Find
Search across the world. One verb for all retrieval.
How It Searches
Priority order — fastest and highest signal first:
1. Frontmatter Scan (fast, structured)
Scan _kernel/key.md across all walnuts. Matches on: type, goal, people names, tags, links, reference descriptions.
2. Insights Search (standing knowledge)
Scan _kernel/insights.md across relevant walnuts. Domain knowledge that persists — "Nova Station test windows are Tue-Thu only."
3. Log Search (decisions, history)
Search _kernel/log.md entries. Signed decisions, session summaries, what happened when. Frontmatter first (last-entry, summary), then entry bodies.
4. Task Search (work queue)
Search tasks across all walnuts using tasks.py list with the --world and --search flags:
python3 "$ALIVE_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/tasks.py" list --world "$WORLD_ROOT" --search "{query}"
Returns JSON with tasks matching the query across all walnuts. Each result includes a walnut field for attribution. Combine with --status, --priority, --assignee, --tag for narrower results.
5. Working File Search (drafts)
Scan */ across walnuts (bundles are flat in walnut root). Find drafts by name, version, age, squirrel attribution.
6. Bundle Manifest Search (captured content metadata)
Search */context.manifest.yaml files across walnuts (bundles are flat in walnut root). Match on frontmatter: type, date, source, participants, subject.
7. Raw Reference Search (expensive)
Load actual raw files. Only on explicit request — "read me that email from Jax."
8. Context Source Cascade (if nothing found locally)
If steps 1-7 return nothing and the user believes it exists, automatically fan out to configured context sources before reporting "not found." Check .alive/preferences.yaml context_sources: for what's available — any configured MCP server, sync script, or API connection is a valid search target.
One-hop inference applies: if the user says "the setup guide I sent Sarah" and an email integration is configured, that's enough to trigger a search without being asked. The system should resolve across its full context surface — local files are not the only source of truth.
╭─ 🐿️ not found in local files
│ Checking configured context sources...
│ → Found in email: sent to Sarah, Mar 15, "Setup Guide v2"
│
│ ▸ What now?
│ 1. Read it
│ 2. Capture it to a walnut
│ 3. Skip
╰─
Never say "not found" if context sources haven't been checked.
Cross-Walnut Search
Find searches across ALL walnuts by default. Results show which walnut each match came from.
╭─ 🐿️ found 3 matches for "radiation shielding"
│
│ 1. nova-station / insights.md
│ "Ceramic composites outperform aluminum at 3x the cost"
│
│ 2. nova-station / _kernel/log.md — 2026-02-23
│ Decision: go with hybrid shielding approach
│
│ 3. nova-station / research/
│ 2026-02-23-radiation-shielding-options.md
│
│ number to load, or refine search.
╰─
Connections
When a match is found, surface connected walnuts:
╭─ 🐿️ [[ryn-okata]] is mentioned in this entry.
│ She also appears in: nova-station, glass-cathedral
│ Load her context?
╰─
Temporal Queries
"What happened last week" → filter log entries by date range, show across all active walnuts.
"What changed since Tuesday" → scan _kernel/now.json updated timestamps + recent log entries.
"History of nova-station" → show _kernel/log.md frontmatter (entry count, summary) + offer to load recent entries.