feat(backend,frontend): implement prefix and recursive substring search for bucket objects (#89)

* feat(search): implement recursive substring search for bucket objects

* fix: update key formatting to remove trailing slashes in ObjectsTable

* feat(search): implement debounced search functionality and improve UI text clarity

* test(objects): add test for handling search error response

backend/internal/handlers/objects.go

@@ -20,13 +20,13 @@ import (
 // served from the same origin as the API, any uploader could otherwise plant
 // stored XSS by uploading a file with one of these Content-Types.
 var unsafeInlineContentTypes = map[string]struct{}{
-	"text/html":             {},
+	"text/html":              {},
-	"application/xhtml+xml": {},
+	"application/xhtml+xml":  {},
-	"image/svg+xml":         {},
+	"image/svg+xml":          {},
-	"application/xml":       {},
+	"application/xml":        {},
-	"text/xml":              {},
+	"text/xml":               {},
 	"application/javascript": {},
-	"text/javascript":       {},
+	"text/javascript":        {},
 }
 
 // safeContentType rewrites Content-Types that the browser would treat as
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ func NewObjectHandler(s3Service services.S3Storage) *ObjectHandler {
 //	@Produce		json
 //	@Param			bucket				path		string												true	"Name of the bucket to list objects from"
 //	@Param			prefix				query		string												false	"Filter objects by prefix"
+//	@Param			search				query		string												false	"Recursively search object keys under prefix by case-insensitive substring (best-effort; bypasses max_keys and continuation_token)"
 //	@Param			max_keys			query		int													false	"Maximum number of objects to return (default: 100)"
 //	@Param			continuation_token	query		string												false	"Token for pagination to retrieve next page of results"
 //	@Success		200					{object}	models.APIResponse{data=models.ObjectListResponse}	"Successfully retrieved list of objects and prefixes"
@@ -109,6 +110,21 @@ func (h *ObjectHandler) ListObjects(c fiber.Ctx) error {
 
 	// Get query parameters for filtering and pagination
 	prefix := c.Query("prefix", "")
+
+	// Search mode: a recursive, best-effort substring search across the whole
+	// subtree under prefix. S3/Garage has no server-side substring search, so
+	// the backend scans and filters. This bypasses page-token pagination and
+	// max_keys, see S3Service.SearchObjects -> pagination is handled frontend side.
+	if search := c.Query("search", ""); search != "" {
+		results, err := h.s3Service.SearchObjects(ctx, bucketName, prefix, search)
+		if err != nil {
+			return c.Status(fiber.StatusInternalServerError).JSON(
+				models.ErrorResponse(models.ErrCodeListFailed, "Failed to search objects: "+err.Error()),
+			)
+		}
+		return c.JSON(models.SuccessResponse(results))
+	}
+
 	continuationToken := c.Query("continuation_token", "")
 
 	maxKeysStr := c.Query("max_keys", "100")

backend/internal/handlers/objects_test.go

@@ -120,6 +120,52 @@ func TestListObjects_ServiceError500(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestListObjects_SearchRoutesToSearchObjects(t *testing.T) {
+	app, s3 := newObjectsTestApp(t)
+	// Intentionally leave ListObjectsFn unset: if the handler wrongly falls
+	// through to a normal listing, the mock returns an error and this fails.
+	s3.SearchObjectsFn = func(_ context.Context, bucket, prefix, search string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error) {
+		if bucket != "b1" || prefix != "docs/" || search != "target" {
+			t.Errorf("args = (%q, %q, %q)", bucket, prefix, search)
+		}
+		return &models.ObjectListResponse{
+			Bucket: bucket, Count: 1,
+			Objects: []models.ObjectInfo{{Key: "docs/target.pdf", Size: 20}},
+		}, nil
+	}
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/buckets/b1/objects?prefix=docs/&search=target", nil)
+	resp, err := app.Test(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("app.Test: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+	var body struct {
+		Data models.ObjectListResponse `json:"data"`
+	}
+	decodeJSON(t, resp.Body, &body)
+	if body.Data.Count != 1 || len(body.Data.Objects) != 1 || body.Data.Objects[0].Key != "docs/target.pdf" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected search results: %+v", body.Data)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestListObjects_SearchError500(t *testing.T) {
+	app, s3 := newObjectsTestApp(t)
+	s3.SearchObjectsFn = func(_ context.Context, _, _, _ string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error) {
+		return nil, errors.New("boom")
+	}
+	resp, err := app.Test(httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/buckets/b1/objects?search=target", nil))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("app.Test: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusInternalServerError {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want 500", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+}
+
 // --- GetObjectMetadata ---
 
