Search

Desktop search has several focused tools rather than one universal search panel. The main workflows are:

• File-name search in SCROLLS (the file browser).
• Literal find inside an open Peruse file viewer.
• Literal find inside terminal output (see Agents and Tasks).
• Search inside changed Git diff lines in the Review view.

Code Overlord does not currently provide a dedicated desktop full-text search across every workspace file, regex toggle, or built-in find-and-replace panel. Use the available search surfaces below, then open the file in Peruse or your external editor when you need broader content search or replacement.

Search Surfaces

Surface	Opens from	Searches	Regex	Replace
SCROLLS file search	Files sidebar, All view, Search the archives...	File names only	No regex; * and ? filename wildcards supported	No
Peruse file find	Focus an open file, press Ctrl/Cmd + F	Current file text	No	No
Terminal find	Focus a terminal, press Ctrl/Cmd + F	Current terminal buffer	No	No
Review change search	Review search control, Search in diff...	Staged and unstaged diff additions/deletions	No user regex; query is escaped as literal text	No

File-Name Search In SCROLLS

Use this when you know the file's name or extension and want to open it quickly.

1. Open the file sidebar.
2. Expand SCROLLS.
3. Choose All.
4. Type into Search the archives....

Results update after a short debounce and are capped at 50 matches.

SCROLLS search behavior:

• Matches file names only, not directory names and not file contents.
• Matching is case-insensitive.
• Plain text is a substring search, for example readme.
• * and ? wildcards work against file names, for example *.RS or foo?.md.
• Markdown only limits the tree and search results to .md files.
• The inline ✕ clears the query.
• No results show No scrolls found in this realm.

Search results use a two-line layout:

• Line 1: file name.
• Line 2: parent directory, truncated from the left when needed.

This is why a result can show a directory path below it even though the query matched the file name.

Tip: If you need to find every file under src/, browse the tree or use your external editor. Typing src only matches files whose names contain src.

In-File Find

Open a file in Peruse, then press Ctrl/Cmd + F. The compact search bar appears at the top of the file content area.

The search bar includes:

• Search icon.
• Query field with Search the realm....
• Match count: N of M or Nothing unearthed.
• ↑ previous match.
• ↓ next match.
• ✕ close.

Behavior:

• Search is literal text search.
• Matching is case-insensitive.
• Results update after a short debounce.
• The field is focused when opened.
• Pressing Ctrl/Cmd + F again while it is open focuses the field and selects the current query.
• Closing search clears the query and match state for that pane.

For source/plain text files, matches are highlighted in the viewer and the current match uses a stronger highlight.

For rendered Markdown preview, search still indexes the raw Markdown source. If you type a query while previewing rendered Markdown, Code Overlord shows a small prompt with Reveal the Raw Scroll so you can switch to the source view and inspect the raw match.

Rendered Markdown supports normal text selection and copy; search in rendered Markdown can reveal the raw source view for exact matches.

Markdown And Document Search Tips

Markdown can be viewed as rendered Preview or raw Raw source.

Use Preview when you are reading:

• Headings.
• Paragraphs.
• Lists.
• Tables.
• Blockquotes.
• Rendered links.
• Fenced code blocks.

Use Raw when you are searching for:

• Markdown syntax such as ##, [](), or table pipes.
• Front matter.
• Link destinations.
• Hidden comments or source-only markers.
• Exact line context for agent prompts.

Rendered tables are easy to scan visually, while raw view is better for exact syntax searches.

Code fences render with language labels and highlighting; search still operates on the file text.

Terminal Find

When a terminal pane is focused, press Ctrl/Cmd + F to search the terminal buffer. The same compact search bar appears.

Terminal find is useful for:

• Jumping to an error message in long command output.
• Finding a filename in logs.
• Returning to a previous command.
• Searching build/test output without leaving Code Overlord.

Navigation wraps at the top and bottom of the result list. Esc closes the search bar.

Review Change Search

Review change search is scoped to Git diffs, not the whole workspace. It searches changed lines in unstaged and staged diffs across the available repositories.

When the review search panel is open, it shows:

• Label Search:.
• Query field with Search in diff....
• Close button X.
• Result count such as 4 results.
• Result rows in the form path:line +/- snippet.

Clicking a result switches to that repository and selects the matching changed file in Review.

Implementation details that affect behavior:

• The query is treated as literal text.
• Code Overlord escapes the query before using Git diff search.
• The displayed match check is case-insensitive.
• Only addition and deletion lines are returned.
• Context lines are not returned as search results.
• Staged results are de-duplicated against unstaged results where possible.

