Spotlight file/directory picker
The Spotlight picker is a fast, keyboard-driven file and directory search modal that replaces the matching native OS file or folder dialog on macOS. Instead of navigating the full file tree, you type a few letters and the picker streams matching results from the Spotlight index in real time.
Where it appears
The picker is used by the app's deliberately local file surfaces:
| Surface | What you pick |
|---|---|
| External File Editor — Open file / Add file | One or more local files to open. |
These are outside the encrypted cloud workspace. The picker does not choose a Project Root, add a cloud workspace, or select where a generated text app stores workspace content; those pre-cloud local-workspace flows were retired.
Picker layout
The picker has three persistent areas:
Header - shows "Open file" for the External File Editor's Open file action, or "Add file" when adding a file in External File Editor.
Search row - contains the search icon, text input, loading spinner, and a mode chip.
Results - streams matching rows as Spotlight returns them.
The old separate badge row has been retired. The current mode is shown as a compact chip inside the input row:
| Mode | Chip text |
|---|---|
directory | Folders |
file | Files |
any | Anything |
When the caller passes a search scope, the picker shows it as a separate scope chip below the input row. Click the chip's close button to clear the scope and search the wider Spotlight index.
Result rows
Each result row shows:
Icon - folder or document.
Name - highlighted against the current query.
Path - the parent directory, truncated from the start so the closest folder remains visible.
Modified date - recent files show relative labels such as
todayor3d ago; older files show a compact calendar date.
When the app knows your home directory, paths under it are shortened with ~. For example, / is displayed as ~/Documents/notes.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ↑ / ↓ | Move highlight up or down the result list |
| Enter | Select the highlighted result |
| Esc | Close the picker without selecting |
| Cmd+B | Fall back to "Browse with Finder…" (the matching native file or folder dialog) |
Indexing latency
The picker queries the macOS Spotlight index. Files and directories you just created may not appear immediately — Spotlight typically indexes new items within a few seconds to a minute, depending on system load and Privacy settings.
If you cannot find a recently created file or folder, use the Browse with Finder… fallback (footer button or Cmd+B) to open the matching standard macOS dialog instead. The fallback is always available.
macOS only — iOS uses the native dialog
The Spotlight index is a macOS-only API. On iOS, every surface that shows the Spotlight picker on macOS automatically falls through to the iOS native document browser instead. No configuration is needed; the app detects the platform at runtime.
Disabling Spotlight search
To use the native file dialog for the External File Editor's file pickers, change Settings → General:
Checkbox: Use Spotlight for file/directory search (checked by default)
Unchecking this setting makes the External File Editor's Open file picker (tauri-) and Add file picker (tauri-) use the native OS dialog instead of Spotlight. Both read AppSettings.general.disableSpotlightSearch. The setting takes effect immediately — no restart required.
You can also always use Browse with Finder… in either picker to open the native dialog for a single search, without changing the setting.