 func TestGetObjectMetadata_Success(t *testing.T) {

backend/internal/services/interfaces.go

@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ type AdminService interface {
 // GetBucketStatistics) are intentionally excluded.
 type S3Storage interface {
 	ListObjects(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix string, maxKeys int, continuationToken string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error)
+	SearchObjects(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix, search string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error)
 	UploadObject(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string, body io.Reader, contentType string) (*models.ObjectUploadResponse, error)
 	CreateDirectoryMarker(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (*models.ObjectUploadResponse, error)
 	GetObject(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (io.ReadCloser, *models.ObjectInfo, error)

backend/internal/services/mocks/s3_mock.go

@@ -23,14 +23,15 @@ var _ services.S3Storage = (*S3Mock)(nil)
 // per-method function fields they care about; unset methods return
 // s3NotConfigured.
 type S3Mock struct {
-	ListObjectsFn          func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix string, maxKeys int, continuationToken string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error)
+	ListObjectsFn           func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix string, maxKeys int, continuationToken string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error)
-	UploadObjectFn         func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string, body io.Reader, contentType string) (*models.ObjectUploadResponse, error)
+	SearchObjectsFn         func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix, search string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error)
+	UploadObjectFn          func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string, body io.Reader, contentType string) (*models.ObjectUploadResponse, error)
 	CreateDirectoryMarkerFn func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (*models.ObjectUploadResponse, error)
-	GetObjectFn            func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (io.ReadCloser, *models.ObjectInfo, error)
+	GetObjectFn             func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (io.ReadCloser, *models.ObjectInfo, error)
-	ObjectExistsFn         func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (bool, error)
+	ObjectExistsFn          func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (bool, error)
-	DeleteObjectFn         func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) error
+	DeleteObjectFn          func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) error
-	GetObjectMetadataFn    func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (*models.ObjectInfo, error)
+	GetObjectMetadataFn     func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string) (*models.ObjectInfo, error)
-	GetPresignedURLFn      func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string, expiresIn time.Duration) (string, error)
+	GetPresignedURLFn       func(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string, expiresIn time.Duration) (string, error)
 	DeleteMultipleObjectsFn func(ctx context.Context, bucketName string, keys []string) error
 	UploadMultipleObjectsFn func(ctx context.Context, bucketName string, files []struct {
 		Key         string
@@ -55,6 +56,14 @@ func (m *S3Mock) ListObjects(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix string, max
 	return m.ListObjectsFn(ctx, bucketName, prefix, maxKeys, continuationToken)
 }
 
+func (m *S3Mock) SearchObjects(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix, search string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error) {
+	m.record("SearchObjects", bucketName, prefix, search)
+	if m.SearchObjectsFn == nil {
+		return nil, s3NotConfigured("SearchObjects")
+	}
+	return m.SearchObjectsFn(ctx, bucketName, prefix, search)
+}
+
 func (m *S3Mock) UploadObject(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string, body io.Reader, contentType string) (*models.ObjectUploadResponse, error) {
 	m.record("UploadObject", bucketName, key, contentType)
 	if m.UploadObjectFn == nil {

backend/internal/services/s3.go

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 
 	"Noooste/garage-ui/internal/config"
 	"Noooste/garage-ui/internal/models"
+	logpkg "Noooste/garage-ui/pkg/logger"
 	"Noooste/garage-ui/pkg/utils"
 
 	"github.com/minio/minio-go/v7"
@@ -240,17 +241,10 @@ func (s *S3Service) ListObjects(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix string,
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list objects in bucket %s: %w", bucketName, err)
 	}
 
-	// Drop directory marker objects (zero-byte keys ending in "/"). Garage
-	// returns them in Contents, but the UI renders folders from Prefixes — a
-	// marker shown as both a folder and a file is confusing. Any marker not
-	// already covered by a CommonPrefix is promoted to Prefixes below.
 	contents := make([]minio.ObjectInfo, 0, len(result.Contents))
 	markerKeys := make([]string, 0)
 	for _, obj := range result.Contents {
 		if strings.HasSuffix(obj.Key, "/") && obj.Size == 0 {
-			// A marker whose key equals the current listing prefix is the
-			// folder itself — drop it entirely so it doesn't render as a
-			// nameless child of itself.
 			if obj.Key != prefix {
 				markerKeys = append(markerKeys, obj.Key)
 			}
@@ -331,6 +325,97 @@ func (s *S3Service) ListObjects(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix string,
 	}, nil
 }
 
