Find the file before the thought disappears.

Search that responds while you type

File search should feel immediate, but speed cannot come from returning irrelevant data. Axiom waits only long enough to avoid wasteful work, cancels the previous search when the query changes, and expands the candidate set only when filtering leaves too few useful results.

The first pass favors standard folders and a bounded result set. Broader work happens adaptively instead of making every keystroke pay the highest possible cost.

Choose where Axiom should and should not look

Developer folders, dependency trees, caches, archives, and personal directories can overwhelm a useful search. Settings under Files → Search & Indexing let the user choose an overall scope, add priority folders, ignore folder trees, ignore extensions, include or exclude hidden files, and control result limits.

Application bundle internals and common generated trees can remain hidden by default. Exclusions apply at the shared result boundary so a filtered file does not reappear through another search path.

• All indexed locations, home folder, or priority folders only
• User-defined ignored folder trees
• Ignored file extensions
• Optional hidden files
• Generated build and dependency tree filtering

Use the file instead of merely locating it

A file result can be opened directly, dragged, copied, or attached to an AI conversation. Axiom’s advantage is the handoff: the same surface that finds the file can use it as context for a question, summary, comparison, or next action.

Search quality still depends on macOS indexing. A new or disconnected file cannot be promised before the operating system makes it discoverable, and Axiom should state that limitation rather than fabricate a result.

Common questions