Chat search (#1224)

Based on https://github.com/dyad-sh/dyad/pull/1116
    
<!-- This is an auto-generated description by cubic. -->
---

## Summary by cubic
Adds a fast chat search dialog (Command Palette) to find and jump
between chats. Open via the sidebar button or Ctrl/Cmd+K, with title and
message text search plus inline snippets.

- New Features
  - Command palette using cmdk with keyboard shortcut (Ctrl/Cmd+K).
- Searches within the selected app across chat titles and message
content via a new IPC route (search-chats).
- Debounced queries (150ms) with React Query; results de-duplicated and
sorted by newest.
- Snippet preview with highlighted matches and custom ranking; selecting
a result navigates and closes the dialog.
- Search button added to ChatList; basic e2e tests added (currently
skipped).

- Dependencies
  - Added cmdk@1.1.1.
- Bumped @radix-ui/react-dialog to ^1.1.15 and updated Dialog to support
an optional close button.

<!-- End of auto-generated description by cubic. -->

---------

Co-authored-by: Evans Obeng <iamevansobeng@outlook.com>
Co-authored-by: Evans Obeng <60653146+iamevansobeng@users.noreply.github.com>

e2e-tests/chat_search.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import { test } from "./helpers/test_helper";
+
+test.skip("chat search - basic search dialog functionality", async ({ po }) => {
+  await po.setUp({ autoApprove: true });
+  await po.importApp("minimal");
+
+  // Create some chats with specific names for testing
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] create a todo application");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  await po.clickNewChat();
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] build a weather dashboard");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  await po.clickNewChat();
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] create a blog system");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  // Test 1: Open search dialog using the search button
+  await po.page.getByTestId("search-chats-button").click();
+
+  // Wait for search dialog to appear
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor();
+
+  // Test 2: Close dialog with escape key
+  await po.page.keyboard.press("Escape");
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor({ state: "hidden" });
+
+  // Test 3: Open dialog again and verify it shows chats
+  await po.page.getByTestId("search-chats-button").click();
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor();
+
+  // Test 4: Search for specific term
+  await po.page.getByPlaceholder("Search chats").fill("todo");
+
+  // Wait a moment for search results
+  await po.page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+  // Test 5: Clear search and close
+  await po.page.getByPlaceholder("Search chats").clear();
+  await po.page.keyboard.press("Escape");
+});
+
+test.skip("chat search - with named chats for easier testing", async ({
+  po,
+}) => {
+  await po.setUp({ autoApprove: true });
+  await po.importApp("minimal");
+
+  // Create chats with descriptive names that will be useful for testing
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] hello world app");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  // Use a timeout to ensure the UI has updated before trying to interact
+  await po.page.waitForTimeout(1000);
+
+  await po.clickNewChat();
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] todo list manager");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  await po.page.waitForTimeout(1000);
+
+  await po.clickNewChat();
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] weather forecast widget");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  await po.page.waitForTimeout(1000);
+
+  // Test search functionality
+  await po.page.getByTestId("search-chats-button").click();
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor();
+
+  // Search for "todo" - should find the todo list manager chat
+  await po.page.getByPlaceholder("Search chats").fill("todo");
+  await po.page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+  // Search for "weather" - should find the weather forecast widget chat
+  await po.page.getByPlaceholder("Search chats").fill("weather");
+  await po.page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+  // Search for non-existent term
+  await po.page.getByPlaceholder("Search chats").fill("nonexistent");
+  await po.page.waitForTimeout(500);
+
+  await po.page.keyboard.press("Escape");
+});
+
+test.skip("chat search - keyboard shortcut functionality", async ({ po }) => {
+  await po.setUp({ autoApprove: true });
+  await po.importApp("minimal");
+
+  // Create a chat
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] sample app");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  // Test keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+K)
+  await po.page.keyboard.press("Control+k");
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor();
+
+  // Close with escape
+  await po.page.keyboard.press("Escape");
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor({ state: "hidden" });
+});
+
+test.skip("chat search - navigation and selection", async ({ po }) => {
+  await po.setUp({ autoApprove: true });
+  await po.importApp("minimal");
+
+  // Create multiple chats
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] first application");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  await po.clickNewChat();
+  await po.sendPrompt("[dump] second application");
+  await po.waitForChatCompletion();
+
+  // Test selecting a chat through search
+  await po.page.getByTestId("search-chats-button").click();
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor();
+
+  // Select the first chat item (assuming it shows "Untitled Chat" as default title)
+  await po.page.getByText("Untitled Chat").first().click();
+
+  // Dialog should close
+  await po.page.getByTestId("chat-search-dialog").waitFor({ state: "hidden" });
+});

