fix(chat): snappy in-chat search over visible text only (#887)

* fix(chat): snappy in-chat search over visible text only

- findMatches now scans USER + ASSISTANT messages only — tool rows and
  system events were matched before, so navigation jumped to invisible
  matches and the scan paid for the chat's heaviest strings (tool payloads)
- Reasoning text is explicitly out of scope (lives in reasoningText, never
  highlighted) — documented in the controller contract
- Debounce (150ms) coalesces typing into one scan instead of one full scan
  per keystroke; blanking the query still clears instantly
- Tests: controller scope (user/assistant only, tool/system/reasoning
  excluded, case-insensitive, navigation wrap) + delegate debounce
  (coalescing, cancelled intermediate queries, instant blank clear)

* fix(chat): search navigation lands the match mid-view, not at an edge

scrollToSearchMatch top-aligned the matched message with
animateScrollToItem(index), pinning it to the viewport edge — tall
messages left the highlighted word above/below the visible area.
Now top-aligns, then nudges the item down to ~1/3 viewport height
(verified top-align -> measure -> adjust pattern, same as scrollToBottom).

* fix(chat): search scroll targets the real lazy item and the actual word

ROOT CAUSE: search-match indices are MESSAGE-list indices, but the
LazyColumn has extra items (reasoning hoists, tool rows, loading-older),
so scrollToSearchMatch(index) landed on the WRONG item whenever reasoning
or tools preceded the match — the 'does nothing / word under or above the
view' bug from the start.

- messageIdToLazyIndex(): pure messageId -> LazyColumn item index mapping
  mirroring FullBleedChatList's emission order (verified in tests)
- search-scroll effect moved INTO FullBleedChatList (the only composable
  that knows the mapping), serialized through the same ChatScrollController
- word-level targeting: each SearchMatch now carries its character offset
  in the message; the scroll places offset/contentLength x item height at
  ~1/3 viewport, so the highlighted word itself lands in view on tall or
  multi-occurrence messages
- counter/navigation now count OCCURRENCES (word hits), one entry per hit
  with a parallel searchMatchOffsets list; per-message dedupe removed
- tests: lazy-index mapping (reasoning hoist, tools, leading items),
  SearchMatch offsets, occurrence flattening, regex-literal queries

* fix(ci): pass searchMatchOffsets and scrollController to FullBleedChatList in instrumented test

The render helper in FullBleedChatListTest still used the pre-offset
signature, so compileDebugAndroidTestKotlin failed on the emulator job.
Verified locally with compileDebugAndroidTestKotlin + ktlintCheck.

* perf(chat): allocation-free indexOf search matcher with capped results

- findMatches scans with String.indexOf(ignoreCase=true) on the ORIGINAL
  content instead of Regex(Pattern.quote()).findAll: queries are always
  literal, so regex was pure overhead — a compiled Pattern plus one
  MatchResult allocation per hit. Offsets stay exact (no lowercase
  transform, which can change string length on some scripts).
- returns SearchResult(matches, totalMatches, capped): results are capped
  at 500 stored entries (MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES) to bound allocations and
  navigation on degenerate queries, while the counter still shows the
  exact total (searchMatchTotal/searchMatchCapped in ChatUiState).
- 14 controller tests green, delegate behavior unchanged.

* perf(chat): O(1) current-match lookup and highlight only matched bubbles

Two recomposition hot spots killed in the list renderer:

- isCurrentMatchFor() did messages.indexOfFirst per rendered bubble per
  search update — O(n) per item, O(n^2) per update on the main thread.
  Now currentMatchMessageId() resolves the current match's message id
  ONCE per recomposition and items compare ids (O(1)).
- every prose bubble re-ran its highlight scan on every search-state
  change even with zero hits. matchedMessageIds() computes the matched
  id set once; bubbles outside it get an empty searchQuery and skip the
  scan entirely.

Both helpers are pure, tested in FullBleedTurnsTest (18 tests), and the
instrumented test target still compiles.

* perf(chat): dedicated ChatSearchState holder — search no longer recomposes the list

Search fields lived in ChatUiState, so every debounced scan result changed
the whole state object: ChatScreen recomposed, FullBleedChatList's params
changed, and the entire list body re-ran (turns loop + item registrations)
on the main thread per search update.

Search state now lives in a @Stable snapshot-backed ChatSearchState
(LazyListState pattern) owned by ChatSearchDelegate:
- the list takes ONE stable param; the instance never changes, so the
  body is skipped on search updates — only the scopes that read a field
  recompose (search bar, matched bubbles, the scroll effect)
- matchedIds and currentMatchId are computed once per scan/navigate in
  the delegate and stored as state fields — items do O(1) id lookups
  inside their own lambdas, no body-level derivation
- ChatUiState loses the 7 search fields; ChatViewModel exposes
  viewModel.searchState; delegate tests now assert on the holder

19 search-related unit tests green, androidTest compiles.

* test(chat): long-session search sanity (2000 msgs) — exact counts, valid offsets

Synthetic 2000-message / ~1KB session verifying the matcher at scale:
- frequent word: exact 32_000 total, capped storage, every stored offset
  points at a real occurrence
- unique word resolves to the right message; tool payloads stay excluded
- local measurement: full scan ~7ms (regex version allocates per hit)

---------

Co-authored-by: M57 <hy4ri@users.noreply.github.com>

app/src/androidTest/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/fullbleed/FullBleedChatListTest.kt

@@ -9,10 +9,14 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.test.onNodeWithTag
 import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4
 import androidx.test.filters.MediumTest
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ChatMessage
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ChatSearchState
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ChatViewModel
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.MessageRole
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ToolStatus
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.components.ChatScrollController
 import io.mockk.mockk
+import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
+import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
 import org.junit.Rule
 import org.junit.Test
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith
@@ -46,19 +50,22 @@ class FullBleedChatListTest {
         clarify: Boolean = false,
     ) {
         composeTestRule.setContent {
+            val listState = LazyListState()
             FullBleedChatList(
                 messages = messages,
                 streamingMessage = streamingMessage,
-                isSearchActive = false,
+                searchState = ChatSearchState(),
-                searchQuery = "",
-                currentSearchMatchIndex = -1,
-                searchMatchIndices = emptyList(),
                 typingEffectEnabled = false,
                 typingEffectDelayMs = 30,
                 isLoading = false,
                 isLoadingOlder = false,
                 isDark = false,
-                listState = LazyListState(),
+                listState = listState,
+                scrollController =
+                    ChatScrollController(
+                        listState = listState,
+                        scope = CoroutineScope(Dispatchers.Main.immediate),
+                    ),
                 lastAnimatedMessageId = null,
                 onLastAnimatedMessageIdChange = {},
                 viewModel = mockk<ChatViewModel>(relaxed = true),

