> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elanotes.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Search

> Search returns handles, provenance, and coverage — never full note bodies. Zero results is a valid answer.

Search is how you and your agents find notes without dumping the vault into context.

## Where to search

* **Command palette:** `⌘K` / `Ctrl+K` (also `⌘⇧F`). Placeholder: "Search notes or type a command…".
* **Search** in the footer rail opens the Search page. The note list stays mounted.

Type a query. Hits show a title, an excerpt, and provenance (slug and heading trail). Click a row to open the note.

## What comes back

Search returns **handles**, not full bodies. Each hit points at a note. Fetch the body only when you open it.

Every response includes **coverage**:

* how many notes were searched
* what was excluded (named folders, not a silent drop)
* why the set is partial, when it is

On the cloud-shaped vault, `private/` is listed in exclusions. Run the local app or [local MCP](/mcp-local) to search those notes.

Zero results is valid. Ela would rather return nothing, with coverage saying why, than pad the list.

The same query against the same index and ranker versions returns the same hits.

## Agents

HTTP search is `GET /v1/search`. MCP is `search_notes`. Both carry coverage and provenance. See [Agents](/agents) and [API overview](/api/overview).