package-lock.json

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
         "@radix-ui/react-accordion": "^1.2.4",
         "@radix-ui/react-alert-dialog": "^1.1.13",
         "@radix-ui/react-checkbox": "^1.3.2",
-        "@radix-ui/react-dialog": "^1.1.7",
+        "@radix-ui/react-dialog": "^1.1.15",
         "@radix-ui/react-dropdown-menu": "^2.1.7",
         "@radix-ui/react-label": "^2.1.4",
         "@radix-ui/react-popover": "^1.1.7",
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
         "better-sqlite3": "^11.9.1",
         "class-variance-authority": "^0.7.1",
         "clsx": "^2.1.1",
+        "cmdk": "^1.1.1",
         "date-fns": "^4.1.0",
         "dotenv": "^16.4.7",
         "drizzle-orm": "^0.41.0",
@@ -8769,6 +8770,22 @@
         "node": ">=6"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/cmdk": {
+      "version": "1.1.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cmdk/-/cmdk-1.1.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Vsv7kFaXm+ptHDMZ7izaRsP70GgrW9NBNGswt9OZaVBLlE0SNpDq8eu/VGXyF9r7M0azK3Wy7OlYXsuyYLFzHg==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@radix-ui/react-compose-refs": "^1.1.1",
+        "@radix-ui/react-dialog": "^1.1.6",
+        "@radix-ui/react-id": "^1.1.0",
+        "@radix-ui/react-primitive": "^2.0.2"
+      },
+      "peerDependencies": {
+        "react": "^18 || ^19 || ^19.0.0-rc",
+        "react-dom": "^18 || ^19 || ^19.0.0-rc"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/color": {
       "version": "4.2.3",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/color/-/color-4.2.3.tgz",

package.json

@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@
     "@radix-ui/react-accordion": "^1.2.4",
     "@radix-ui/react-alert-dialog": "^1.1.13",
     "@radix-ui/react-checkbox": "^1.3.2",
-    "@radix-ui/react-dialog": "^1.1.7",
+    "@radix-ui/react-dialog": "^1.1.15",
     "@radix-ui/react-dropdown-menu": "^2.1.7",
     "@radix-ui/react-label": "^2.1.4",
     "@radix-ui/react-popover": "^1.1.7",
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@
     "better-sqlite3": "^11.9.1",
     "class-variance-authority": "^0.7.1",
     "clsx": "^2.1.1",
+    "cmdk": "^1.1.1",
     "date-fns": "^4.1.0",
     "dotenv": "^16.4.7",
     "drizzle-orm": "^0.41.0",

src/components/ChatList.tsx

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useNavigate, useRouterState } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 
 import { formatDistanceToNow } from "date-fns";
-import { PlusCircle, MoreVertical, Trash2, Edit3 } from "lucide-react";
+import { PlusCircle, MoreVertical, Trash2, Edit3, Search } from "lucide-react";
 import { useAtom } from "jotai";
 import { selectedChatIdAtom } from "@/atoms/chatAtoms";
 import { selectedAppIdAtom } from "@/atoms/appAtoms";
@@ -27,11 +27,14 @@ import { useChats } from "@/hooks/useChats";
 import { RenameChatDialog } from "@/components/chat/RenameChatDialog";
 import { DeleteChatDialog } from "@/components/chat/DeleteChatDialog";
 
