Async decision recordsProjects/Team practices
96
Write decisions down once so people can move forward without another meeting…
Built for Obsidian · public beta
Find the note
you meant.
ScottSearch spends a moment understanding your question, then returns ten useful notes—not a hundred places where the same word appears.
Free and open source. Your notes stay local by default.
reducing coordination overhead
When meetings are worth itNotes/Collaboration
88
A shared document handles status; reserve live time for disagreement and discovery…
Project handoff checklistTemplates
79
10carefully ranked results
0accounts required
100%open source
Why another search?
Less hunting.
More finding.
Regular search is excellent at answering “where did I type this word?” ScottSearch is for “where was that idea?”
Meaning before volume
Optional local AI compares ideas, while a strong wording score keeps precise matches grounded.
Power when you want it
Require a phrase, exclude a term, or filter by tag, path, and dates without learning a complicated language.
+"exact phrase" -draft
Built into Obsidian
Open it from the ribbon or command menu, move with arrow keys, and keep the theme you already chose.
↑↓Enter
Try the human-testing release
Install without touching code.
ScottSearch 0.1 uses the same small plugin bundle on macOS, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, and Android. During beta, BRAT is the easiest installer.
Recommended
Best for most testers
Install with BRAT
BRAT is an Obsidian community plugin made for installing test versions. It also makes updates much easier.
- 1
In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins → Browse.
- 2
Search for BRAT, then choose Install and Enable.
- 3
Open Obsidian's command menu and run BRAT: Add a beta plugin for testing.
- 4
Paste this repository name:
c4g-john/scottsearch-for-obsidian
Already have BRAT? The button opens the repository directly. If it does nothing, use the four steps above.
One downloadAll platforms
Download the ZIP
The ZIP contains the three plugin files Obsidian needs; the repository also carries readable license information. This route is useful when BRAT is not an option, but it requires access to your vault's hidden plugin folder.
Human-testing release0.1.3
Pre-release
Show manual installation steps
- Unzip the download.
- Create a folder named
scottsearchinside<your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/. - Move
main.js,manifest.json, andstyles.cssinto that folder. - Restart Obsidian. Open Settings → Community plugins and turn on ScottSearch.
On phones and tablets, hidden folders are awkward to manage. BRAT is usually the friendlier option.
A roadmap you can read
Where ScottSearch is going.
The simple view is here. Every card links to the detailed public work item if you want the full story.
✓
Available now
Search foundation
Meaning-aware ranking, power queries, filters, keyboard control, and title-only, default, or verbose result detail.
Measured relevance done02
Human testing
Real-vault feedback
We are learning which results feel useful, how much preview context helps, and what breaks across devices.
Beta program active03
After testing
Community directory
Automated Community checks are ready. Next: resolve beta findings, publish a stable build, and complete Obsidian's review.
Official submission planned04
Prototype in progress
Zero-setup semantics
The consent-first download and desktop worker prototype now work. A public build waits for macOS, Windows, and Linux Obsidian measurements; mobile stays off pending its own tests.
Desktop experiment prototypeNo technical background needed
Five useful things to test.
There is no wrong feedback. A sentence about what you expected and what happened is enough.
- 1
Find a remembered idea
Describe a note without copying its exact words. Is a useful note in the first ten?
- 2
Be very specific
Try
+"an exact phrase",-draft, or a date such ascreatedafter:2025-01-01. - 3
Sort, narrow, and choose detail
Try the filters, then cycle Title only, Default, and Verbose. The same results should update immediately.
- 4
Use your keyboard
Move with arrow keys, open with Enter, open a new tab with modifier-Enter, and clear with Escape.
- 5
Try a failure
If you use Ollama, stop it briefly. ScottSearch should explain the problem and keep searching by wording.
A successful test is useful too: the short beta form records which platform, theme, vault-size range, and search mode worked. Approximate answers are welcome, and you can choose “Not measured” for timings.
Keep private notes private: make up a fictional note and query that reproduce the same behavior before sharing feedback publicly.
Help shape it
You do not need to code.
Good software starts with a clear story about a real problem. Choose the contribution that feels comfortable.
Share a need
Our friendly form asks what is difficult today, what a better outcome looks like, and how we would know it is solved.
Open the requirement formTest the beta
Try the five prompts above and report only the moment where reality differed from what you expected.
Use the test guideContribute code
Developers can pick a planned issue, run the documented checks, and propose a focused change.
Read the developer guideLatest download
ScottSearch 0.1.3
The result-detail patch: Verbose now reliably expands beyond the Default preview without repeating the search.
Prepared September 2026
Questions are welcome
Plain answers.
Do I need AI or Ollama?
No. ScottSearch includes a strong local wording-based search. Ollama is optional and adds matches based on meaning, including notes that use different words.
Do my notes leave my device?
Wording-based search stays inside Obsidian. Semantic search is off until you enable it. In 0.1, text goes only to the Ollama address shown in settings; the default is your own computer. An unreleased desktop experiment instead processes text inside an isolated on-device worker.
Which download is right for my computer or phone?
There is only one ScottSearch plugin bundle for every platform. BRAT is the easiest beta installer, especially on mobile. Semantic mode additionally needs an Ollama endpoint that the device can reach.
How do I remove it?
In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins, turn off ScottSearch, and choose uninstall. If you used BRAT, you can also remove ScottSearch from BRAT's plugin list. Your notes are not deleted.
Why is this called a human-testing release?
The main behaviors are built and automatically tested, but the plugin still needs feedback across real vault sizes, themes, and devices before official community-directory submission.
Search should end with recognition, not exhaustion.