+const (
+	searchMaxScan    = 10000 // stop after scanning this many objects
+	searchMaxResults = 1000  // stop after collecting this many matches
+	searchPageSize   = 1000  // objects requested per ListObjectsV2 page
+)
+
+func objectMatchesSearch(key string, size int64, lowerQuery string) bool {
+	if strings.HasSuffix(key, "/") && size == 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+	return strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(key), lowerQuery)
+}
+
+// SearchObjects performs a recursive, best-effort substring search over object
+// keys under the given prefix.
+func (s *S3Service) SearchObjects(ctx context.Context, bucketName, prefix, search string) (*models.ObjectListResponse, error) {
+	client, err := s.getMinioClient(ctx, bucketName, OpRead)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get MinIO client for bucket %s: %w", bucketName, err)
+	}
+
+	core := &minio.Core{Client: client}
+	lowerQuery := strings.ToLower(search)
+
+	matches := make([]models.ObjectInfo, 0, 64)
+	scanned := 0
+	truncated := false
+	token := ""
+
+scan:
+	for {
+		result, err := core.ListObjectsV2(
+			bucketName,
+			prefix,
+			"",
+			token,
+			"",
+			searchPageSize,
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to search objects in bucket %s: %w", bucketName, err)
+		}
+
+		for _, obj := range result.Contents {
+			scanned++
+			if objectMatchesSearch(obj.Key, obj.Size, lowerQuery) {
+				matches = append(matches, models.ObjectInfo{
+					Key:          obj.Key,
+					Size:         obj.Size,
+					LastModified: obj.LastModified,
+					ETag:         obj.ETag,
+					StorageClass: obj.StorageClass,
+				})
+				if len(matches) >= searchMaxResults {
+					truncated = true
+					break scan
+				}
+			}
+			if scanned >= searchMaxScan {
+				truncated = true
+				break scan
+			}
+		}
+
+		if !result.IsTruncated || result.NextContinuationToken == "" {
+			break
+		}
+		token = result.NextContinuationToken
+	}
+
+	if truncated {
+		logpkg.FromCtx(ctx).Warn().
+			Str("bucket", bucketName).
+			Str("prefix", prefix).
+			Int("scanned", scanned).
+			Int("matches", len(matches)).
+			Msg("search hit scan/result cap; results are partial")
+	}
+
+	return &models.ObjectListResponse{
+		Bucket:      bucketName,
+		Objects:     matches,
+		Prefixes:    []string{},
+		Count:       len(matches),
+		IsTruncated: truncated,
+		// Search returns all matches up to the cap in one response; there is no
+		// token-based pagination for search results.
+		NextContinuationToken: "",
+	}, nil
+}
+
 // UploadObject uploads an object to a bucket
 func (s *S3Service) UploadObject(ctx context.Context, bucketName, key string, body io.Reader, contentType string) (*models.ObjectUploadResponse, error) {
 	// Get bucket-specific MinIO client

