AI Search
Find files by their content meaning using natural language queries, not by filename.
What AI Search Does
Instead of searching by filename keywords, AI Search uses the same AI engine as the Rename workspace to understand what's actually inside each file. You describe what you're looking for in natural language, and AI Search finds matching files.
Examples:
- Search "invoice" → finds PDFs that are invoices, even if named
scan_001.pdf - Search "beach photo" → finds images of beaches, even if named
IMG_4521.jpg - Search "medical report" → finds documents about medical results regardless of filename
How to Use
- Switch to the AI Search workspace in the sidebar
- Enter a search term in the header input (free-text, natural language)
- Choose a folder to search
- Optionally enable recursive scanning for subfolders
- Click Search — AI processes each file and identifies matches
- Review matched files in the results list
Search Results
Results are read-only — AI Search does not rename or move files. Available actions for each matched file:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Reveal in folder | Opens Finder/Explorer at the file location |
| Exclude | Removes the file from current search results |
| Move to trash | Sends the file to system trash |
Counters
The search interface shows live counters:
- Files in folder — Total files found
- Processed — Files analyzed so far
- Matched — Files that match the search query
- Errors — Files that failed to process
Persistence
Search results are saved across app restarts: search term, selected folder, counters, and matched files list. You can come back to your last search without re-running it.
How Matching Works
AI Search is intentionally conservative to reduce false positives:
- Images: The primary visible subject/scene matters more than minor background details
- Documents: The primary purpose of the document matters more than incidental keyword mentions
- Multi-word queries: Important words must match the main content, not just boilerplate or footer text
- Confidence threshold: Only files with high-confidence matches appear in results
Think of AI Search as semantic filtering — it understands meaning, not just keywords.
Processing Lock Rules
AI Search respects workspace mutual exclusion:
| Situation | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Rename processing is active | Search start is blocked |
| Any Auto Flow row is watching | Search start is blocked |
| Search is running | Rename processing is blocked |
| Search is running | Provider/model switching is blocked |
Lock messages appear in the search toolbar with clear explanations of what needs to be stopped first.
Volume Limits
If the selected folder contains more files than the current Batch File Limit (default: 30,000), Search is blocked. Raise the limit in Local AI Settings or choose a smaller folder.