves to an existing directory, since '\' is also the regex escape char. This applies to the primary pattern and every --and pattern.

Solutions

Search by file name only: `fd foo` instead of `fd /home/user/foo`.
To list everything under a directory, use a match-all pattern: `fd . /home/user/foo`.
To match against the full path, add --full-path: `fd --full-path /home/user/foo`.

Example fix

# before
fd /home/user/src

# after (list contents of that dir)
fd . /home/user/src
# or match full paths
fd --full-path home/user/src

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

if printf '%s' "$PATTERN" | grep -q '/'; then
  # pattern is a path; pass it as a search path instead
  fd . "$PATTERN"
else
  fd "$PATTERN"
fi

Prevention

Search by file name, not full path, unless using --full-path.
Validate user-supplied patterns for '/' before passing to fd.
Use `fd . <dir>` to list a directory's contents.

When it happens

Trigger: Running `fd /home/user/foo`, `fd src/main.rs`, or `fd --and lib/utils`. The cheap '/' check always flags it; on Windows the '\' branch additionally requires Path::new(pattern).is_dir().

Common situations: Pasting a full path instead of a file name; muscle memory from `find path`; scripts that interpolate full paths into the pattern position.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of sharkdp/fd@ee20f426dd (2026-08-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f90bc0e7b92d164e. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/main.rs:204

    // Start with the cheap check: '/' is always a path separator, including on
    // Windows, and has no regex meaning, so flagging it is safe and catches the
    // Linux/macOS mistake of pasting a full path as the pattern.
    #[cfg_attr(not(windows), allow(unused_mut))]
    let mut should_warn = pattern.contains('/');

    // On Windows we additionally accept the native `\` separator, but only when
    // the pattern actually resolves to an existing directory - `\` is also the
    // regex escape char there, so valid patterns like `\Ac` or `\d+` must still
    // run. The is_dir syscall is only needed when `should_warn` is still false,
    // so short-circuit via `||` to avoid the stat call on the happy path.
    #[cfg(windows)]
    {
        should_warn = should_warn
            || (pattern.contains(std::path::MAIN_SEPARATOR) && Path::new(pattern).is_dir());
    }

    if should_warn {
        Err(anyhow!(
            "The search pattern '{pattern}' contains a path-separation character \
             and will not lead to any search results.\n\n\
             If you want to search for all files inside the '{pattern}' directory, use a match-all pattern:\n\n  \
             fd . '{pattern}'\n\n\
             Instead, if you want your pattern to match the full file path, use:\n\n  \
             fd --full-path '{pattern}'",
            pattern = pattern,
        ))
    } else {
        Ok(())
    }
}

fn build_pattern_regex(pattern: &str, opts: &Opts) -> Result<String> {
    Ok(if opts.glob && !pattern.is_empty() {
        let glob = GlobBuilder::new(pattern).literal_separator(true).build()?;
        glob.regex().to_owned()
    } else if opts.exact {

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