backend/internal/services/s3_search_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+package services
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// s3SearchHandler serves a two-page recursive ListObjectsV2 response and counts
+// HEAD (StatObject) requests. Page selection is driven by the
+// `continuation-token` query parameter, mirroring how the MinIO SDK paginates.
+func s3SearchHandler(bucket string, page1, page2 []struct {
+	Key          string
+	Size         int64
+	LastModified string
+	ETag         string
+}) (http.Handler, *int, *string) {
+	var heads int
+	var lastDelimiter string
+	h := http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.Method == http.MethodHead {
+			heads++
+			w.Header().Set("Content-Length", "0")
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+			return
+		}
+		lastDelimiter = r.URL.Query().Get("delimiter")
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/xml")
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		if r.URL.Query().Get("continuation-token") == "PAGE2" {
+			_, _ = io.WriteString(w, listBucketResultXML(bucket, false, "", page2, nil))
+			return
+		}
+		_, _ = io.WriteString(w, listBucketResultXML(bucket, true, "PAGE2", page1, nil))
+	})
+	return h, &heads, &lastDelimiter
+}
+
+// TestS3_SearchObjects_FindsMatchOnLaterPage reproduces issue #87: an object
+// that lives on the second page of a listing must still be found by search.
+// SearchObjects should page through the whole listing recursively.
+func TestS3_SearchObjects_FindsMatchOnLaterPage(t *testing.T) {
+	bucket := "b-TestS3_SearchObjects_FindsMatchOnLaterPage"
+	page1 := []struct {
+		Key          string
+		Size         int64
+		LastModified string
+		ETag         string
+	}{
+		{Key: "docs/alpha.txt", Size: 10},
+		{Key: "docs/beta.txt", Size: 10},
+	}
+	page2 := []struct {
+		Key          string
+		Size         int64
+		LastModified string
+		ETag         string
+	}{
+		{Key: "docs/target-report.pdf", Size: 20},
+		{Key: "docs/gamma.txt", Size: 10},
+	}
+	h, heads, lastDelimiter := s3SearchHandler(bucket, page1, page2)
+	s3 := newS3TestService(t, h)
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	got, err := s3.SearchObjects(ctx, bucket, "", "target")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SearchObjects: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Count != 1 || len(got.Objects) != 1 || got.Objects[0].Key != "docs/target-report.pdf" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to find docs/target-report.pdf on page 2, got %+v", got.Objects)
+	}
+	// Search must be recursive (no delimiter) so it descends into folders.
+	if *lastDelimiter != "" {
+		t.Errorf("delimiter = %q, want empty (recursive listing)", *lastDelimiter)
+	}
+	// Search must not fetch ContentType per object — that would be N stat calls.
+	if *heads != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("StatObject (HEAD) calls = %d, want 0 during search", *heads)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestS3_SearchObjects_ExcludesDirectoryMarkersAndIsCaseInsensitive verifies
+// that zero-byte directory markers never appear as matches and that matching
+// is a case-insensitive substring test on the full key.
+func TestS3_SearchObjects_ExcludesDirectoryMarkersAndIsCaseInsensitive(t *testing.T) {
+	bucket := "b-TestS3_SearchObjects_ExcludesDirectoryMarkers"
+	page1 := []struct {
+		Key          string
+		Size         int64
+		LastModified string
+		ETag         string
+	}{
+		{Key: "Reports/", Size: 0},              // directory marker — must be excluded
+		{Key: "Reports/Q1-REPORT.csv", Size: 5}, // matches "report" case-insensitively
+		{Key: "images/logo.png", Size: 5},       // no match
+	}
+	h, _, _ := s3SearchHandler(bucket, page1, nil)
+	s3 := newS3TestService(t, h)
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	got, err := s3.SearchObjects(ctx, bucket, "", "report")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SearchObjects: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Count != 1 || got.Objects[0].Key != "Reports/Q1-REPORT.csv" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected only Reports/Q1-REPORT.csv, got %+v", got.Objects)
+	}
+	for _, o := range got.Objects {
+		if strings.HasSuffix(o.Key, "/") {
+			t.Errorf("directory marker leaked into results: %q", o.Key)
+		}
+	}
+}

frontend/src/components/buckets/ObjectBrowserView.tsx

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {ObjectsTable} from './ObjectsTable';
 import {CreateDirectoryDialog} from './CreateDirectoryDialog';
 import {DeleteObjectDialog} from './DeleteObjectDialog';
 import {UploadProgress} from './UploadProgress';
-import {ArrowLeft, ChevronRight, FolderPlus, Home, RotateCwIcon, Search, Trash, Upload} from 'lucide-react';
+import {ArrowLeft, ChevronRight, FolderPlus, Home, RotateCwIcon, ScanSearch, Search, Trash, Upload} from 'lucide-react';
 import {getBreadcrumbs} from '@/lib/file-utils';
 import type {S3Object, UploadTask} from '@/types';
 
@@ -15,11 +15,14 @@ interface ObjectBrowserViewProps {
   objects: S3Object[];
   currentPath: string;
   searchQuery: string;
+  filterQuery: string;
+  deepSearch: boolean;
   isLoading?: boolean;
   isTruncated?: boolean;
   nextContinuationToken?: string;
   itemsPerPage: number;
   onSearchChange: (query: string) => void;
+  onDeepSearchChange: (enabled: boolean) => void;
   onNavigateToFolder: (path: string) => void;
   onBackToBuckets: () => void;
   onUploadFiles: (files: File[]) => Promise<boolean>;
@@ -41,11 +44,14 @@ export function ObjectBrowserView({
   objects,
   currentPath,
   searchQuery,
+  filterQuery,
+  deepSearch,
   isLoading = false,
   isTruncated = false,
   nextContinuationToken,
   itemsPerPage,
   onSearchChange,
+  onDeepSearchChange,
   onNavigateToFolder,
   onBackToBuckets,
   onUploadFiles,
@@ -199,14 +205,31 @@ export function ObjectBrowserView({
 
