If this sounds like your week
When Windows Search gets in the way
regulated workstations need evidence that search state lives locally and does not depend on cloud-side indexing. Windows Search is a system component while SaaS search tools can export query metadata across audit boundaries. locked-down profiles, limited network egress, and older machines make extra agents costly.
Where tooling usually breaks
Why local-first matters
index.db, config.json, and logs stay under %APPDATA%\SearchSentinel instead of a vendor-hosted workspace. Search queries are not uploaded for AI enhancement, analytics, or ad targeting. You buy the app once and keep the search index as a local workstation asset.
Technical proof points
- index.db - config.json - sentinel logs - Tauri IPC commands - Local-first storage - No network logger - Release path redaction