+import { ChatSearchDialog } from "./ChatSearchDialog";
+
 export function ChatList({ show }: { show?: boolean }) {
   const navigate = useNavigate();
   const [selectedChatId, setSelectedChatId] = useAtom(selectedChatIdAtom);
   const [selectedAppId, setSelectedAppId] = useAtom(selectedAppIdAtom);
   const [, setIsDropdownOpen] = useAtom(dropdownOpenAtom);
+
   const { chats, loading, refreshChats } = useChats(selectedAppId);
   const routerState = useRouterState();
   const isChatRoute = routerState.location.pathname === "/chat";
@@ -46,6 +49,9 @@ export function ChatList({ show }: { show?: boolean }) {
   const [deleteChatId, setDeleteChatId] = useState<number | null>(null);
   const [deleteChatTitle, setDeleteChatTitle] = useState("");
 
+  // search dialog state
+  const [isSearchDialogOpen, setIsSearchDialogOpen] = useState(false);
+
   // Update selectedChatId when route changes
   useEffect(() => {
     if (isChatRoute) {
@@ -70,6 +76,7 @@ export function ChatList({ show }: { show?: boolean }) {
   }) => {
     setSelectedChatId(chatId);
     setSelectedAppId(appId);
+    setIsSearchDialogOpen(false);
     navigate({
       to: "/chat",
       search: { id: chatId },
@@ -151,7 +158,10 @@ export function ChatList({ show }: { show?: boolean }) {
 
   return (
     <>
-      <SidebarGroup className="overflow-y-auto h-[calc(100vh-112px)]">
+      <SidebarGroup
+        className="overflow-y-auto h-[calc(100vh-112px)]"
+        data-testid="chat-list-container"
+      >
         <SidebarGroupLabel>Recent Chats</SidebarGroupLabel>
         <SidebarGroupContent>
           <div className="flex flex-col space-y-4">
@@ -163,6 +173,15 @@ export function ChatList({ show }: { show?: boolean }) {
               <PlusCircle size={16} />
               <span>New Chat</span>
             </Button>
+            <Button
+              onClick={() => setIsSearchDialogOpen(!isSearchDialogOpen)}
+              variant="outline"
+              className="flex items-center justify-start gap-2 mx-2 py-3"
+              data-testid="search-chats-button"
+            >
+              <Search size={16} />
+              <span>Search chats</span>
+            </Button>
 
             {loading ? (
               <div className="py-3 px-4 text-sm text-gray-500">
@@ -273,6 +292,15 @@ export function ChatList({ show }: { show?: boolean }) {
         onConfirmDelete={handleConfirmDelete}
         chatTitle={deleteChatTitle}
       />
+
+      {/* Chat Search Dialog */}
+      <ChatSearchDialog
+        open={isSearchDialogOpen}
+        onOpenChange={setIsSearchDialogOpen}
+        onSelectChat={handleChatClick}
+        appId={selectedAppId}
+        allChats={chats}
+      />
     </>
   );
 }