         {/* Toolbar */}
         <div className="flex flex-col sm:flex-row items-stretch sm:items-center justify-between gap-3">
-          <div className="relative flex-1 max-w-full sm:max-w-xs">
+          <div className="flex flex-1 items-center gap-2 max-w-full sm:max-w-md">
-            <Search className="absolute left-2.5 top-2.5 h-4 w-4 text-muted-foreground" />
+            <div className="relative flex-1">
-            <Input
+              <Search className="absolute left-2.5 top-2.5 h-4 w-4 text-muted-foreground" />
-              placeholder="Search objects..."
+              <Input
-              value={searchQuery}
+                placeholder={deepSearch ? 'Deep search names…' : 'Search by name prefix…'}
-              onChange={(e) => onSearchChange(e.target.value)}
+                value={searchQuery}
-              className="pl-8"
+                onChange={(e) => onSearchChange(e.target.value)}
-            />
+                className="pl-8"
+              />
+            </div>
+            <Button
+              type="button"
+              variant={deepSearch ? 'primary' : 'secondary'}
+              onClick={() => onDeepSearchChange(!deepSearch)}
+              aria-pressed={deepSearch}
+              title={
+                deepSearch
+                  ? 'Deep search: ON. Matches names anywhere and descends into subfolders. Scans the bucket, results may be partial on very large buckets. Click for fast prefix search.'
+                  : 'Fast prefix search: matches the start of object names in this folder (like the AWS S3 / Cloudflare R2 console). Click to enable deep search (substring + subfolders).'
+              }
+              className="shrink-0"
+            >
+              <ScanSearch className="h-4 w-4" />
+              <span className="hidden sm:inline">Deep</span>
+            </Button>
           </div>
           <div className="flex items-center gap-2 flex-wrap">
             {selectedFileKeys.size > 0 && (
@@ -352,6 +375,8 @@ export function ObjectBrowserView({
             objects={objects}
             currentPath={currentPath}
             searchQuery={searchQuery}
+            filterQuery={filterQuery}
+            deepSearch={deepSearch}
             selectedFileKeys={selectedFileKeys}
             isDragActive={isDragActive}
             isLoading={isLoading && !isRefreshing && !isNavigating}

frontend/src/components/buckets/ObjectsTable.tsx

@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ interface ObjectsTableProps {
   objects: S3Object[];
   currentPath: string;
   searchQuery: string;
+  filterQuery: string;
+  deepSearch: boolean;
   selectedFileKeys: Set<string>;
   isDragActive: boolean;
   isLoading?: boolean;
@@ -46,6 +48,8 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
   objects,
   currentPath,
   searchQuery,
+  filterQuery,
+  deepSearch,
   selectedFileKeys,
   isDragActive,
   isLoading = false,
@@ -86,7 +90,9 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
   }, [initialized, initialPageToken, initialItemsPerPage, itemsPerPage, nextContinuationToken, onPageChange, onItemsPerPageChange]);
 
   const filteredObjects = useMemo(() => {
-    const query = searchQuery.toLowerCase();
+    // Filter on the debounced query, not the raw input, so the list only
+    // updates once typing pauses (matches the debounced server request).
+    const query = filterQuery.toLowerCase();
     const filtered = objects.filter((obj) => obj.key.toLowerCase().includes(query));
     return [...filtered].sort((a, b) => {
       const aIsFolder = a.isFolder ? 1 : 0;
@@ -96,8 +102,8 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
       let compareValue = 0;
       switch (sortColumn) {
         case 'name': {
-          const aName = a.key.replace(currentPath, '').replace('/', '').toLowerCase();
+          const aName = a.key.replace(currentPath, '').replace(/\/$/, '').toLowerCase();
-          const bName = b.key.replace(currentPath, '').replace('/', '').toLowerCase();
+          const bName = b.key.replace(currentPath, '').replace(/\/$/, '').toLowerCase();
           compareValue = aName.localeCompare(bName);
           break;
         }
@@ -114,13 +120,15 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
 
       return sortDirection === 'asc' ? compareValue : -compareValue;
     });
-  }, [objects, searchQuery, sortColumn, sortDirection, currentPath]);
+  }, [objects, filterQuery, sortColumn, sortDirection, currentPath]);
 
-  // Effect 2: Reset pagination ONLY on path navigation
+  // Effect 2: Reset pagination on path navigation or when a search begins/ends.
+  // Search results are a single flat list, so page-token state must not leak
+  // across the search/browse boundary.
   useEffect(() => {
     setPageTokens([undefined]);
     setCurrentPageIndex(0);
-  }, [currentPath]);
+  }, [currentPath, searchQuery, deepSearch]);
 
