name: everything-es-search description: Use when finding files by name/path on Windows primary dev PC via voidtools Everything (es.exe); prefer scripts/es-find.ps1 with a capped -MaxCount. On Linux lab-op SSH use find/fd, not es.

Everything (`es.exe`) search — token-aware

The operator is on Windows (primary Windows dev PC), Everything is installed, and the task is locate files by name or path (not file contents).
Glob over the repo would be too broad, or the target is outside the workspace (another drive, sync folder, large tree).

The session is about lab-op as Linux SSH — run find / fd / locate on that host, or use lab-op.ps1 output. Everything does not run on Linux.
You need content inside files — use Grep or SemanticSearch.

From the repo root, run .\scripts\es-find.ps1 with -Query and keep -MaxCount small (default 50 unless the user asked for full lists). This is the default path — wrapper calls es.exe (not “ex.exe”; the binary is es / es.exe). Do not skip it for ad-hoc Get-ChildItem when es should work on Windows.
Scope: omit -Global to search under the repo root only; use -Global only when the user needs the full indexed volume set.
Use -ShowCommand to print the exact es.exe line — copy it to add raw CLI flags not wrapped by the script.
Use -Help for a short usage string embedded in the script.

Exit code 127 means es.exe not on PATH. Install voidtools Everything CLI; ensure Everything is running (IPC). See docs/ops/EVERYTHING_ES_PRIMARY_WINDOWS_DEV_LAB.md.
Tell the operator what failed (IPC, PATH, stderr) so they can fix the machine — then fall back.
Fallback: .\scripts\es-find.ps1 -Query "..." -FallbackPowerShell — capped PowerShell filename search under the same default scope (slower). Not with -Regex or -Global.
Assistants (Cursor): if es-find still cannot run, use Glob for in-repo names, or Get-ChildItem on a narrow root — Get-ChildItem is allowed; avoid SemanticSearch as a substitute for “find this filename”. Do not “forget” that es-find.ps1 exists for the next similar task.

es-find.ps1 only queries the Everything index — read-only, primary-dev-workstation-safe.
Do not confuse with clean-slate / history rewrite — docs/ops/PRIMARY_WINDOWS_WORKSTATION_PROTECTION.md.

Prefer summaries and top N paths in chat; avoid pasting hundreds of lines.
For in-repo work, try Glob first; switch to es-find when it saves time or transcript size.

Operator may type es-find — align the session to the wrapper + .cursor/rules/everything-es-cli.mdc.