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What is The Search Thing?

The Search Thing is a local-first semantic search system that makes your files, images, and videos semantically searchable from one place. Instead of relying on exact filename matches, you can search using natural language queries and get ranked results based on actual content.
All indexing and search happens locally on your machine. Your data never leaves your computer.

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Key benefits

1

Semantic search across all content types

Search through files, images, and videos using natural language queries. Find “meeting notes from last week” instead of remembering exact filenames.
2

Sub-millisecond response times

Get instant search results with sub-millisecond response targets for an interactive search experience.
3

Privacy-first architecture

Everything runs locally on your machine. Your files, embeddings, and search history stay on your computer.
4

Desktop-native experience

Open files directly from search results with a clean Electron-based UI.

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How it works

The Search Thing uses a modern architecture that combines the performance of Rust with the flexibility of Python:

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Architecture overview

Rust + PyO3 (src/)
  • Filesystem walking and directory indexing
  • Video chunking and thumbnail capture
  • Audio extraction from video files
  • Fast local indexing primitives
Python indexers (backend/indexer/)
  • File content embeddings
  • Video transcript and frame summary embeddings
  • Image summary embeddings
Helix DB (db/)
  • Combined graph and vector storage
  • Fast semantic similarity search
FastAPI (backend/app.py)
  • RESTful indexing and search API
  • Non-blocking indexing jobs
  • Thumbnail serving
Electron UI (client/)
  • Desktop search experience
  • File open actions
  • Search history tracking

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Search workflow

  1. Index: Choose a folder to index. The Search Thing walks the directory, respects ignore rules, and generates embeddings for supported file types.
  2. Query: Enter a natural language query like “python code for authentication” or “photos of sunset”.
  3. Results: Get ranked results based on semantic similarity, not just keyword matching.
  4. Open: Click to open files directly from the search interface.

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Technologies used

  • Rust + PyO3: Fast local indexing primitives
  • Python 3.11+: Orchestration and API services
  • FastAPI: HTTP API layer
  • Helix DB: Vector and graph storage
  • Groq: Transcription and vision summaries
  • Electron + React: Desktop application

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Next steps

Quickstart

Get started with The Search Thing in 5 minutes

Installation

Detailed installation guide for all platforms

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