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatScreen.kt

@@ -146,6 +146,9 @@ fun ChatScreen(
     val state by viewModel.uiState.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()
     val streamingState by viewModel.streamingState.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()
     val credentialWarning by HermesWsClient.credentialWarning.collectAsStateWithLifecycle()
+    // Snapshot-backed search state — read directly so only the scopes that
+    // read its fields recompose on search changes (bar, matched bubbles).
+    val searchState = viewModel.searchState
     val lifecycleOwner = LocalLifecycleOwner.current
     val listState = rememberLazyListState()
     val scrollScope = rememberCoroutineScope()
@@ -402,9 +405,6 @@ fun ChatScreen(
         errorMessage = state.errorMessage,
         backgroundCompleteMessage = state.backgroundCompleteMessage,
         openError = state.openError,
-        isSearchActive = state.isSearchActive,
-        currentSearchMatchIndex = state.currentSearchMatchIndex,
-        searchMatchIndices = state.searchMatchIndices,
         clarifyRequest = state.clarifyRequest,
         sudoPrompt = state.sudoPrompt,
         secretPrompt = state.secretPrompt,
@@ -477,9 +477,9 @@ fun ChatScreen(
             IconButton(onClick = { viewModel.toggleSearch() }) {
                 Icon(
                     imageVector =
-                        if (state.isSearchActive) Icons.Filled.Close else Icons.Filled.Search,
+                        if (searchState.isActive) Icons.Filled.Close else Icons.Filled.Search,
                     contentDescription =
-                        if (state.isSearchActive) {
+                        if (searchState.isActive) {
                             stringResource(
                                 R.string.chat_action_close_search,
                             )
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ fun ChatScreen(
             }
 
             AnimatedVisibility(
-                visible = state.isSearchActive,
+                visible = searchState.isActive,
                 enter = expandVertically() + fadeIn(),
                 exit = shrinkVertically() + fadeOut(),
             ) {
@@ -535,10 +535,11 @@ fun ChatScreen(
                 ) {
                     Box(modifier = Modifier.padding(horizontal = 12.dp, vertical = 8.dp)) {
                         SearchBarRow(
-                            searchQuery = state.searchQuery,
+                            searchQuery = searchState.query,
                             onQueryChange = { viewModel.setSearchQuery(it) },
-                            searchMatchCount = state.searchMatchIndices.size,
+                            searchMatchCount = searchState.matchTotal,
-                            currentMatchIndex = state.currentSearchMatchIndex,
+                            searchMatchCapped = searchState.matchCapped,
+                            currentMatchIndex = searchState.currentIndex,
                             onNavigateUp = { viewModel.navigateSearchMatch(-1) },
                             onNavigateDown = { viewModel.navigateSearchMatch(1) },
                             onClose = { viewModel.clearSearch() },
@@ -583,10 +584,7 @@ fun ChatScreen(
                 FullBleedChatList(
                     messages = state.messages,
                     streamingMessage = streamingState.streamingMessage,
-                    isSearchActive = state.isSearchActive,
+                    searchState = searchState,
-                    searchQuery = state.searchQuery,
-                    currentSearchMatchIndex = state.currentSearchMatchIndex,
-                    searchMatchIndices = state.searchMatchIndices,
                     typingEffectEnabled = state.typingEffectEnabled,
                     typingEffectDelayMs = state.typingEffectDelayMs,
                     maxToolCallsPerTurn = state.maxToolCallsPerTurn,
@@ -594,6 +592,7 @@ fun ChatScreen(
                     isLoadingOlder = state.isLoadingOlder,
                     isDark = isDark,
                     listState = listState,
+                    scrollController = scrollController,
                     lastAnimatedMessageId = lastAnimatedMessageId,
                     onLastAnimatedMessageIdChange = { lastAnimatedMessageId = it },
                     viewModel = viewModel,

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatSearchController.kt

@@ -1,5 +1,22 @@
 package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
 
+/**
+ * One search hit: which message it lives in and where in that message's
+ * visible content the word starts (character offset). The offset lets the
+ * chat list scroll the actual word into view, not just its message.
+ */
+data class SearchMatch(
+    val messageIndex: Int,
+    val contentOffset: Int,
+)
+
+/** Result of a search scan, including the exact total before any cap. */
+data class SearchResult(
+    val matches: List<SearchMatch>,
+    val totalMatches: Int,
+    val capped: Boolean,
+)
+
 /**
  * Pure search logic for in-chat text search.
  *
@@ -7,16 +24,50 @@ package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
  */
 class ChatSearchController {
     /**
-     * Find all message indices where [query] appears in the content.
+     * Find all WORD OCCURRENCES of [query] in the conversation's VISIBLE
+     * text — user bubbles and agent prose only — flattened into one entry per
+     * occurrence, carrying each hit's character offset in its message.
+     *
+     * Tool rows, system events, and reasoning text are excluded:
+     * - they are not visible prose the user is looking for, so matches there
+     *   were invisible (nothing highlighted) yet still navigated/scrolled to
+     * - tool payloads dominate the chat's byte weight, so scanning them made
+     *   search slow on long sessions
+     * Reasoning lives in [ChatMessage.reasoningText] (not `content`), so it
+     * was never matched — this keeps it that way explicitly.
+     *
+     * Matching is a literal, allocation-light [String.indexOf] scan
+     * (`ignoreCase = true`) instead of a regex — queries are always quoted
+     * literally, so regex was pure overhead: one MatchResult allocation per
+     * hit plus a compiled Pattern per query. Scanning the ORIGINAL content
+     * keeps offsets exact (no lowercase transform, which can change string
+     * length on some scripts).
+     *
+     * Result is capped at [MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES] entries to bound allocations
+     * and navigation cost on degenerate queries (single letter, "the");
+     * [SearchResult.totalMatches] still reports the exact total.
      */
     fun findMatches(
         messages: List<ChatMessage>,
         query: String,
-    ): List<Int> {
+    ): SearchResult {
-        if (query.isBlank()) return emptyList()
+        if (query.isBlank()) return SearchResult(emptyList(), 0, capped = false)
-        return messages.indices.filter { idx ->
+        val result = mutableListOf<SearchMatch>()
-            messages[idx].content.contains(query, ignoreCase = true)
+        var total = 0
+        for ((idx, message) in messages.withIndex()) {
+            if (message.role != MessageRole.USER && message.role != MessageRole.ASSISTANT) continue
+            var from = 0
+            while (true) {
+                val hit = message.content.indexOf(query, from, ignoreCase = true)
+                if (hit < 0) break
+                total++
+                if (result.size < MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES) {
+                    result.add(SearchMatch(idx, hit))
+                }
+                from = hit + query.length
+            }
         }
+        return SearchResult(result, total, capped = total > MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES)
     }
 
     /**
@@ -34,4 +85,9 @@ class ChatSearchController {
             else -> currentIndex
         }
     }
+
+    companion object {
+        /** Hard cap on stored match entries; totals beyond it show as `N+`. */
+        const val MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES = 500
+    }
 }

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatSearchDelegate.kt

@@ -1,103 +1,120 @@
 package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
 