src/components/ChatSearchDialog.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+import {
+  CommandDialog,
+  CommandInput,
+  CommandList,
+  CommandEmpty,
+  CommandGroup,
+  CommandItem,
+} from "./ui/command";
+import { useState, useEffect } from "react";
+import { useSearchChats } from "@/hooks/useSearchChats";
+import type { ChatSummary, ChatSearchResult } from "@/lib/schemas";
+
+type ChatSearchDialogProps = {
+  open: boolean;
+  onOpenChange: (open: boolean) => void;
+  onSelectChat: ({ chatId, appId }: { chatId: number; appId: number }) => void;
+  appId: number | null;
+  allChats: ChatSummary[];
+};
+
+export function ChatSearchDialog({
+  open,
+  onOpenChange,
+  appId,
+  onSelectChat,
+  allChats,
+}: ChatSearchDialogProps) {
+  const [searchQuery, setSearchQuery] = useState<string>("");
+  function useDebouncedValue<T>(value: T, delay: number): T {
+    const [debounced, setDebounced] = useState<T>(value);
+    useEffect(() => {
+      const handle = setTimeout(() => setDebounced(value), delay);
+      return () => clearTimeout(handle);
+    }, [value, delay]);
+    return debounced;
+  }
+
+  const debouncedQuery = useDebouncedValue(searchQuery, 150);
+  const { chats: searchResults } = useSearchChats(appId, debouncedQuery);
+
+  // Show all chats if search is empty, otherwise show search results
+  const chatsToShow = debouncedQuery.trim() === "" ? allChats : searchResults;
+
+  const commandFilter = (
+    value: string,
+    search: string,
+    keywords?: string[],
+  ): number => {
+    const q = search.trim().toLowerCase();
+    if (!q) return 1;
+    const v = (value || "").toLowerCase();
+    if (v.includes(q)) {
+      // Higher score for earlier match in title/value
+      return 100 - Math.max(0, v.indexOf(q));
+    }
+    const foundInKeywords = (keywords || []).some((k) =>
+      (k || "").toLowerCase().includes(q),
+    );
+    return foundInKeywords ? 50 : 0;
+  };
+
+  function getSnippet(
+    text: string,
+    query: string,
+    radius = 50,
+  ): {
+    before: string;
+    match: string;
+    after: string;
+    raw: string;
+  } {
+    const q = query.trim();
+    const lowerText = text;
+    const lowerQuery = q.toLowerCase();
+    const idx = lowerText.toLowerCase().indexOf(lowerQuery);
+    if (idx === -1) {
+      const raw =
+        text.length > radius * 2 ? text.slice(0, radius * 2) + "…" : text;
+      return { before: "", match: "", after: "", raw };
+    }
+    const start = Math.max(0, idx - radius);
+    const end = Math.min(text.length, idx + q.length + radius);
+    const before = (start > 0 ? "…" : "") + text.slice(start, idx);
+    const match = text.slice(idx, idx + q.length);
+    const after =
+      text.slice(idx + q.length, end) + (end < text.length ? "…" : "");
+    return { before, match, after, raw: before + match + after };
+  }
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const down = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+      if (e.key === "k" && (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey)) {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        onOpenChange(!open);
+      }
+    };
+    document.addEventListener("keydown", down);
+    return () => document.removeEventListener("keydown", down);
+  }, [open, onOpenChange]);
+
+  return (
+    <CommandDialog
+      open={open}
+      onOpenChange={onOpenChange}
+      data-testid="chat-search-dialog"
+      filter={commandFilter}
+    >
+      <CommandInput
+        placeholder="Search chats"
+        value={searchQuery}
+        onValueChange={setSearchQuery}
+      />
+      <CommandList>
+        <CommandEmpty>No results found.</CommandEmpty>
+        <CommandGroup heading="Chats">
+          {chatsToShow.map((chat) => {
+            const isSearch = searchQuery.trim() !== "";
+            const hasSnippet =
+              isSearch &&
+              "matchedMessageContent" in chat &&
+              (chat as ChatSearchResult).matchedMessageContent;
+            const snippet = hasSnippet
+              ? getSnippet(
+                  (chat as ChatSearchResult).matchedMessageContent as string,
+                  searchQuery,
+                )
+              : null;
+            return (
+              <CommandItem
+                key={chat.id}
+                onSelect={() =>
+                  onSelectChat({ chatId: chat.id, appId: chat.appId })
+                }
+                value={
+                  (chat.title || "Untitled Chat") +
+                  (snippet ? ` ${snippet.raw}` : "")
+                }
+                keywords={snippet ? [snippet.raw] : []}
+              >
+                <div className="flex flex-col">
+                  <span>{chat.title || "Untitled Chat"}</span>
+                  {snippet && (
+                    <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground mt-1 line-clamp-2">
+                      {snippet.before}
+                      <mark className="bg-transparent underline decoration-2 decoration-primary">
+                        {snippet.match}
+                      </mark>
+                      {snippet.after}
+                    </span>
+                  )}
+                </div>
+              </CommandItem>
+            );
+          })}
+        </CommandGroup>
+      </CommandList>
+    </CommandDialog>
+  );
+}