   // Update page tokens when we get a new next token
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -137,11 +145,33 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
     }
   }, [nextContinuationToken, isTruncated, currentPageIndex]);
 
-  const hasPrevious = currentPageIndex > 0;
+  // Prefix search and normal browsing are server-paginated (query folded into
-  const hasNext = isTruncated;
+  // the prefix; continuation tokens for pages). Deep search loads the whole
+  // capped result set in one response, so we paginate that on the client by
+  // itemsPerPage instead of dumping every match at once.
+  const isDeepSearching = deepSearch && searchQuery.trim().length > 0;
+  const clientPaginated = isDeepSearching;
+  const totalPages = clientPaginated
+    ? Math.max(1, Math.ceil(filteredObjects.length / itemsPerPage))
+    : 1;
+  // Clamp during render (not via a setState effect) so a shrinking result set
+  // or a larger page size can't strand us on an out-of-range page.
+  const pageIndex = clientPaginated ? Math.min(currentPageIndex, totalPages - 1) : currentPageIndex;
+  const pageObjects = clientPaginated
+    ? filteredObjects.slice(pageIndex * itemsPerPage, (pageIndex + 1) * itemsPerPage)
+    : filteredObjects;
+  const hasPrevious = pageIndex > 0;
+  const hasNext = clientPaginated ? pageIndex < totalPages - 1 : isTruncated;
 
   const handleNextPage = () => {
-    if (hasNext && nextContinuationToken) {
+    if (!hasNext) return;
+    // Client-paginated (deep search): just advance the slice, no server fetch.
+    if (clientPaginated) {
+      setCurrentPageIndex(pageIndex + 1);
+      window.scrollTo({ top: 0, behavior: 'smooth' });
+      return;
+    }
+    if (nextContinuationToken) {
       const nextIndex = currentPageIndex + 1;
       setCurrentPageIndex(nextIndex);
       onPageChange(nextContinuationToken);
@@ -150,13 +180,16 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
   };
 
   const handlePreviousPage = () => {
-    if (hasPrevious) {
+    if (!hasPrevious) return;
-      const prevIndex = currentPageIndex - 1;
+    if (clientPaginated) {
-      setCurrentPageIndex(prevIndex);
+      setCurrentPageIndex(pageIndex - 1);
-      const previousToken = pageTokens[prevIndex];
-      onPageChange(previousToken);
       window.scrollTo({ top: 0, behavior: 'smooth' });
+      return;
     }
+    const prevIndex = currentPageIndex - 1;
+    setCurrentPageIndex(prevIndex);
+    onPageChange(pageTokens[prevIndex]);
+    window.scrollTo({ top: 0, behavior: 'smooth' });
   };
 
   const handleItemsPerPageChange = (value: string) => {
@@ -235,7 +268,7 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
             </TableCell>
           </TableRow>
         ) : (
-          filteredObjects.map((obj) => (
+          pageObjects.map((obj) => (
             <TableRow key={obj.key}>
               <TableCell className="w-[50px]">
                 {obj.isFolder ? (
@@ -265,7 +298,7 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
                       onClick={() => onNavigateToFolder(obj.key)}
                       className="font-medium cursor-pointer underline hover:text-primary"
                     >
-                      {obj.key.replace(currentPath, '').replace('/', '')}
+                      {obj.key.replace(currentPath, '').replace(/\/$/, '')}
                     </button>
                   ) : (
                     <button
@@ -395,7 +428,9 @@ export function ObjectsTable({
         {/* Pagination info and controls */}
         <div className="flex items-center gap-4">
           <span className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">
-            Page {currentPageIndex + 1} • Showing {filteredObjects.length} item{filteredObjects.length !== 1 ? 's' : ''}
+            {isDeepSearching
+              ? `Page ${pageIndex + 1} of ${totalPages} • ${filteredObjects.length} match${filteredObjects.length !== 1 ? 'es' : ''}${isTruncated ? ' (capped, refine to narrow)' : ''}`
+              : `Page ${pageIndex + 1} • Showing ${pageObjects.length} item${pageObjects.length !== 1 ? 's' : ''}`}
           </span>
 
           <div className="flex items-center gap-2">

frontend/src/hooks/useBucketObjects.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ import { objectsApi } from '@/lib/api';
 import type { S3Object, UploadTask } from '@/types';
 import { toast } from 'sonner';
 