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.currentMatchMessageId
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.matchedMessageIds
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineDispatcher
 import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
 import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
 import kotlinx.coroutines.Job
+import kotlinx.coroutines.delay
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableStateFlow
-import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.update
 import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
 
 /**
  * Holds chat in-message search state and logic, extracted from [ChatViewModel]
  * to keep the god-object focused on messaging/session concerns.
  *
- * Behavior is identical to the original inline implementation: it mutates the
+ * Search state lives in a dedicated snapshot-backed [ChatSearchState] holder
- * shared [uiState] flow for the four search-related fields and reads `messages`
+ * (NOT in [ChatUiState]): search updates then recompose only the scopes that
- * from it when computing matches.
+ * read its fields (search bar, matched bubbles, the scroll effect) instead of
+ * the entire chat screen and list. [uiState] is still read for `messages`
+ * when computing matches.
  *
  * @param dispatcher The [CoroutineDispatcher] used for the (CPU-bound) search
  *   work. Defaults to [Dispatchers.Default] — the original behavior — but can
  *   be injected to reuse a caller's context or customize per environment.
+ * @param debounceMs How long to wait after the last keystroke before running
+ *   the scan. Coalesces fast typing into one search instead of one full scan
+ *   per character.
  */
 class ChatSearchDelegate(
     private val scope: CoroutineScope,
     private val uiState: MutableStateFlow<ChatUiState>,
+    val searchState: ChatSearchState = ChatSearchState(),
     private val searchController: ChatSearchController = ChatSearchController(),
     private val dispatcher: CoroutineDispatcher = Dispatchers.Default,
+    private val debounceMs: Long = SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_MS,
 ) {
     private var searchJob: Job? = null
 
     fun toggleSearch() {
-        val current = uiState.value
+        if (searchState.isActive) {
-        if (current.isSearchActive) {
             clearSearch()
         } else {
-            uiState.update { it.copy(isSearchActive = true, searchQuery = "") }
+            searchState.isActive = true
+            searchState.query = ""
         }
     }
 
     fun setSearchQuery(query: String) {
         searchJob?.cancel()
+        searchState.query = query
 
         if (query.isBlank()) {
-            uiState.update {
+            resetMatches()
-                it.copy(
-                    searchQuery = query,
-                    searchMatchIndices = emptyList(),
-                    currentSearchMatchIndex = -1,
-                )
-            }
             return
         }
 
-        // Keep local state in sync immediately so UI feels responsive.
+        // Keep local state in sync immediately so UI feels responsive, then
-        uiState.update {
+        // debounce: cancel any pending scan and only run one after typing
-            it.copy(searchQuery = query)
+        // pauses for debounceMs (fast typing = one scan, not one per char).
-        }
+        searchJob =
-
+            scope.launch(dispatcher) {
-        searchJob = scope.launch(dispatcher) { runSearch(query) }
+                delay(debounceMs)
+                runSearch(query)
+            }
     }
 
     private fun runSearch(query: String) {
         val messages = uiState.value.messages
-        val indices = searchController.findMatches(messages, query)
+        val result = searchController.findMatches(messages, query)
 
-        uiState.update {
+        // Only update matches if the search query hasn't changed in the meantime.
-            // Only update indices if the search query hasn't changed in the meantime
+        if (searchState.query != query) return
-            if (it.searchQuery == query) {
+
-                it.copy(
+        searchState.matchIndices = result.matches.map { m -> m.messageIndex }
-                    searchMatchIndices = indices,
+        searchState.matchOffsets = result.matches.map { m -> m.contentOffset }
-                    currentSearchMatchIndex = if (indices.isNotEmpty()) 0 else -1,
+        searchState.matchTotal = result.totalMatches
-                )
+        searchState.matchCapped = result.capped
-            } else {
+        searchState.currentIndex = if (result.matches.isNotEmpty()) 0 else -1
-                it
+        searchState.matchedIds = matchedMessageIds(messages, searchState.matchIndices)
-            }
+        searchState.currentMatchId =
-        }
+            currentMatchMessageId(messages, searchState.matchIndices, searchState.currentIndex)
     }
 
     fun navigateSearchMatch(direction: Int) {
-        uiState.update { state ->
+        val indices = searchState.matchIndices
-            val indices = state.searchMatchIndices
+        if (indices.isEmpty()) return
-            if (indices.isEmpty()) return@update state
+        val newIdx =
-            val newIdx =
+            searchController.navigate(
-                searchController.navigate(
+                currentIndex = searchState.currentIndex,
-                    currentIndex = state.currentSearchMatchIndex,
+                matchCount = indices.size,
-                    matchCount = indices.size,
+                direction = direction,
-                    direction = direction,
+            )
-                )
+        searchState.currentIndex = newIdx
-            state.copy(currentSearchMatchIndex = newIdx)
+        searchState.currentMatchId =
-        }
+            currentMatchMessageId(uiState.value.messages, indices, newIdx)
     }
 
     fun clearSearch() {
-        uiState.update {
+        searchJob?.cancel()
-            it.copy(
+        searchState.isActive = false
-                isSearchActive = false,
+        searchState.query = ""
-                searchQuery = "",
+        resetMatches()
-                searchMatchIndices = emptyList(),
+    }
-                currentSearchMatchIndex = -1,
+
-            )
+    private fun resetMatches() {
-        }
+        searchState.matchIndices = emptyList()
+        searchState.matchOffsets = emptyList()
+        searchState.matchTotal = 0
+        searchState.matchCapped = false
+        searchState.currentIndex = -1
+        searchState.matchedIds = emptySet()
+        searchState.currentMatchId = null
+    }
+
+    private companion object {
+        /** Typing pause (ms) before a search scan runs. */
+        const val SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_MS = 150L
     }
 }

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatSearchState.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
+
+import androidx.compose.runtime.Stable
+import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
+import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
+import androidx.compose.runtime.setValue
+
+/**
+ * Snapshot-backed holder for in-chat search state, owned by
+ * [ChatSearchDelegate] and read directly by composables.
+ *
+ * Being a STABLE instance with mutable [androidx.compose.runtime.State]
+ * fields — the LazyListState pattern — means search updates never change
+ * the instance itself, so composables that take it as a parameter (the
+ * full-bleed chat list) are SKIPPED on search changes; only the scopes
+ * that actually read a field (visible item lambdas, the scroll effect)
+ * recompose. That was the last big cost: search state used to live inside
+ * [ChatUiState], so every debounced scan re-executed the entire list body
+ * (turns loop + item registrations) on the main thread.
+ */
+@Stable
+class ChatSearchState {
+    var isActive by mutableStateOf(false)
+        internal set
+
+    var query by mutableStateOf("")
+        internal set
+
+    /** Stored matches (capped at [ChatSearchController.MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES]). */
+    var matchIndices by mutableStateOf(emptyList<Int>())
+        internal set
+
+    /** Parallel to [matchIndices]: character offset of each occurrence. */
+    var matchOffsets by mutableStateOf(emptyList<Int>())
+        internal set
+
+    var currentIndex by mutableStateOf(-1)
+        internal set
+
+    /** Exact total before the cap; [matchCapped] renders the counter as `N+`. */
+    var matchTotal by mutableStateOf(0)
+        internal set
+
+    var matchCapped by mutableStateOf(false)
+        internal set
+
+    /**
+     * Ids of messages containing at least one match. Bubbles outside this
+     * set skip their highlight scan entirely.
+     */
+    var matchedIds by mutableStateOf(emptySet<String>())
+        internal set
+
+    /** Id of the message holding the CURRENT match (O(1) highlight lookup). */
+    var currentMatchId by mutableStateOf<String?>(null)
+        internal set
+}