src/components/ui/command.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+"use client";
+
+import * as React from "react";
+import { Command as CommandPrimitive } from "cmdk";
+import { SearchIcon } from "lucide-react";
+
+import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
+import {
+  Dialog,
+  DialogContent,
+  DialogDescription,
+  DialogHeader,
+  DialogTitle,
+} from "@/components/ui/dialog";
+
+function Command({
+  className,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof CommandPrimitive>) {
+  return (
+    <CommandPrimitive
+      data-slot="command"
+      className={cn(
+        "bg-popover text-popover-foreground flex h-full w-full flex-col overflow-hidden rounded-md",
+        className,
+      )}
+      {...props}
+    />
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandDialog({
+  title = "Command Palette",
+  description = "Search for a command to run...",
+  children,
+  className,
+  showCloseButton = true,
+  filter,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof Dialog> & {
+  title?: string;
+  description?: string;
+  className?: string;
+  showCloseButton?: boolean;
+  filter?: (value: string, search: string, keywords?: string[]) => number;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <Dialog {...props}>
+      <DialogHeader className="sr-only">
+        <DialogTitle>{title}</DialogTitle>
+        <DialogDescription>{description}</DialogDescription>
+      </DialogHeader>
+      <DialogContent
+        className={cn("overflow-hidden p-0", className)}
+        showCloseButton={showCloseButton}
+      >
+        <Command
+          filter={filter}
+          className="[&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:text-muted-foreground **:data-[slot=command-input-wrapper]:h-12 [&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:px-2 [&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:font-medium [&_[cmdk-group]]:px-2 [&_[cmdk-group]:not([hidden])_~[cmdk-group]]:pt-0 [&_[cmdk-input-wrapper]_svg]:h-5 [&_[cmdk-input-wrapper]_svg]:w-5 [&_[cmdk-input]]:h-12 [&_[cmdk-item]]:px-2 [&_[cmdk-item]]:py-3 [&_[cmdk-item]_svg]:h-5 [&_[cmdk-item]_svg]:w-5"
+        >
+          {children}
+        </Command>
+      </DialogContent>
+    </Dialog>
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandInput({
+  className,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof CommandPrimitive.Input>) {
+  return (
+    <div
+      data-slot="command-input-wrapper"
+      className="flex h-9 items-center gap-2 border-b px-3"
+    >
+      <SearchIcon className="size-4 shrink-0 opacity-50" />
+      <CommandPrimitive.Input
+        data-slot="command-input"
+        className={cn(
+          "placeholder:text-muted-foreground flex h-10 w-full rounded-md bg-transparent py-3 text-sm outline-hidden disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50",
+          className,
+        )}
+        {...props}
+      />
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandList({
+  className,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof CommandPrimitive.List>) {
+  return (
+    <CommandPrimitive.List
+      data-slot="command-list"
+      className={cn(
+        "max-h-[300px] scroll-py-1 overflow-x-hidden overflow-y-auto",
+        className,
+      )}
+      {...props}
+    />
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandEmpty({
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof CommandPrimitive.Empty>) {
+  return (
+    <CommandPrimitive.Empty
+      data-slot="command-empty"
+      className="py-6 text-center text-sm"
+      {...props}
+    />
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandGroup({
+  className,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof CommandPrimitive.Group>) {
+  return (
+    <CommandPrimitive.Group
+      data-slot="command-group"
+      className={cn(
+        "text-foreground [&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:text-muted-foreground overflow-hidden p-1 [&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:px-2 [&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:py-1.5 [&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:text-xs [&_[cmdk-group-heading]]:font-medium",
+        className,
+      )}
+      {...props}
+    />
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandSeparator({
+  className,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof CommandPrimitive.Separator>) {
+  return (
+    <CommandPrimitive.Separator
+      data-slot="command-separator"
+      className={cn("bg-border -mx-1 h-px", className)}
+      {...props}
+    />
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandItem({
+  className,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof CommandPrimitive.Item>) {
+  return (
+    <CommandPrimitive.Item
+      data-slot="command-item"
+      className={cn(
+        "data-[selected=true]:bg-accent data-[selected=true]:text-accent-foreground [&_svg:not([class*='text-'])]:text-muted-foreground relative flex cursor-default items-center gap-2 rounded-sm px-2 py-1.5 text-sm outline-hidden select-none data-[disabled=true]:pointer-events-none data-[disabled=true]:opacity-50 [&_svg]:pointer-events-none [&_svg]:shrink-0 [&_svg:not([class*='size-'])]:size-4",
+        className,
+      )}
+      {...props}
+    />
+  );
+}
+
+function CommandShortcut({
+  className,
+  ...props
+}: React.ComponentProps<"span">) {
+  return (
+    <span
+      data-slot="command-shortcut"
+      className={cn(
+        "text-muted-foreground ml-auto text-xs tracking-widest",
+        className,
+      )}
+      {...props}
+    />
+  );
+}
+
+export {
+  Command,
+  CommandDialog,
+  CommandInput,
+  CommandList,
+  CommandEmpty,
+  CommandGroup,
+  CommandItem,
+  CommandShortcut,
+  CommandSeparator,
+};

