Feature request: optional 'query' field in Unix socket protocol for pre-filled search

[jellydn]

What

The Unix socket daemon protocol currently accepts only:

{ "cmd": "open_path", "path": "/some/dir", "in_grep": false }

There is no way to pass a pre-filled search query — no query, filter, or constraint field.

Why

This forces integrations (like vscode-fff-gpui) down a suboptimal path:

1. Type-filtered search — To open the picker scoped to e.g. only TypeScript files, the integration must shell out to rg --files --type ts, create a temp directory with symlinks to the filtered files, then send open_path pointing at that temp dir. This adds an external dependency (ripgrep), temp-file overhead, and complexity.

2. Pre-filled grep — To implement a "Find TODO/FIXME" shortcut, the integration must run git grep -lE '(TODO|FIXME)' first, create another overlay, and open that. The user can't just land in grep mode with TODO already typed in the search bar.

3. Resume with state — Integrations can track "last search kind" in-memory, but can't restore the user's actual search query — only the mode (files vs grep).

The daemon already has all the capabilities internally — fff-search supports glob patterns (**/*.rs), git-status filtering (git:modified), exclusion (!node_modules), and full grep with plain/regex/fuzzy modes. The problem is purely that the socket protocol can't pass a query in.

How

Add an optional query field to the open_path command:

{
  "cmd": "open_path",
  "path": "/my/project",
  "in_grep": true,
  "query": "TODO|FIXME"
}

{
  "cmd": "open_path",
  "path": "/my/project",
  "in_grep": false,
  "query": "**/*.{ts,tsx} git:modified"
}

When query is present, the daemon would pre-fill the search bar with the given text so the user lands in a ready-to-navigate state. If absent, behavior is unchanged (empty search bar, as today).

This is a minimal, backward-compatible addition — any existing client that doesn't send query works exactly as before.

[jellydn]

Update from vscode-fff-gpui v0.2.0 (KISS refactor complete)

The extension has been significantly simplified — now only 4 commands powered by 2 source files (findFiles.ts + grepFiles.ts), down from 8 commands and 5+ source files. All external search dependencies (rg, git grep, git status) have been eliminated.

What brings us to this issue: Since the daemon protocol has no query field, we can't pre-fill the search bar. Every command just opens an empty file-mode or grep-mode window. The remaining friction:

Command	Currently	With query field
Find Files (Cmd+K Cmd+P)	Opens empty file mode, user types globs	Could pre-fill **/*.ts or git:modified
Grep Files (Cmd+K Cmd+F)	Opens empty grep mode, user types pattern	Could pre-fill TODO|FIXME for targeted searches
Resume Search (Cmd+K Cmd+R)	Opens empty mode (kind only, no query)	Could restore the user's last search text

We currently use status bar hints (Tip: type globs like **/*.ts...) as a workaround, but they're ephemeral and easy to miss. A query field would let us drop those hints entirely and provide a more polished experience — the daemon window would open with the search bar already populated.

The change is fully backward-compatible — query is optional, absent means the current behavior (empty search bar).