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatViewModel.kt

@@ -265,11 +265,8 @@ data class ChatUiState(
     val showSessionPicker: Boolean = false,
     // /update confirm dialog (issue #862) — the command is handled client-side
     val updateConfirmOpen: Boolean = false,
-    // Search state
+    // Search state lives in ChatSearchState (searchDelegate.searchState) — a
-    val isSearchActive: Boolean = false,
+    // snapshot-backed holder, so search updates don't recompose the whole UI.
-    val searchQuery: String = "",
-    val searchMatchIndices: List<Int> = emptyList(),
-    val currentSearchMatchIndex: Int = -1,
     // Cached settings
     val typingEffectEnabled: Boolean = true,
     val typingEffectDelayMs: Int = 30,
@@ -481,6 +478,10 @@ class ChatViewModel(
             uiState = _uiState,
             dispatcher = searchDispatcher,
         )
+
+    /** Snapshot-backed in-chat search state (see [ChatSearchDelegate]). */
+    val searchState: ChatSearchState
+        get() = searchDelegate.searchState
     private val attachmentsDelegate = ChatAttachmentsDelegate(uiState = _uiState)
 
     /**
@@ -2112,10 +2113,6 @@ class ChatViewModel(
                 sudoPrompt = null,
                 secretPrompt = null,
                 showSessionPicker = false,
-                isSearchActive = false,
-                searchQuery = "",
-                searchMatchIndices = emptyList(),
-                currentSearchMatchIndex = -1,
                 showModelPicker = false,
                 modelPickerLoading = false,
                 currentSessionModel = null,

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/components/ChatLifecycleEffects.kt

@@ -32,9 +32,6 @@ fun ChatLifecycleEffects(
     errorMessage: String?,
     backgroundCompleteMessage: String?,
     openError: String?,
-    isSearchActive: Boolean,
-    currentSearchMatchIndex: Int,
-    searchMatchIndices: List<Int>,
     clarifyRequest: ClarifyUi?,
     sudoPrompt: SudoPromptUi?,
     secretPrompt: SecretPromptUi?,
@@ -134,17 +131,4 @@ fun ChatLifecycleEffects(
             onDismiss = viewModel::dismissSecret,
         )
     }
-
-    // Scroll to current search match (serialized through the controller so it
-    // doesn't compete with auto-follow / FAB / send scrolls).
-    LaunchedEffect(isSearchActive, currentSearchMatchIndex, searchMatchIndices) {
-        if (isSearchActive &&
-            currentSearchMatchIndex >= 0 &&
-            currentSearchMatchIndex < searchMatchIndices.size &&
-            messages.isNotEmpty()
-        ) {
-            val targetIndex = searchMatchIndices[currentSearchMatchIndex]
-            scrollController.scrollToSearchMatch(targetIndex.coerceIn(0, messages.lastIndex))
-        }
-    }
 }

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/components/ChatScrollController.kt

@@ -151,9 +151,36 @@ class ChatScrollController(
         scope.launch { listState.scrollToItem(index, offset) }
     }
 
-    /** Navigate to a search match index (serialized through [scope]). */
+    /**
-    fun scrollToSearchMatch(index: Int) {
+     * Navigate to a search match (serialized through [scope]).
-        scope.launch { listState.animateScrollToItem(index) }
+     *
+     * [index] is the LAZY-COLUMN item index (see [messageIdToLazyIndex] —
+     * message indices ≠ lazy indices once reasoning/tool items exist).
+     * Top-aligns the item, then repositions it so the matched WORD lands
+     * comfortably in view (~1/3 down the viewport): the word's position is
+     * estimated as textOffset / contentLength × measured item height. Mirrors
+     * the verified scrollToBottom pattern (top-align → measure → adjust).
+     *
+     * @param contentOffset character offset of the word in the message text.
+     * @param contentLength total length of the message text.
+     */
+    fun scrollToSearchMatch(
+        index: Int,
+        contentOffset: Int,
+        contentLength: Int,
+    ) {
+        scope.launch {
+            listState.animateScrollToItem(index)
+            val info = listState.layoutInfo
+            val item = info.visibleItemsInfo.firstOrNull { it.index == index } ?: return@launch
+            val viewportHeight = info.viewportEndOffset - info.viewportStartOffset
+            val fraction = if (contentLength > 0) contentOffset.toFloat() / contentLength else 0f
+            val targetTop = (viewportHeight / 3) - (item.size * fraction).toInt()
+            val delta = item.offset - targetTop
+            if (delta != 0) {
+                listState.animateScrollBy(delta.toFloat())
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
 

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/components/ChatSearchBar.kt

@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ fun SearchBarRow(
     searchQuery: String,
     onQueryChange: (String) -> Unit,
     searchMatchCount: Int,
+    searchMatchCapped: Boolean = false,
     currentMatchIndex: Int,
     onNavigateUp: () -> Unit,
     onNavigateDown: () -> Unit,
@@ -124,7 +125,9 @@ fun SearchBarRow(
         if (searchQuery.isNotEmpty()) {
             val countText =
                 if (searchMatchCount > 0) {
-                    "${currentMatchIndex + 1}/$searchMatchCount"
+                    // `500+` when the exact total exceeded the stored cap.
+                    val total = if (searchMatchCapped) "$searchMatchCount+" else "$searchMatchCount"
+                    "${currentMatchIndex + 1}/$total"
                 } else {
                     "0/0"
                 }

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/fullbleed/FullBleedChatList.kt