src/components/ui/dialog.tsx

@@ -47,8 +47,11 @@ function DialogOverlay({
 function DialogContent({
   className,
   children,
+  showCloseButton,
   ...props
-}: React.ComponentProps<typeof DialogPrimitive.Content>) {
+}: React.ComponentProps<typeof DialogPrimitive.Content> & {
+  showCloseButton?: boolean;
+}) {
   return (
     <DialogPortal data-slot="dialog-portal">
       <DialogOverlay />
@@ -61,10 +64,12 @@ function DialogContent({
         {...props}
       >
         {children}
+        {showCloseButton !== false && (
           <DialogPrimitive.Close className="ring-offset-background focus:ring-ring data-[state=open]:bg-accent data-[state=open]:text-muted-foreground absolute top-4 right-4 rounded-xs opacity-70 transition-opacity hover:opacity-100 focus:ring-2 focus:ring-offset-2 focus:outline-hidden disabled:pointer-events-none [&_svg]:pointer-events-none [&_svg]:shrink-0 [&_svg:not([class*='size-'])]:size-4">
             <XIcon />
             <span className="sr-only">Close</span>
           </DialogPrimitive.Close>
+        )}
       </DialogPrimitive.Content>
     </DialogPortal>
   );

src/hooks/useSearchChats.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import { IpcClient } from "@/ipc/ipc_client";
+import type { ChatSearchResult } from "@/lib/schemas";
+import { keepPreviousData, useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+
+export function useSearchChats(appId: number | null, query: string) {
+  const enabled = Boolean(appId && query && query.trim().length > 0);
+
+  const { data, isFetching, isLoading } = useQuery({
+    queryKey: ["search-chats", appId, query],
+    enabled,
+    queryFn: async (): Promise<ChatSearchResult[]> => {
+      // Non-null assertion safe due to enabled guard
+      return IpcClient.getInstance().searchChats(appId as number, query);
+    },
+    placeholderData: keepPreviousData,
+    retry: 0,
+  });
+
+  return {
+    chats: data ?? [],
+    loading: enabled ? isFetching || isLoading : false,
+  };
+}

