Search DSL

ctxd uses a domain-specific language (DSL) for search. Queries use explicit field prefixes with boolean operators. One query returns every match across all connected apps.

Basic syntax

Every query starts with text: followed by the search term:

text:deployment

Add filters to narrow results:

text:deployment application:slack
text:deployment application:slack date:>2025-01-01

Field prefixes

Prefix	Filters	Example
`text:`	Document content (required)	`text:deployment`
`application:`	Source app	`application:slack`
`date:`	Modified date	`date:>2025-01-01`
`in_channel:`	Slack channel	`in_channel:engineering`
`repo:`	GitHub repo	`repo:team/backend`
`IN:`	File/folder path	`IN:/Projects/2024`

Text operators

Inside text:(), you can use boolean operators:

Operator	Meaning	Example
`+term`	Required (AND)	`text:(+deploy +runbook)`
`-term`	Excluded (NOT)	`text:(deploy -test)`
`term1 \| term2`	OR	`text:(deploy \| release)`
`"exact phrase"`	Phrase match	`text:"deployment runbook"`
`term*`	Wildcard prefix	`text:deploy*`

Boolean operators

Combine field filters with AND, OR, NOT:

text:deployment AND application:slack
text:deployment OR text:release
text:deployment NOT application:github

Spaces between fields act as implicit AND:

text:deployment application:slack

is the same as:

text:deployment AND application:slack

Date filters

date:>2025-01-01                        # after date
date:<2025-12-31                        # before date
date:[2025-01-01 TO 2025-03-31]         # date range

Examples

Search Slack for deployment discussions since January:

text:(deploy* OR release) application:slack date:>2025-01-01

Find meeting notes in a specific Drive folder:

text:"meeting notes" application:google_drive IN:/Projects/2024

Search a specific GitHub repo for bug reports:

text:(bug* OR issue OR "not working") repo:team/backend

Find standups from a Slack channel in Q1:

text:(update* | status | blocker) in_channel:engineering date:[2025-01-01 TO 2025-03-31]

Search everything across all apps:

text:"quarterly review"

Tips

Always use the text: prefix. Bare words without a prefix are not supported.
Use parentheses for multi-word text: text:(word1 word2) or text:"word1 word2"
Wildcards only work at the end of a word: deploy* works, *deploy does not
Repo filters support wildcards: repo:*/backend