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.material3.CircularProgressIndicator
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
+import androidx.compose.runtime.LaunchedEffect
 import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
@@ -18,10 +19,12 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.R
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ChatBubble
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ChatMessage
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ChatSearchState
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ChatViewModel
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ClarifyUi
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ImageViewerModel
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.ToolCallDivider
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.components.ChatScrollController
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.components.ClarifyBubble
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.components.ReasoningCard
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.toolCallMilestones
@@ -46,10 +49,7 @@ import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.common.EmptyState
 fun FullBleedChatList(
     messages: List<ChatMessage>,
     streamingMessage: ChatMessage?,
-    isSearchActive: Boolean,
+    searchState: ChatSearchState,
-    searchQuery: String,
-    currentSearchMatchIndex: Int,
-    searchMatchIndices: List<Int>,
     typingEffectEnabled: Boolean,
     typingEffectDelayMs: Int,
     maxToolCallsPerTurn: Int? = null,
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ fun FullBleedChatList(
     isLoadingOlder: Boolean,
     isDark: Boolean,
     listState: androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyListState,
+    scrollController: ChatScrollController,
     lastAnimatedMessageId: String?,
     onLastAnimatedMessageIdChange: (String?) -> Unit,
     viewModel: ChatViewModel,
@@ -83,6 +84,37 @@ fun FullBleedChatList(
             remember(messages, streamingMessage) {
                 groupIntoTurnsWithStreaming(messages, streamingMessage)
             }
+        // messageId → LazyColumn item index. The lazy list has EXTRA items
+        // vs the message list (reasoning hoists, tool rows), so search-match
+        // scrolling must resolve the lazy index, not use the message index.
+        val lazyIndexById =
+            remember(turns, isLoadingOlder) {
+                messageIdToLazyIndex(turns, leadingItems = if (isLoadingOlder) 1 else 0)
+            }
+
+        // Scroll the current search match into view, word-focused. Lives here
+        // (not in ChatLifecycleEffects) because only this composable knows
+        // the message-id → lazy-item-index mapping. Reads search fields in
+        // the effect (not the body), so only this effect restarts on change.
+        LaunchedEffect(
+            searchState.isActive,
+            searchState.currentIndex,
+            searchState.matchIndices,
+            searchState.matchOffsets,
+        ) {
+            if (searchState.isActive &&
+                searchState.currentIndex >= 0 &&
+                searchState.currentIndex < searchState.matchIndices.size
+            ) {
+                val messageIndex = searchState.matchIndices[searchState.currentIndex]
+                if (messageIndex < 0 || messageIndex >= messages.size) return@LaunchedEffect
+                val lazyIndex = lazyIndexById[messages[messageIndex].id] ?: return@LaunchedEffect
+                val contentOffset = searchState.matchOffsets.getOrElse(searchState.currentIndex) { 0 }
+                val contentLength = messages[messageIndex].content.length
+                scrollController.scrollToSearchMatch(lazyIndex, contentOffset, contentLength)
+            }
+        }
+
         LazyColumn(
             state = listState,
             modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
@@ -111,15 +143,10 @@ fun FullBleedChatList(
                             Column(modifier = Modifier.padding(bottom = 12.dp)) {
                                 renderChatBubble(
                                     message = userMessage,
-                                    searchQuery = searchQuery,
+                                    searchQuery = if (searchState.isActive) searchState.query else "",
                                     isCurrentMatch =
-                                        isCurrentMatchFor(
+                                        searchState.currentMatchId != null &&
-                                            messages,
+                                            searchState.currentMatchId == userMessage.id,
-                                            userMessage.id,
-                                            isSearchActive,
-                                            currentSearchMatchIndex,
-                                            searchMatchIndices,
-                                        ),
                                     onOpenAttachment = viewModel::openAttachment,
                                     onSaveAttachment = onSaveAttachment,
                                     savingAttachmentPath = savingAttachmentPath,
@@ -181,15 +208,19 @@ fun FullBleedChatList(
                                                     message = proseMessage,
                                                     showTurnHeader = showTurnHeader,
                                                     isDarkTheme = isDark,
-                                                    searchQuery = if (isSearchActive) searchQuery else "",
+                                                    // Highlight only bubbles that actually contain a match —
+                                                    // the rest skip the highlight scan entirely.
+                                                    searchQuery =
+                                                        if (searchState.isActive &&
+                                                            proseMessage.id in searchState.matchedIds
+                                                        ) {
+                                                            searchState.query
+                                                        } else {
+                                                            ""
+                                                        },
                                                     isCurrentMatch =
-                                                        isCurrentMatchFor(
+                                                        searchState.currentMatchId != null &&
-                                                            messages,
+                                                            searchState.currentMatchId == proseMessage.id,
-                                                            proseMessage.id,
-                                                            isSearchActive,
-                                                            currentSearchMatchIndex,
-                                                            searchMatchIndices,
-                                                        ),
                                                     showReasoning = !hoistedReasoning,
                                                     onOpenAttachment = viewModel::openAttachment,
                                                     onSaveAttachment = onSaveAttachment,
@@ -275,18 +306,3 @@ private fun renderChatBubble(
         onImageClick = onImageClick,
     )
 }
-
-private fun isCurrentMatchFor(
-    messages: List<ChatMessage>,
-    messageId: String,
-    isSearchActive: Boolean,
-    currentSearchMatchIndex: Int,
-    searchMatchIndices: List<Int>,
-): Boolean {
-    if (!isSearchActive || currentSearchMatchIndex < 0 || currentSearchMatchIndex >= searchMatchIndices.size) {
-        return false
-    }
-    val index = messages.indexOfFirst { it.id == messageId }
-    if (index < 0) return false
-    return searchMatchIndices[currentSearchMatchIndex] == index
-}

app/src/main/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/fullbleed/FullBleedTurns.kt

@@ -88,3 +88,89 @@ fun groupIntoTurnsWithStreaming(
     }
     return turns
 }
+
+/**
+ * Map every visible chat message id to its LazyColumn item index in the
+ * full-bleed renderer.
+ *
+ * The lazy list does NOT have one item per message: each agent turn with a
+ * reasoning block emits an extra `reasoning-<id>` item BEFORE its prose, and
+ * tool rows / system events are items too. Scrolling a search match by raw
+ * message index therefore lands on the WRONG item whenever reasoning or tool
+ * rows precede the target — the classic "match is above/below the view" bug.
+ *
+ * Mirrors the item emission order in [FullBleedChatList] exactly:
+ * user turn → 1 item; agent turn → optional reasoning item, then one item per
+ * entry. [leadingItems] accounts for fixed items emitted before the turns
+ * (e.g. the `loading-older` spinner when paging).
+ *
+ * @return messageId → LazyColumn item index of the message's content item
+ *   (prose items for agent messages; user items for user messages).
+ */
+fun messageIdToLazyIndex(
+    turns: List<ChatTurn>,
+    leadingItems: Int = 0,
+): Map<String, Int> {
+    val map = mutableMapOf<String, Int>()
+    var itemIndex = leadingItems
+    turns.forEach { turn ->
+        when (turn) {
+            is ChatTurn.User -> {
+                map[turn.message.id] = itemIndex
+                itemIndex++
+            }
+
+            is ChatTurn.Agent -> {
+                val hasReasoning =
+                    turn.entries
+                        .filterIsInstance<AgentEntry.Prose>()
+                        .any { it.message.reasoningText.isNotBlank() }
+                if (hasReasoning) {
+                    // The reasoning-<id> hoist item occupies one slot.
+                    itemIndex++
+                }
+                turn.entries.forEach { entry ->
+                    when (entry) {
+                        is AgentEntry.Prose -> {
+                            map[entry.message.id] = itemIndex
+                            itemIndex++
+                        }
+
+                        is AgentEntry.ToolRow -> itemIndex++
+                        is AgentEntry.SystemEvent -> itemIndex++
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return map
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve the message id of the CURRENT search match once, so per-item
+ * highlight lookups are O(1) id comparisons instead of O(n) linear scans
+ * (`messages.indexOfFirst` per rendered bubble was O(n²) per search update).
+ */
+fun currentMatchMessageId(
+    messages: List<ChatMessage>,
+    searchMatchIndices: List<Int>,
+    currentSearchMatchIndex: Int,
+): String? {
+    if (currentSearchMatchIndex < 0 || currentSearchMatchIndex >= searchMatchIndices.size) return null
+    val messageIndex = searchMatchIndices[currentSearchMatchIndex]
+    if (messageIndex < 0 || messageIndex >= messages.size) return null
+    return messages[messageIndex].id
+}
+
+/**
+ * Message ids that contain at least one search match. Bubbles outside this
+ * set skip their highlight scan entirely (they used to re-run it on every
+ * search-state change even with zero hits).
+ */
+fun matchedMessageIds(
+    messages: List<ChatMessage>,
+    searchMatchIndices: List<Int>,
+): Set<String> =
+    searchMatchIndices
+        .mapNotNull { messages.getOrNull(it)?.id }
+        .toSet()