src/ipc/handlers/chat_handlers.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import { ipcMain } from "electron";
 import { db } from "../../db";
 import { apps, chats, messages } from "../../db/schema";
-import { desc, eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { desc, eq, and, like } from "drizzle-orm";
-import type { ChatSummary } from "../../lib/schemas";
+import type { ChatSearchResult, ChatSummary } from "../../lib/schemas";
 import * as git from "isomorphic-git";
 import * as fs from "fs";
 import { createLoggedHandler } from "./safe_handle";
@@ -115,4 +115,61 @@ export function registerChatHandlers() {
   handle("delete-messages", async (_, chatId: number): Promise<void> => {
     await db.delete(messages).where(eq(messages.chatId, chatId));
   });
+
+  handle(
+    "search-chats",
+    async (_, appId: number, query: string): Promise<ChatSearchResult[]> => {
+      // 1) Find chats by title and map to ChatSearchResult with no matched message
+      const chatTitleMatches = await db
+        .select({
+          id: chats.id,
+          appId: chats.appId,
+          title: chats.title,
+          createdAt: chats.createdAt,
+        })
+        .from(chats)
+        .where(and(eq(chats.appId, appId), like(chats.title, `%${query}%`)))
+        .orderBy(desc(chats.createdAt))
+        .limit(10);
+
+      const titleResults: ChatSearchResult[] = chatTitleMatches.map((c) => ({
+        id: c.id,
+        appId: c.appId,
+        title: c.title,
+        createdAt: c.createdAt,
+        matchedMessageContent: null,
+      }));
+
+      // 2) Find messages that match and join to chats to build one result per message
+      const messageResults = await db
+        .select({
+          id: chats.id,
+          appId: chats.appId,
+          title: chats.title,
+          createdAt: chats.createdAt,
+          matchedMessageContent: messages.content,
+        })
+        .from(messages)
+        .innerJoin(chats, eq(messages.chatId, chats.id))
+        .where(
+          and(eq(chats.appId, appId), like(messages.content, `%${query}%`)),
+        )
+        .orderBy(desc(chats.createdAt))
+        .limit(10);
+
+      // Combine: keep title matches and per-message matches
+      const combined: ChatSearchResult[] = [...titleResults, ...messageResults];
+      const uniqueChats = Array.from(
+        new Map(combined.map((item) => [item.id, item])).values(),
+      );
+
+      // Sort newest chats first
+      uniqueChats.sort(
+        (a, b) =>
+          new Date(b.createdAt).getTime() - new Date(a.createdAt).getTime(),
+      );
+
+      return uniqueChats;
+    },
+  );
 }

src/ipc/ipc_client.ts

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   ChatSummariesSchema,
   type UserSettings,
   type ContextPathResults,
+  ChatSearchResultsSchema,
 } from "../lib/schemas";
 import type {
   AppOutput,
@@ -63,7 +64,11 @@ import type {
   UpdatePromptParamsDto,
 } from "./ipc_types";
 import type { Template } from "../shared/templates";
-import type { AppChatContext, ProposalResult } from "@/lib/schemas";
+import type {
+  AppChatContext,
+  ChatSearchResult,
+  ProposalResult,
+} from "@/lib/schemas";
 import { showError } from "@/lib/toast";
 
 export interface ChatStreamCallbacks {
@@ -288,6 +293,20 @@ export class IpcClient {
     }
   }
 
+  // search for chats
+  public async searchChats(
+    appId: number,
+    query: string,
+  ): Promise<ChatSearchResult[]> {
+    try {
+      const data = await this.ipcRenderer.invoke("search-chats", appId, query);
+      return ChatSearchResultsSchema.parse(data);
+    } catch (error) {
+      showError(error);
+      throw error;
+    }
+  }
+
   // Get all apps
   public async listApps(): Promise<ListAppsResponse> {
     return this.ipcRenderer.invoke("list-apps");

src/lib/schemas.ts

@@ -26,6 +26,24 @@ export type ChatSummary = z.infer<typeof ChatSummarySchema>;
  */
 export const ChatSummariesSchema = z.array(ChatSummarySchema);
 
+/**
+ * Zod schema for chat search result objects returned by the search-chats IPC
+ */
+export const ChatSearchResultSchema = z.object({
+  id: z.number(),
+  appId: z.number(),
+  title: z.string().nullable(),
+  createdAt: z.date(),
+  matchedMessageContent: z.string().nullable(),
+});
+
+/**
+ * Type derived from the ChatSearchResultSchema
+ */
+export type ChatSearchResult = z.infer<typeof ChatSearchResultSchema>;
+
+export const ChatSearchResultsSchema = z.array(ChatSearchResultSchema);
+
 const providers = [
   "openai",
   "anthropic",

src/preload.ts

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ const validInvokeChannels = [
   "copy-app",
   "get-chat",
   "get-chats",
+  "search-chats",
   "get-chat-logs",
   "list-apps",
   "get-app",