pi-everything-search

Pi extension: ultra-fast Windows file search via Everything and es.exe.

It registers everything_search, nudges agents away from slow filename searches, auto-detects Everything instances, and can silently start Everything when IPC is unavailable.

Requirements

• Windows for Everything runtime search
• Everything 1.4, 1.5 beta/release, or legacy 1.5 alpha
• es.exe in PATH

scoop install everything-beta everything-cli

Linux/macOS CI still runs type checks and non-Windows guard tests, but Everything search itself is Windows-only.

Install

pi install npm:pi-everything-search

What it does

| Feature | Behavior | | --- | --- | | everything_search tool | Search filenames/folders through es.exe with structured results | | Auto-start | If IPC is unavailable, start Everything.exe -startup silently and retry | | Readiness wait | Wait for IPC, then run a lightweight JSON query before searching | | Instance detection | Try default first, then legacy 1.5a for old alpha builds | | Soft hints | Notify when agent uses slower filename search commands | | System prompt | Adds concise Windows file-search guidance | | Details | Returns count, truncation flag, files, detected instance/version, warnings |

Tool parameters

| Parameter | Default | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | query | required | Everything search query | | max_results | 100 | Result cap, 1-1000 | | path_filter | unset | Limit search to a folder; maps to -path | | instance | auto | auto, default, 1.5a, or custom instance name | | match_case | false | Case-sensitive query | | regex | false | Treat query as regex | | files_only | false | Exclude folders; maps to /a-d | | sort_by | date-modified | name, path, size, date-modified | | auto_start | true | Start Everything silently when IPC is unavailable | | everything_path | auto | Full path to Everything.exe if not discoverable | | startup_timeout_ms | 15000 | Wait time for IPC after auto-start | | index_ready_timeout_ms | 30000 | Wait time for query readiness | | probe_interval_ms | 500 | Startup/readiness polling interval | | wait_for_index | query-ready | none, query-ready, or strict |

Instance behavior

| Value | Behavior | | --- | --- | | unset / auto | Probe default instance, then legacy 1.5a | | default | Force no -instance | | 1.5a | Force legacy alpha instance | | custom string | Force custom Everything instance name |

Search syntax examples

| Query | Matches | | --- | --- | | ext:ts | TypeScript files | | ext:py;js | Python and JavaScript files | | *.config.* | Files with .config. in name | | test* | Files starting with test | | folder:src | Items under folders named src |

Regex:

{ "query": ".*\.test\.ts$", "regex": true }

Path filter:

{ "query": "ext:dll", "path_filter": "C:\Windows", "files_only": true }

Strict startup/readiness:

{
  "query": "package.json",
  "auto_start": true,
  "wait_for_index": "strict",
  "startup_timeout_ms": 30000,
  "index_ready_timeout_ms": 60000
}

Disable auto-start:

{ "query": "ext:ts", "auto_start": false }

Auto-start details

When es.exe reports IPC not found, the tool:

1. Locates Everything.exe from everything_path, PATH, Program Files, LocalAppData, or Scoop locations.
2. Starts it silently with Everything.exe -startup.
3. Polls es.exe -get-everything-version until IPC is ready.
4. Runs es.exe -json -n 1 * to confirm query readiness.
5. Executes the requested search.

wait_for_index: "query-ready" treats readiness timeout as a warning and still attempts the real search. strict fails instead.

Troubleshooting

es.exe not found

Install Everything CLI and ensure es.exe is in PATH.

scoop install everything-cli
where es.exe

Everything.exe not found

Install Everything or pass everything_path.

scoop install everything-beta

Everything IPC not found

Default behavior now tries auto-start. If it still fails:

• Open Everything manually once.
• Increase startup_timeout_ms.
• Check whether Everything and pi run at different privilege levels.

Permission mismatch

If pi/terminal runs elevated while Everything runs as normal user, IPC can fail. Run both at same privilege level.

Legacy 1.5a

Use:

{ "query": "ext:ts", "instance": "1.5a" }

Development

npm ci
npm run check
npm run e2e:non-windows      # Linux/macOS
npm run e2e:windows          # Windows with Everything installed

GitHub Actions run:

• CI on Windows/Linux/macOS
• Windows E2E with Everything + es.exe
• Non-Windows guard E2E
• npm publish on v* tags

License

MIT