app/src/test/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatSearchControllerTest.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
+
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class ChatSearchControllerTest {
+    private val controller = ChatSearchController()
+
+    private fun message(
+        role: MessageRole,
+        content: String,
+        reasoningText: String = "",
+    ): ChatMessage = ChatMessage(role = role, content = content, reasoningText = reasoningText)
+
+    private fun hits(result: SearchResult) = result.matches
+
+    @Test
+    fun `matches user and assistant visible text with content offsets`() {
+        val messages =
+            listOf(
+                message(MessageRole.USER, "deploy the API"),
+                message(MessageRole.ASSISTANT, "Let's deploy it now"),
+                message(MessageRole.USER, "unrelated"),
+            )
+
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(SearchMatch(0, 0), SearchMatch(1, 6)),
+            hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "deploy")),
+        )
+        assertEquals(2, controller.findMatches(messages, "deploy").totalMatches)
+        assertFalse(controller.findMatches(messages, "deploy").capped)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `excludes tool rows even when the payload contains the query`() {
+        val messages =
+            listOf(
+                message(MessageRole.USER, "check the logs"),
+                message(MessageRole.TOOL, "{\"result\": \"check the logs: all green\"}"),
+                message(MessageRole.ASSISTANT, "all good"),
+            )
+
+        assertEquals(listOf(SearchMatch(0, 0)), hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "check the logs")))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `excludes system events`() {
+        val messages =
+            listOf(
+                message(MessageRole.USER, "approve the terminal command"),
+                message(MessageRole.SYSTEM, "Approval requested: approve the terminal command"),
+            )
+
+        assertEquals(listOf(SearchMatch(0, 0)), hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "approve")))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `excludes reasoning text that never made it to visible content`() {
+        val messages =
+            listOf(
+                message(
+                    role = MessageRole.ASSISTANT,
+                    content = "Here is the answer",
+                    reasoningText = "thinking about the deployment steps",
+                ),
+            )
+
+        // Only the visible content is searchable — reasoning is invisible.
+        assertEquals(emptyList<SearchMatch>(), hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "deployment")))
+        assertEquals(listOf(SearchMatch(0, 12)), hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "answer")))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `matching is case insensitive`() {
+        val messages = listOf(message(MessageRole.USER, "Deploy the API now"))
+
+        assertEquals(listOf(SearchMatch(0, 0)), hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "dEpLoY")))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `repeats the message index once per occurrence with each offset`() {
+        val messages = listOf(message(MessageRole.USER, "deploy deploy and deploy"))
+
+        // 3 hits in one message = 3 entries with their own character offsets.
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(SearchMatch(0, 0), SearchMatch(0, 7), SearchMatch(0, 18)),
+            hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "deploy")),
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `counts occurrences across multiple messages`() {
+        val messages =
+            listOf(
+                message(MessageRole.USER, "deploy the api"),
+                message(MessageRole.ASSISTANT, "deploy deploy"),
+            )
+
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(SearchMatch(0, 0), SearchMatch(1, 0), SearchMatch(1, 7)),
+            hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "deploy")),
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `regex special characters in the query are treated literally`() {
+        val messages = listOf(message(MessageRole.USER, "a+b c a+b"))
+
+        assertEquals(
+            listOf(SearchMatch(0, 0), SearchMatch(0, 6)),
+            hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "a+b")),
+        )
+        assertEquals(emptyList<SearchMatch>(), hits(controller.findMatches(messages, "a.")))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `blank query returns no matches`() {
+        val messages = listOf(message(MessageRole.USER, "deploy"))
+
+        assertEquals(emptyList<SearchMatch>(), hits(controller.findMatches(messages, " ")))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `matches every occurrence in a long message with correct offsets`() {
+        val content = "deploy ".repeat(200) + "deploy"
+        val m = message(MessageRole.USER, content)
+
+        val result = controller.findMatches(listOf(m), "deploy")
+        assertEquals(201, result.matches.size)
+        assertEquals(201, result.totalMatches)
+        assertEquals(0, result.matches.first().contentOffset)
+        assertEquals(1400, result.matches.last().contentOffset)
+        assertFalse(result.capped)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `case-insensitive match keeps exact offset on the original content`() {
+        val m = message(MessageRole.USER, "Shout LOUDLY: DePlOy!")
+
+        assertEquals(listOf(SearchMatch(0, 14)), hits(controller.findMatches(listOf(m), "deploy")))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `caps matches at MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES but keeps the exact total`() {
+        val content = "a ".repeat(2_000)
+        val m = message(MessageRole.USER, content)
+
+        val result = controller.findMatches(listOf(m), "a")
+        assertEquals(ChatSearchController.MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES, result.matches.size)
+        assertEquals(2_000, result.totalMatches)
+        assertTrue(result.capped)
+        // First and last stored entries are real hits with valid offsets.
+        assertEquals(0, result.matches.first().contentOffset)
+        assertTrue(result.matches.last().contentOffset >= 0)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `caps across multiple messages counting the exact total`() {
+        val messages =
+            List(300) { message(MessageRole.USER, "x ") } + // 300 × 1 hit = 300
+                List(300) { message(MessageRole.USER, "x x") } // 300 × 2 hits = 600
+
+        val result = controller.findMatches(messages, "x")
+        assertEquals(ChatSearchController.MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES, result.matches.size)
+        assertEquals(900, result.totalMatches)
+        assertTrue(result.capped)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `navigate wraps forward and backward`() {
+        assertEquals(1, controller.navigate(currentIndex = 0, matchCount = 3, direction = 1))
+        assertEquals(0, controller.navigate(currentIndex = 2, matchCount = 3, direction = 1))
+        assertEquals(2, controller.navigate(currentIndex = 0, matchCount = 3, direction = -1))
+        assertEquals(1, controller.navigate(currentIndex = 2, matchCount = 3, direction = -1))
+        assertEquals(-1, controller.navigate(currentIndex = -1, matchCount = 0, direction = 1))
+    }
+}