Use Review change search when you want to answer questions like:

• "Which changed lines mention this function?"
• "Where did I add this config key?"
• "Which staged/unstaged changes include this error string?"

Use SCROLLS or external editor search instead when the text may be in unchanged files. For the full staging, diff, and commit workflow this search belongs to, see Code Review.

Filters

Different search surfaces have different filters.

SCROLLS Filters

Filter	Applies to	Notes
Markdown only	File tree, changed list, and file-name results	Limits visible files to .md.
Workspace excludes	File index	Normal workspace exclude patterns are respected.
fileSearchIgnore	File index	Configured in workspace settings.
.overlordignore	File index	Gitignore-style patterns next to the workspace file.

Review Filters

Review mode can filter changed files by repository, branch, and file type. These filters affect the review file list and therefore what you visually inspect in Review. Review change search itself searches the diff data gathered for repositories and returns changed-line matches.

In-File And Terminal Filters

In-file and terminal find do not have file-type, case, whole-word, or regex toggles. They search the current pane only.

Regex Mode

There is no desktop regex mode in the current file-browser, Peruse, terminal, or Review search UI.

Practical alternatives:

• Use SCROLLS wildcards for file-name patterns such as *.md.
• Use your external editor for regex across file contents.
• Use terminal tools such as rg when you need regex search in the workspace.
• Use Review change search for literal text in changed diff lines.

Find And Replace

Desktop currently supports find, but not built-in find-and-replace for file contents.

Recommended workflow:

1. Use SCROLLS search or Review change search to locate the file.
2. Open it in Peruse to inspect the context.
3. Use the file action menu and choose Open in Editor.
4. Run replace in your editor.
5. Return to Code Overlord and refresh SCROLLS or Review if needed.

Warning: Peruse is a viewer, not a full source editor. It is designed for reading, copying, previewing Markdown, and sending context to agents.

Result Navigation

Search surface	Next	Previous	Close
In-file find	Enter, F3, or ↓	Shift + Enter, Shift + F3, or ↑	Esc or ✕
Terminal find	Enter, F3, or ↓	Shift + Enter, Shift + F3, or ↑	Esc or ✕
macOS in-pane find	Cmd + G	Cmd + Shift + G	Esc or ✕
SCROLLS file results	Click result to preview; double-click to open	Use tree/search again	Clear ✕
Review change results	Click result row	Scroll result list	X

Common Workflows

Find And Open A File By Name

1. Open SCROLLS.
2. Select All.
3. Type part of the file name, such as settings or *.toml.
4. Check the directory line beneath each result.
5. Single-click to preview or double-click to keep it open in PERUSE.

Search Inside A File

1. Open the file in Peruse.
2. Press Ctrl/Cmd + F.
3. Type the text.
4. Use Enter / Shift + Enter or the arrow buttons to move between matches.
5. Press Esc to close search.

Search Changed Lines Before Review

1. Go to Review.
2. Open the change search panel.
3. Type a literal phrase into Search in diff....
4. Click a result to select its repository and file.
5. Inspect the diff in Review.

Replace Text In A File

1. Use SCROLLS or Review change search to locate the file.
2. Open the file in Peruse to confirm it is the right file.
3. Open the file action menu (…).
4. Choose Open in Editor.
5. Perform replace in the external editor.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Explanation or fix
Searching for a folder name returns nothing	SCROLLS search matches file names only. Browse the tree for folders.
A file result is missing	Turn off Markdown only, refresh SCROLLS, and check workspace ignore patterns.
A Markdown preview search feels indirect	Search is based on raw Markdown. Click Reveal the Raw Scroll.
Regex syntax is not working	Regex mode is not available in desktop search surfaces. Use external editor or terminal rg.
Replace controls are missing	Built-in find-and-replace is not implemented. Use your external editor.
Terminal search does not find old output	The terminal buffer may no longer contain that text. Re-run or increase terminal retention if available in settings.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Use Ctrl on Windows/Linux and Cmd on macOS.

Shortcut	Result
Ctrl/Cmd + F	Open search in the focused file viewer or terminal.
Ctrl/Cmd + F again	Focus the open search field and select its query.
Enter	Next match while search field is focused.
Shift + Enter	Previous match while search field is focused.
F3	Next match.
Shift + F3	Previous match.
Cmd + G	Next match on macOS.
Cmd + Shift + G	Previous match on macOS.
Esc	Close the search bar.