-export function useBucketObjects(bucketName: string | null, currentPath: string = '') {
+// How long to wait after the last keystroke before actually searching. Keeps
+// typing from firing a request (and a client-side re-filter) on every key.
+const SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_MS = 750;
+
+export function useBucketObjects(bucketName: string | null, currentPath: string = '', searchQuery: string = '', deepSearch: boolean = false) {
   const [objects, setObjects] = useState<S3Object[]>([]);
   const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);
   const [isRefreshing, setIsRefreshing] = useState(false);
@@ -13,13 +17,25 @@ export function useBucketObjects(bucketName: string | null, currentPath: string
   const [nextContinuationToken, setNextContinuationToken] = useState<string | undefined>(undefined);
   const [itemsPerPage, setItemsPerPage] = useState(25);
   const [currentContinuationToken, setCurrentContinuationToken] = useState<string | undefined>(undefined);
+  const [debouncedSearch, setDebouncedSearch] = useState('');
   const previousPathRef = useRef<string>(currentPath);
   const [uploadTasks, setUploadTasks] = useState<UploadTask[]>([]);
   const clearTasksTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
+  // Monotonic sequence guarding against stale responses: when a newer fetch or
+  // search starts, older in-flight responses are discarded instead of clobbering
+  // the current view (e.g. a slow search resolving after the query was cleared).
+  const fetchSeqRef = useRef(0);
+
+  // Prefix search (the default) narrows the Garage listing to keys starting with
+  // the query, within the current folder — server-side, paginated, and O(matches)
+  // like the AWS S3 / R2 consoles. Deep search instead uses a recursive scan
+  // (see searchObjects) and does not touch listPrefix.
+  const listPrefix = debouncedSearch && !deepSearch ? currentPath + debouncedSearch : currentPath;
 
   const fetchObjects = useCallback(async (continuationToken?: string, isRefresh = false, isNav = false) => {
     if (!bucketName) return;
 
+    const seq = ++fetchSeqRef.current;
     try {
       if (isRefresh) {
         setIsRefreshing(true);
@@ -29,30 +45,70 @@ export function useBucketObjects(bucketName: string | null, currentPath: string
         setIsLoading(true);
       }
       setError(null);
-      const response = await objectsApi.list(bucketName, currentPath, itemsPerPage, continuationToken);
+      const response = await objectsApi.list(bucketName, listPrefix, itemsPerPage, continuationToken);
+      if (seq !== fetchSeqRef.current) return;
       setObjects(response.objects);
       setIsTruncated(response.isTruncated);
       setNextContinuationToken(response.nextContinuationToken);
       setCurrentContinuationToken(continuationToken);
     } catch (err) {
+      if (seq !== fetchSeqRef.current) return;
       setError(err as Error);
       console.error('Failed to fetch objects:', err);
     } finally {
-      setIsLoading(false);
+      if (seq === fetchSeqRef.current) {
-      setIsRefreshing(false);
+        setIsLoading(false);
-      setIsNavigating(false);
+        setIsRefreshing(false);
+        setIsNavigating(false);
+      }
     }
-  }, [bucketName, currentPath, itemsPerPage]);
+  }, [bucketName, listPrefix, itemsPerPage]);
+
+  const searchObjects = useCallback(async (query: string) => {
+    if (!bucketName) return;
+
+    const seq = ++fetchSeqRef.current;
+    try {
+      setIsLoading(true);
+      setError(null);
+      const response = await objectsApi.search(bucketName, query, currentPath || undefined);
+      if (seq !== fetchSeqRef.current) return;
+      setObjects(response.objects);
+      setIsTruncated(response.isTruncated);
+      // Search results are not token-paginated.
+      setNextContinuationToken(undefined);
+      setCurrentContinuationToken(undefined);
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (seq !== fetchSeqRef.current) return;
+      setError(err as Error);
+      console.error('Failed to search objects:', err);
+    } finally {
+      if (seq === fetchSeqRef.current) setIsLoading(false);
+    }
+  }, [bucketName, currentPath]);
+
+  // Debounce the search query so we don't fire a recursive scan per keystroke.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const t = setTimeout(() => setDebouncedSearch(searchQuery.trim()), SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_MS);
+    return () => clearTimeout(t);
+  }, [searchQuery]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!bucketName) return;
 