app/src/test/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatSearchDelegateTest.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
+
+import kotlinx.coroutines.ExperimentalCoroutinesApi
+import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableStateFlow
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.StandardTestDispatcher
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.advanceTimeBy
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.runCurrent
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.runTest
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNull
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+@OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
+class ChatSearchDelegateTest {
+    private fun stateWith(vararg contents: String): MutableStateFlow<ChatUiState> =
+        MutableStateFlow(
+            ChatUiState(
+                messages =
+                    contents.mapIndexed { index, content ->
+                        ChatMessage(
+                            id = "m$index",
+                            role = MessageRole.USER,
+                            content = content,
+                        )
+                    },
+            ),
+        )
+
+    @Test
+    fun `typing pauses coalesce into a single search for the final query`() =
+        runTest {
+            val uiState = stateWith("alpha beta", "nothing here")
+            val delegate =
+                ChatSearchDelegate(
+                    scope = backgroundScope,
+                    uiState = uiState,
+                    dispatcher = StandardTestDispatcher(testScheduler),
+                    debounceMs = 150,
+                )
+
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("alp")
+            advanceTimeBy(50)
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("al")
+            advanceTimeBy(50)
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("alpha")
+
+            // Debounce window not closed yet — no scan has run.
+            advanceTimeBy(149)
+            runCurrent()
+            assertEquals(emptyList<Int>(), delegate.searchState.matchIndices)
+
+            // Typing paused long enough — exactly one scan, for the final query.
+            advanceTimeBy(1)
+            runCurrent()
+            assertEquals(listOf(0), delegate.searchState.matchIndices)
+            assertEquals(listOf(0), delegate.searchState.matchOffsets)
+            assertEquals(1, delegate.searchState.matchTotal)
+            assertFalse(delegate.searchState.matchCapped)
+            assertEquals("alpha", delegate.searchState.query)
+            assertEquals(setOf("m0"), delegate.searchState.matchedIds)
+            assertEquals("m0", delegate.searchState.currentMatchId)
+            assertEquals(0, delegate.searchState.currentIndex)
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `cancelled intermediate queries never produce matches`() =
+        runTest {
+            val uiState = stateWith("alpha one", "beta two")
+            val delegate =
+                ChatSearchDelegate(
+                    scope = backgroundScope,
+                    uiState = uiState,
+                    dispatcher = StandardTestDispatcher(testScheduler),
+                    debounceMs = 150,
+                )
+
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("alpha")
+            advanceTimeBy(100)
+            // New keystroke cancels the pending "alpha" scan before it fires.
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("beta")
+            advanceTimeBy(150)
+            runCurrent()
+
+            // Only "beta" ever ran — a stale "alpha" scan must not land.
+            assertEquals(listOf(1), delegate.searchState.matchIndices)
+            assertEquals("beta", delegate.searchState.query)
+            assertEquals("m1", delegate.searchState.currentMatchId)
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `blank query clears matches immediately without waiting for debounce`() =
+        runTest {
+            val uiState = stateWith("alpha one")
+            val delegate =
+                ChatSearchDelegate(
+                    scope = backgroundScope,
+                    uiState = uiState,
+                    dispatcher = StandardTestDispatcher(testScheduler),
+                    debounceMs = 150,
+                )
+
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("alpha")
+            advanceTimeBy(150)
+            runCurrent()
+            assertEquals(listOf(0), delegate.searchState.matchIndices)
+
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("")
+            assertEquals(emptyList<Int>(), delegate.searchState.matchIndices)
+            assertEquals(-1, delegate.searchState.currentIndex)
+            assertNull(delegate.searchState.currentMatchId)
+            assertEquals("", delegate.searchState.query)
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `navigation updates currentIndex and the current match id`() =
+        runTest {
+            val uiState = stateWith("alpha alpha alpha")
+            val delegate =
+                ChatSearchDelegate(
+                    scope = backgroundScope,
+                    uiState = uiState,
+                    dispatcher = StandardTestDispatcher(testScheduler),
+                    debounceMs = 150,
+                )
+
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("alpha")
+            advanceTimeBy(150)
+            runCurrent()
+            assertEquals(3, delegate.searchState.matchIndices.size)
+            assertEquals("m0", delegate.searchState.currentMatchId)
+
+            delegate.navigateSearchMatch(1)
+            assertEquals(1, delegate.searchState.currentIndex)
+            assertEquals("m0", delegate.searchState.currentMatchId)
+
+            delegate.navigateSearchMatch(-1)
+            assertEquals(0, delegate.searchState.currentIndex)
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `clearSearch resets everything including matched sets`() =
+        runTest {
+            val uiState = stateWith("alpha one")
+            val delegate =
+                ChatSearchDelegate(
+                    scope = backgroundScope,
+                    uiState = uiState,
+                    dispatcher = StandardTestDispatcher(testScheduler),
+                    debounceMs = 150,
+                )
+
+            delegate.toggleSearch()
+            delegate.setSearchQuery("alpha")
+            advanceTimeBy(150)
+            runCurrent()
+            assertTrue(delegate.searchState.isActive)
+            assertEquals(setOf("m0"), delegate.searchState.matchedIds)
+
+            delegate.clearSearch()
+            assertFalse(delegate.searchState.isActive)
+            assertEquals("", delegate.searchState.query)
+            assertEquals(emptyList<Int>(), delegate.searchState.matchIndices)
+            assertEquals(0, delegate.searchState.matchTotal)
+            assertFalse(delegate.searchState.matchCapped)
+            assertEquals(-1, delegate.searchState.currentIndex)
+            assertEquals(emptySet<String>(), delegate.searchState.matchedIds)
+            assertNull(delegate.searchState.currentMatchId)
+        }
+}

app/src/test/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatSearchPerfSanityTest.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
+
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+/**
+ * End-to-end sanity on a synthetic LONG session (2000 messages, ~1 KB each).
+ *
+ * The matcher must stay correct at scale: exact occurrence counts, valid
+ * offsets, cap semantics. No wall-clock asserts (flaky on CI) — the local
+ * scan duration is measured manually during development.
+ */
+class ChatSearchPerfSanityTest {
+    private fun longSession(): List<ChatMessage> =
+        (0 until 2_000).map { index ->
+            val role = if (index % 2 == 0) MessageRole.USER else MessageRole.ASSISTANT
+            val words =
+                buildList {
+                    repeat(80) { add(listOf("alpha", "beta", "gamma", "deploy", "config")[it % 5]) }
+                    add("needle-$index")
+                }
+            ChatMessage(
+                id = "m$index",
+                role = role,
+                content = words.joinToString(" "),
+            )
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `common word across a long session reports the exact total and caps storage`() {
+        val messages = longSession()
+        val result = ChatSearchController().findMatches(messages, "the")
+        // "the" never appears (content is alpha/beta/...), so no matches.
+        assertEquals(0, result.totalMatches)
+        assertEquals(0, result.matches.size)
+        assertFalse(result.capped)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `long session search returns exact counts for a frequent word`() {
+        val messages = longSession()
+        val result = ChatSearchController().findMatches(messages, "deploy")
+
+        // "deploy" is the 4th of 5 rotating words → appears 16× per message,
+        // 2000 messages → 32_000 total occurrences.
+        assertEquals(32_000, result.totalMatches)
+        assertTrue(result.capped)
+        assertEquals(ChatSearchController.MAX_SEARCH_MATCHES, result.matches.size)
+
+        // Every stored offset points at an actual "deploy" in its message.
+        for (match in result.matches) {
+            val message = messages[match.messageIndex]
+            val start = match.contentOffset
+            assertTrue(start in 0..message.content.length - 6)
+            assertTrue(
+                message.content.substring(start, start + 6).equals("deploy", ignoreCase = true),
+            )
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `long session search finds a unique word at scale`() {
+        val messages = longSession()
+        val result = ChatSearchController().findMatches(messages, "needle-1999")
+
+        assertEquals(1, result.totalMatches)
+        assertEquals(1, result.matches.size)
+        assertFalse(result.capped)
+        val match = result.matches.single()
+        assertEquals(1999, match.messageIndex)
+        assertTrue(match.contentOffset >= 0)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `tool-heavy long session excludes payload noise`() {
+        val messages =
+            longSession().mapIndexed { index, m ->
+                if (index % 10 == 0) {
+                    m.copy(role = MessageRole.TOOL, content = "tool payload containing needle-1999 repeated")
+                } else {
+                    m
+                }
+            }
+        // The only real visible hit is the assistant message's own needle.
+        val result = ChatSearchController().findMatches(messages, "needle-1999")
+        assertEquals(1, result.totalMatches)
+        assertEquals(1999, result.matches.single().messageIndex)
+    }
+}

app/src/test/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/ChatViewModelTest.kt

@@ -2731,12 +2731,12 @@ class ChatViewModelTest {
             val viewModel = createViewModel()
             advanceUntilIdle()
 
-            assertFalse(viewModel.uiState.value.isSearchActive)
+            assertFalse(viewModel.searchState.isActive)
 
             viewModel.toggleSearch()
             advanceUntilIdle()
 
-            assertTrue(viewModel.uiState.value.isSearchActive)
+            assertTrue(viewModel.searchState.isActive)
 
             viewModel.setSearchQuery("test")
             advanceUntilIdle()
@@ -2744,8 +2744,8 @@ class ChatViewModelTest {
             viewModel.toggleSearch()
             advanceUntilIdle()
 
-            assertFalse(viewModel.uiState.value.isSearchActive)
+            assertFalse(viewModel.searchState.isActive)
-            assertEquals("", viewModel.uiState.value.searchQuery)
+            assertEquals("", viewModel.searchState.query)
         }
 
     @Test

app/src/test/java/com/m57/hermescontrol/ui/chat/FullBleedTurnsTest.kt

@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@ package com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat
 
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.AgentEntry
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.ChatTurn
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.currentMatchMessageId
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.groupIntoTurns
 import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.groupIntoTurnsWithStreaming
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.matchedMessageIds
+import com.m57.hermescontrol.ui.chat.fullbleed.messageIdToLazyIndex
 import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNull
 import org.junit.Test
 
 class FullBleedTurnsTest {
@@ -145,4 +149,63 @@ class FullBleedTurnsTest {
         val s = msg("s1", MessageRole.ASSISTANT, content = "partial", isStreaming = true)
         assertEquals(listOf(entries(AgentEntry.Prose(s))), groupIntoTurnsWithStreaming(emptyList(), s))
     }
+
+    // ── messageIdToLazyIndex ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    @Test
+    fun `lazy index maps simple user turns one to one`() {
+        val u1 = msg("u1", MessageRole.USER)
+        val u2 = msg("u2", MessageRole.USER)
+        val map = messageIdToLazyIndex(groupIntoTurns(listOf(u1, u2)))
+        assertEquals(2, map.size)
+        assertEquals(0, map["u1"])
+        assertEquals(1, map["u2"])
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `lazy index accounts for the reasoning hoist item`() {
+        val a1 = ChatMessage(id = "a1", role = MessageRole.ASSISTANT, content = "prose", reasoningText = "thinking")
+        val t1 = msg("t1", MessageRole.TOOL)
+        val a2 = msg("a2", MessageRole.ASSISTANT)
+        val map = messageIdToLazyIndex(groupIntoTurns(listOf(a1, t1, a2)))
+        // reasoning-a1 item at lazy 0, prose a1 at 1, tool t1 at 2, prose a2 at 3
+        assertEquals(1, map["a1"])
+        assertEquals(3, map["a2"])
+        // tool rows are items but never map (not searchable).
+        assertNull(map["t1"])
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `lazy index offsets by leading items`() {
+        val u1 = msg("u1", MessageRole.USER)
+        val u2 = msg("u2", MessageRole.USER)
+        // loading-older spinner occupies lazy item 0.
+        val map = messageIdToLazyIndex(groupIntoTurns(listOf(u1, u2)), leadingItems = 1)
+        assertEquals(1, map["u1"])
+        assertEquals(2, map["u2"])
+    }
+
+    // ── currentMatchMessageId / matchedMessageIds ─────────────────────────
+
+    @Test
+    fun `currentMatchMessageId resolves once for the current index`() {
+        val u1 = msg("u1", MessageRole.USER)
+        val a1 = msg("a1", MessageRole.ASSISTANT)
+        val msgs = listOf(u1, a1)
+        assertEquals("a1", currentMatchMessageId(msgs, listOf(0, 1), 1))
+        assertEquals("u1", currentMatchMessageId(msgs, listOf(0, 1), 0))
+        assertNull(currentMatchMessageId(msgs, listOf(0, 1), -1))
+        assertNull(currentMatchMessageId(msgs, emptyList(), 0))
+        assertNull(currentMatchMessageId(msgs, listOf(9), 0))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `matchedMessageIds returns unique ids for match indices`() {
+        val u1 = msg("u1", MessageRole.USER)
+        val a1 = msg("a1", MessageRole.ASSISTANT)
+        val a2 = msg("a2", MessageRole.ASSISTANT)
+        val msgs = listOf(u1, a1, a2)
+        assertEquals(setOf("u1", "a2"), matchedMessageIds(msgs, listOf(0, 2, 0)))
+        assertEquals(emptySet<String>(), matchedMessageIds(msgs, listOf(9)))
+    }
 }