+    // Deep search: recursive substring scan across the current subtree.
+    if (debouncedSearch && deepSearch) {
+      searchObjects(debouncedSearch);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Normal listing, or prefix-filtered listing (listPrefix carries the query).
     const isPathChange = previousPathRef.current !== currentPath && objects.length > 0;
     previousPathRef.current = currentPath;
 
     fetchObjects(undefined, false, isPathChange);
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-  }, [bucketName, currentPath, itemsPerPage]);
+  }, [bucketName, currentPath, itemsPerPage, debouncedSearch, deepSearch]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     return () => {
@@ -194,6 +250,9 @@ export function useBucketObjects(bucketName: string | null, currentPath: string
 
   return {
     objects,
+    // The debounced query the current results reflect — use this (not the raw
+    // input) to filter/label results so the view waits instead of twitching.
+    debouncedSearch,
     isLoading,
     isRefreshing,
     isNavigating,

frontend/src/lib/api.ts

@@ -293,6 +293,39 @@ export const objectsApi = {
     };
   },
 
+  // Recursive, best-effort substring search across all objects under `prefix`.
+  // The backend scans and filters (S3/Garage has no server-side substring
+  // search), so this finds matches regardless of which page they'd be on.
+  search: async (bucket: string, query: string, prefix?: string): Promise<ObjectListResponse> => {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    const params: any = { search: query };
+    if (prefix) params.prefix = prefix;
+
+    const response = await api.get(`/v1/buckets/${bucket}/objects`, { params });
+    const data = response.data.data;
+
+    // Search returns a flat list of matching objects (no folders/prefixes).
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+    const objects: S3Object[] = data.objects?.map((obj: any) => ({
+      key: obj.key,
+      size: obj.size,
+      lastModified: obj.last_modified,
+      etag: obj.etag,
+      contentType: obj.content_type,
+      storageClass: obj.storage_class,
+      isFolder: false,
+    })) || [];
+
+    return {
+      bucket: data.bucket,
+      objects,
+      prefixes: [],
+      count: data.count,
+      isTruncated: data.is_truncated || false,
+      nextContinuationToken: data.next_continuation_token,
+    };
+  },
+
   get: async (bucket: string, key: string): Promise<Blob> => {
     const response = await api.get(`/v1/buckets/${bucket}/objects/${encodeObjectKey(key)}`, {
       responseType: 'blob'

frontend/src/pages/AccessControl.tsx

@@ -662,7 +662,7 @@ export function AccessControl() {
                 <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
                   <DialogTitle>API key created</DialogTitle>
                   <DialogDescription>
-                    Copy your secret access key now — this is the only time it will be shown.
+                    Copy your secret access key now, this is the only time it will be shown.
                   </DialogDescription>
                 </div>
               </DialogHeader>
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ export function AccessControl() {
                     <div className="flex-1">
                       <div className="text-[13.5px] font-medium">Grant bucket permissions now</div>
                       <p className="mt-0.5 text-[12.5px] text-[var(--muted-foreground)]">
-                        Optional — you can also do this later from the key's edit menu.
+                        Optional, you can also do this later from the key's edit menu.
                       </p>
                     </div>
                   </label>

frontend/src/pages/BucketObjects.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export function BucketObjects() {
 
   const [currentPath, setCurrentPath] = useState(searchParams.get('prefix') ?? '');
   const [searchQuery, setSearchQuery] = useState('');
+  const [deepSearch, setDeepSearch] = useState(false);
   const [initialPageToken, setInitialPageToken] = useState<string | undefined>(
     searchParams.get('page') ?? undefined,
   );
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ export function BucketObjects() {
 
   const {
     objects,
+    debouncedSearch,
     isLoading,
     isRefreshing,
     isNavigating,
@@ -40,10 +42,13 @@ export function BucketObjects() {
     deleteMultipleObjects,
     createDirectory,
     fetchObjects,
-  } = useBucketObjects(bucketName, currentPath);
+  } = useBucketObjects(bucketName, currentPath, searchQuery, deepSearch);
 
   const handleNavigateToFolder = (path: string) => {
     setCurrentPath(path);
+    // Navigating to a folder should show that folder's contents, not a stale
+    // filter carried over from the folder we came from.
+    setSearchQuery('');
     const next = new URLSearchParams();
     if (path) next.set('prefix', path);
     setSearchParams(next);
@@ -97,11 +102,14 @@ export function BucketObjects() {
         objects={objects}
         currentPath={currentPath}
         searchQuery={searchQuery}
+        filterQuery={debouncedSearch}
+        deepSearch={deepSearch}
         isLoading={isLoading}
         isTruncated={isTruncated}
         nextContinuationToken={nextContinuationToken}
         itemsPerPage={itemsPerPage}
         onSearchChange={setSearchQuery}
+        onDeepSearchChange={setDeepSearch}
         onNavigateToFolder={handleNavigateToFolder}
         onBackToBuckets={handleBackToBuckets}
         onUploadFiles={uploadFiles}